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CXIII : Lake Zürich
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด:
2025-03-07 18:19:50
บทที่เกี่ยวข้อง
His Son, Her Secret CXIV : Not a Step Closer, Romanov
I close my eyes, letting the cool breeze from Lake Zürich brush my face.The air here felt different and fresher than San Francisco's. For a few moments, I let my mind wander.I didn't care what Pascha was doing next to me. It didn't matter if he was looking at me or busy with his thoughts. I just wanted to enjoy the Zürich air cool down all of the things spinning in my head."Do you remember?" he asked, his voice a soft murmur, laced with an unusual calm.I opened my eyes slowly, turning my head towards him. "What?"Pascha stared at the lake, his expression unreadable, but the corners of his lips twitched ever so slightly.“You once said you wanted to leave,” he mused. “Switzerland. Sheep. A simple life. Do you still dream about it?"I was silent, letting his words sink into my head.Then, I smiled a little.Oh. That.I remember that.Pascha and I—still young, still full of dreams and reckless plans—lay on his bed, talking about the future. I laughed, saying how much I wanted to run
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-03-08His Son, Her Secret CXV : Laughter & Looming Danger
I woke up to the morning light streaming in through my window blinds.The air in San Francisco felt much different from Zürich. warmer, more humid, with the sound of the waves clearly audible.I let out a long breath, rubbing my face before stretching. I thought there would be silence this morning, but there wasn't.From outside my bedroom, Max's laughter could be heard, mixed with the all-too-familiar heavy grumbling.I blinked, frowning.Pascha.I snorted softly, pulling my blanket higher before finally remembering that Pascha really seemed to be living in this house now.Without an invitation.Without permission.Without realizing that this house is mine, not his.I let out a long sigh, finally giving up on staying in bed and getting up.When I opened the door and walked out, the smell of something burnt immediately greeted me.I refrained from groaning.I walked into the kitchen and immediately saw a sight that no longer surprised me.Max was standing on a small stool with an over
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-03-09His Son, Her Secret CXVI : A Pulse of Panic
A sharp buzz pierced my ears.It was like the sound of the explosion had left residual echoes inside my head, spinning, spinning, until I felt nauseous.Everything was a blur.Chaos erupted around me. people dashing frantically, their voices crashing together in a deafening roar. The noise swelled into an overwhelming cacophony, blurring the line between reality and the storm inside my mind.My ears rang with a sharp, relentless intensity, each piercing note drilling into my bones, sending shockwaves through my skull. The pain throbbed, deep and merciless, unraveling my thoughts in the relentless tide of sound.I wanted to vomit.My hands trembled as I tried to steady myself on the floor, but my body felt too weak.I nearly slipped off the table if Kyara hadn’t pulled me back just in time.Her hands gripped my arms tightly, tighter than usual, her breathing ragged, her eyes huge with fear. I can't remember the last time I saw Kyara like this.I hugged her. Holding her body that was as
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-03-11His Son, Her Secret CXVII - A Gentle Touch
I had just prepared to leave when the sound of footsteps filled the emergency room. I looked up, and Pascha stood in the doorway. His jaw hardened, and his dark gray eyes locked on me.I shoved my phone into my bag. I frowned. “Pascha?”“Move to another room. I will prepare everything for you to get better.” He said.I let out a breath, trying to stop myself from rolling my eyes. “I'm not sick. I'm fine. I'm just in a bit of shock, and I don't need hospitalization.”Pascha hardened his jaw. “At least for one night,” his voice was softer now but still insistent. "You need to undergo intensive treatment, just in case.”“The doctor already said that I'm fine.” I shook my head. “So, I'm going home. Max know about this?”Pascha shook his head. “No. I made sure he doesn't know anything.”I breathed a sigh of relief. But that meant I had to get home quickly. Max would be looking for me if I stayed here too long.I walk to the other side of the ER. Kyara was lying on the far bed, her face st
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-03-13His Son, Her Secret CXVIII: His Heat
The warm water continued to flow, soaking my skin and wrapping my body in warmth that should make me more at ease.But with Pascha still standing behind me, touching me too carefully and slowly, relaxing was the last thing I could think of.His hands were still there, washing my body with movements that took longer than he should have.I bit my lip, holding myself back, but every time his fingers brushed my skin, I could feel a burn sensation creeping up slowly."Pascha," I whispered warningly.He ignored me.Or rather, he enjoys watching me try to restrain myself too much.His hands moved slowly, too slowly, brushing over my skin as if he had all the time in the world to do so. I groaned in annoyance, almost losing control, then pushed his arm away."Get out."He didn't budge.I turned my head, glaring at him sharply, but he grinned instead, his expression full of the arrogance I desperately wanted to destroy."Why?" he murmured, his tone low and seductive."Because I told you to get
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-03-14His Son, Her Secret CXIX : Mommy Always Wins—Or Does She?
