In Another Life

Chapter 113/Levi POV

Levi POV

"I'm sorry but I care for you so I'm going to be honest. I don't want to drag you through the mud." I was drumming my fingertips lightly against the table, eyes pinned on hers. She was having a hard time maintaining eye contact as she continued to trembled.

I was happy it was still early, hopefully no customers would walk in on the conversation. Just in case this went south.

"She's the one who was in here the other day. With the angry man. You sent us away because of her." Gracie was sitting across from me, bouncing her son on her hip. He was still young... not the best behaved child by far.

"Yes I did. That was my son and my daughters.. the ones I spoke of. I needed to be alone with them. We needed to talk to one another." I reached to the side, picking up my tea to bring it to my lips, it was a dark blend. Something I had grown quite fond of, a mixture between mugwort and blackberry it was enticing.

Gracie leaned forward extending her hand out to mine after I had set the tea cup back down.

"Levi what is this? Not even a few days ago you were telling me to come back here. We were going to discuss having a child. I thought we were going to try." Her thumb was still stroking the back of my hand.

"Just because they were your family then, doesn't mean that's how it needs to be now. We can make our own family, start a new!" She was smiling, how could she be smiling after saying something like that. She knew how absolutely crushed me thinking they were dead, had made me.

I pulled my hand free from hers, resting my back fully into the chair, as I took a deep breath composing myself.

"No you don't understand, that is my family and always will be. I was honest with you from day one, I would play the role as father for as long as this continued to be lucrative to the two of us. I have no intention on having anymore children. Not with you nor her, those days are over now.... behind me." My eyes narrowed on hers, I watched her face change through three different expressions before it settled on mad.

"So, that means nothing. A relationship is about compromising. Maybe you feel that way now but things can change down the road. I'm still young, we still have time to-"

"Gracie I don't want you. I don't want this relationship. I ... it's just not what I want. I care for you I always will but.. I can't even begin to explain it. I can't be apart from her!" I stood up pushing the chair out from behind me.

Her son was beginning to drive me crazy with his inconsolable screaming.

I stepped over to the counter, reaching and lifting the lid to one of the muffin displays to give the crying child something to silence him.

It always angered me to no end how she could just sit through a entire temper tantrum. I couldn't stand the sound of her children screaming. I don't know maybe it was the way mine were raised. Me being who I am, I'm sure that's why Kaneki turned out the way he is.

"Is that why you ran out of here last night? Your son came to give you the all clear that your whore was waiting for you?" I stopped right in my tracks, eyes locked on the floor. How would she know that, how did she know that.

And god..... I had never wanted to hit a woman so bad in my life, how dare she refer to the mother of my children as a whore. Y/N was nothing of the sort. She was the purest most modest woman I had ever met, she was simply precious. That's entirely the reason why I had to have her all for myself.