Chapter 40
Despite the hours and years of training with Ares, Killian feared his heart was going to give out as he sat in front of Kiara, waiting for her to speak. Her big round eyes were glossy with tears as she stared at the flickering candles on the coffee table.
"Kiara?" Posey was the first to break the silence.
She reached out and touched the girl's shoulder as if she would shake her out of her head. Slightly surprised by the touch, Kiara looked up at her mother. Posey immediately pulled back as she spotted the hurt in her daughter's brown eyes.
"We were hoping to tell you slowly," Tobias said from where he sat across from Kiara and Posey. "It's a lot to hear all at once."
Killian watched as Kiara swallowed and lifted her head. The tears on her face shimmered from the candle light as she placed her hands on her knees and sat tall with her back as straight as a needle.
"My dove, we can't even begin to explain to you how sorry we are about everything that happened," Posey raced a hand and tried to push back one of Kiara's dark locks. But when Kiara flinched, Posey froze. "Kiara..."
"Where is the baby?" Kiara asked, her voice hoarse.
Posey slowly turned towards Killian.
"She's in the nursery," Killian said.
Everyone around the table held their breath as Kiara nodded and rose to her feet. Posey's eyes flickered to Tobias as he motioned for her to stay still. Together they watched their daughter turn towards the stairs and make her way over. As she approached Killian, he stopped out of her way. He too didn't know what to say or do as Kiara made her way upstairs and the room hung with silence.
"Killian," Posey said after a short pause. "You should go upstairs."
Killian looked up and sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, hoping the knot in his stomach would disappear with some kind of movement. But with each step that he took, his insides became more and more numb. He turned on his heels and headed upstairs, dreading the silence that he would have to face when he saw Kiara. A silence of his own making.
With heavy steps, Killian made his way to the nursery. He spotted the part-time nanny making her way downstairs through the back stairwell, leaving the door to the baby's room slightly ajar. Killian paused outside the door for a few seconds before pushing it open slowly and stepping inside.
As soon as the door opened, Kiara's eyes fell on Kiara. She sat with Lila in her arms and her cheeks stained with fresh tears. Sniffling quietly, she raised Lila to her lips and pressed a kiss to her cheeks. Killian thought he heard her coo something to the baby but he couldn't hear over how loud his heart was beating.
"I....I don't remember her," Kiara choked out the words after a few minutes of Killian standing by the door and watching her. She lifted her puffy eyes as her bottom lip shook. "I don't remember her."
With each word that Kiara spoke, Killian felt his chest tighten to the point he feared he might collapse on the floor. His own tears ran down his face like a waterfall, soaking his shirt. The tips of his cheeks were red and the white of his eyes were starting to match.
"I don't remember you," Kiara said, catching his eyes. "I don't remember any of this."
"I know," Killian turned his eyes towards the window, licking his lip and hoping to collect himself.
"I can't even be angry with you!" Kiara sobbed. "I have no idea how much you hurt me."
Killian flinched from her words. His stomach twisted as the weight and truth of Kiara's words dug into his skin like knives.