This morning should feel normal.At least, that's what I whisper to myself as I stand in the kitchen, pouring pancake batter onto a hot griddle.The smell of melting butter and vanilla filled the air, giving a false sense of peace because, inside my head, the remnants of yesterday's events still echoed.But I can't let it show.Max must not see it.So I forced myself to focus, preparing his favourite breakfast with slightly trembling hands, even though I tried to ignore it. Outside, the sound of rubber tyres sliding on asphalt and Max's triumphant shout echoed in the morning air.I turned my head toward the yard, and Max was speeding away in his mini Porsche. His face was full of excitement and a small arrogance clearly inherited from Pascha.Meanwhile, Pascha stood by the fence, arms crossed, observing this 'racing match' with a flat expression."Daddy! I'm going to be the best F1 driver in the world!" Max exclaimed, breaking dramatically before turning his head with his chin raised
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-03-15His Son, Her Secret CXX : You Lock the Doors, I Steal the Key
Pascha doesn't like to lose.I know that.He's used to controlling things, shaping the world to his liking. But this time, I wasn't something he could organize at his will.And he hated that."Listen to me."I sighed sharply, crossing my arms over my chest and giving him a flat look."Pascha, I'm fine. I'm not going to sit at home just because you say so."He pursed his lips, his expression full of disapproval. "It's not just about sitting idle—""Then what is it about? Do you think I can't handle myself?" I interrupted quickly, looking at him more sharply.He rubbed his face with one hand like it were the most difficult problem he had to solve today.I picked up my bag, preparing to leave. "Pascha, I'm going to see Kyara, then to the office. That's not something you can forbid."Pascha looked at me for a long time, then finally sighed, a sign of his defeat.But that expression was not one of complete surrender.There was something in his eyes. Something that felt like a warning.I di
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-03-16His Son, Her Secret CXXI: If I Knew Then What I Know Now
"It's Mikaela," Aurora said quickly.I'm still staring at Kyara's phone. The words on the message seem stuck behind my eyelids, flickering every time I blink.To Belva Moguel. The cold in my fingers creeps up to my wrists.Kyara sighed, sitting straighter on the bed, her still pale cheeks looking even paler. "Ara..." she murmured in warning. "That's ridiculous."Aurora looked up quickly, her eyebrows already raised. "Ridiculous?" she repeated, her tone rising a fraction of an octave. "She’s our ex-best friend. And she's crazy enough to sleep with her best friend's fiancée." Her eyes narrowed sharply. "Blowing up a restaurant isn't the most extreme thing she might do."Kyara shook her head. "That's... just about Pascha," her tone tired. "She’s not a criminal, Ara. She’s—" She rubbed her face, her fingers trembling despite trying to hide it. "You think she'd blow up a restaurant... just because of Pascha?"Aurora chuckled. Silence for a few seconds, then said, "Crazy people do crazy th
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-03-18
บทล่าสุด
His Son, Her Secret CLXIX : she grew where my goodbye bled
Two days after Pascha went back to Russia too, my house was quiet again.Or... almost quiet.I was sitting at the kitchen table, still in pajamas, my hair pulled back in a lazy ponytail, a half-finished cup of coffee in my hand. Morning sunlight streamed through the big windows, warming the wooden table with a slow, sleepy glow. Max sat with one leg crossed over the other, one hand holding a spoonful of cereal, the other clutching my phone.Pascha’s face filled the screen.“I told you not too much milk in the cereal,” he commented through the video call, his voice faint through the speaker.Max raised an eyebrow. “But I like it when the cereal sinks. The milk’s like a battlefield.”I sipped my coffee, trying not to laugh.“Where’s Mischa?” Max asked, popping a spoonful into his mouth while staring at the screen.“She’s at her house. My house and her house are in different cities, Maximus Prime,” Pascha answered.“Hmm,” Max mumbled, chewing while glancing sideways. “So... that means yo
His Son, Her Secret CLXVIII : we were just tired, weren’t we?
Morning slipped in through the thin curtains in Max’s room, carrying the scent of the sea and a cool breeze that brushed against my skin like the fading touch of a dream. I opened my eyes slowly, my breathing calm… too calm. Comfortable. Warm.And just as I moved to run my hand through Max’s hairl, who usually curled up in my arms every morning, I didn’t find the soft curls of a four-year-old.I felt a chest. Warm. Strong. Rising and falling gently behind me.And then it hit me.I wasn’t hugging Max. I was the one being hugged.My whole body stiffened.I swear, in that second, every nerve ending in my body went off like fireworks beneath my skin. A large hand rested across my waist, one leg draped casually over mine, and the calm breath against the back of my neck was too familiar to mistake.Pascha.Romanov.I held my breath, trying to piece together last night. All I remembered was: after snorkeling, Max wouldn’t let go of me, not even during dinner. Then we went up to his room beca
His Son, Her Secret CLXVII : Salt on My Skin
Max’s floatie was a little too tight, which I’d done on purpose because I knew my son. Give him space and he’d swim as far as possible until someone thought a new dolphin species had been discovered. But now that we were getting ready to snorkel, the floatie had to come off. “I still think this is a bad idea,” I muttered while fiddling with the clips on the side of Max’s floatie. “But it’s fun!” Max shouted as he squirmed, just trying to break free so he could dive in like some kind of sea ninja. “Hold still, Maximus Prime. You don’t want to snorkel with a floatie this tight. Trust me, it’ll make you look like a failed floating donut.” Mischa stood next to us, already geared up with her snorkel mask and little fins on her feet. She looked calm and efficient, like a tiny professional swimmer. Even her curly hair had been neatly tied back with a blue ribbon by Igor. “I took off my floatie a while ago,” she said flatly. “My mom’s not that protective.” I glanced at her and raised an
His Son, Her Secret CLXVI : Cruel Summer, Salty Shoulder
Pascha finally pulled over. Water sprayed out on both sides as his jet ski hit the last wave before reaching the shore. In one smooth motion, he turned off the engine, jumped off onto the sand without losing his balance, and walked toward us.I had just picked up a glass of cold coconut water from the little table beside my lounge chair when he arrived. And without saying a word, he took it.He sipped it like it was the most satisfying drink in the world.“Thanks,” he said shortly, not even looking at me as he drained what was very clearly my coconut water.“Pascha,” Natalia scolded softly from beside me, “get your own drink. That one’s Belva’s.”Pascha shrugged, then winked at his mom. “She likes to share.”“I like sharing permission, not drinks,” I shot back, pulling my towel tighter around my legs, trying to ignore the way his face still dripped with saltwater and sins from the past.He just gave a short laugh, then dropped onto the sand next to my chair. “Let’s go. Ride the jet sk
His Son, Her Secret CLXV : a boy, a boat, a bloodline
"Pass the pilaf, please!" Trisha was already shouting before she even sat down, grabbing the plate and then plopping into her seat.Igor sat at the head of the table with two small creatures flanking him. Max on the right, Mischa on the left. Both with eyes shining and hands ready to pounce. I sat in the middle, with Pascha—mysteriously—choosing to sit right beside me, even though plenty of other chairs were still empty.He sat too close. His left arm draped behind my chair, and his knee… well, his knee kept brushing against mine far more often than lunch table etiquette would allow. Every time I shifted, he shifted with me.And of course, his fingers occasionally played with the ends of my hair that fell over my shoulder.I refused to react. That would mean he won. So I focused all my attention on the plate of pilaf and the roast chicken coated in fragrant Middle Eastern spices made by Natalia herself."Uncle!" Max spoke through a mouthful. "Did you ever throw Daddy into the sea?"Ig
His Son, Her Secret CLXIV : small missiles and bigger hearts
We arrived at the Romanov villa gates nearly two hours after leaving San Francisco. With one emergency stop I’d rather not talk about, and a series of events that could only be explained as Pascha being Pascha.It started with me just needing to pee. A quick stop at a small, empty-looking rest area. But of course, Pascha decided to turn on the hazard lights and call out from the car window, “Don’t get lost, Miss Moguel. The woods can be cruel!”I shot him a glare.Naturally, he didn’t stop there. When I came back and reached for the car door, he locked it automatically and smiled at me through the window like he’d just won some twisted Olympic event.“Pascha Romanov, I swear to God, I will—”Click.The door unlocked. He laughed for the next ten minutes straight while I sat in silence, breathing slowly, seriously considering whether throwing my sandal at him would be too dramatic or way too soft.The moment we arrived at the villa, I understood why Max loved it here. The Romanov villa
His Son, Her Secret CLXIII : oh great, you’re charming again
BelvaMorning slipped in through the gap in the curtains like an old friend who knew how to arrive without making a sound. Warm light crept across the edge of my bed, slowly trailing up the wall and brushing my fingertips.I opened my eyes without the weight in my chest. The bad memories were still there, sure, but like shadows, they came and went, swallowed by something warmer. Something calmer.Maybe I was just too tired. Maybe my body had finally surrendered to a peace I had been refusing.I got up, letting my feet touch the cool wooden floor. The sheets were still messy, a pillow had fallen to the ground. This morning felt... light. I grabbed a towel and walked to the bathroom. Hot water washed over my body, and for a few minutes, I just stood under the shower, letting it rinse away the traces of last night.Afterward, I slipped into a loose white t-shirt and comfortable linen pants, my hair still damp as I stepped out of the room. My pace was slow and lazy, but the moment I reac
His Son, Her Secret CLXII : a thief in borrowed time [Pascha]
Night had fallen hours ago, but Max had no real understanding of the concept of "bedtime."“I think,” he said, rolling over to his left for the hundredth time in his bed facing the villa balcony, “if I fall asleep now, I’ll miss the golden hours to plan my next secret mission.”I sat at the edge of his bed. “What time do you think it is right now?”“Eight fifty-nine!” he said, then raised his index finger like he was teaching me something very serious. “And do you know what great spies do at times like this, Daddy?”“Sleep?”“No!” he said, clearly offended. “They practice foreign languages and memorize secret codes!”I sighed and rubbed my temples. “Max…”“Teach me Russian, Daddy. Right now. Hurry. Say, ‘I am a super robot from the planet Bumbleberia.’”I frowned. “Bumbleberia’s not a real place.”“Then teach me how to say it in Russian so it can be!”This kid…I looked at his little face, so expressive. His hair was still damp from his bath, his cheeks flushed from the warm night air
His Son, Her Secret CLXI: The Stage Was Never Yours Alone
My phone buzzed, screen lighting up with a name that had become familiar, and still somehow made my heartbeat skip half a note: Pascha Romanov.I tapped the screen to accept the video call while Clara and Jullian were still deep in debate over whether dinosaur-shaped pancakes were superior to star-shaped waffles.The call connected, and Max’s face instantly filled the screen, his grin wide, hair a little messy, and behind him, Trisha, still wearing her straw hat, waved while chewing on something.“Mommyyyy!” he shouted. “Why is everyone here speaking Russian?! I don’t understand anything! I feel like… like an alien on Mars!”I let out a soft laugh, about to reply when—“MAX!” Jullian called out.Max’s eyes lit up. “You’re there too?!”Jullian leaned closer, sharing the screen with me. “Hey, partner,” he greeted warmly. “Looks like you’ve been busy socializing with the high society crowd.”Max nodded enthusiastically. “I almost got to drive the golf cart by myself! But Grandpa said I d
