All Chapters of Traded For His First Love : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Elliot POVJennifer cast one last venomous glance at us before storming out, her purse slung over her shoulder, her posture rigid as if she’d just suffered a profound injustice. "You two are ungrateful! One day, you’ll beg to kiss my feet!" she spat, slamming the door with a force that shook the frame.For a moment, the house fell silent, as if even the walls were absorbing the poisonous words she’d left behind. The air felt heavy, almost suffocating, thick with the residue of her manipulation.I turned to my son, my heart sinking as I saw his small shoulders hunched, fists clenched at his sides. His face was tense, his eyes brimming with confusion and anger. The sight of him like this—my Sammy, so fragile yet so fierce—cut deeper than Jennifer’s words ever could. I knew the weight of her lies was pressing on him, twisting his thoughts, planting seeds of doubt I’d spent years trying to uproot.I approached slowly, lowering myself to one knee, and wrapped his shoulders in a tight, prot

Reese POVWe walked into the house after a long day, and a wave of relief washed over me as I closed the door. The cool air inside contrasted with the heat of the street, and I let out a tired sigh."Finally home," I murmured, tossing my keys onto the entry table.Spencer chuckled softly, kicking off his shoes. "Venus, I don’t know how you manage. After a day like this, I’d be passed out on the couch."Avie, with her sleepy little eyes, leaned against my leg, rubbing them. "Mommy, I’m sleepy."I crouched down, stroking her hair. "I know, my love. Let’s take a quick bath, then head downstairs for dinner, okay?"She nodded with a yawn and stretched out her arms for me to pick her up. Spencer, always helpful, was already heading to the bathroom to prepare the bath."You’re an angel, you know that?" I thanked him, giving him a sincere smile."I know," he replied with a playful wink. "Now, go take care of the little one. I’ll handle the water."With Avie in my arms, I walked to the bathr

Reese POV The longing was suffocating me. I tried to ignore it. I tried to pretend I could get through the day normally, focusing on work, on commitments, on numbers, on meetings. But it was useless. Every minute, my heart grew heavier in my chest. Every time I blinked, I saw his face in my mind. His smile, his bright eyes, the way he said my name. Sammy. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath. My hands rested on the desk in my office. I needed to see him. Determined, I stood from my chair. I grabbed my purse and walked to the door, ignoring the spreadsheet open on my computer, the messages piling up on my phone, the meeting I was supposed to prepare for in an hour. Alice, who was reviewing something on her tablet just outside my office, looked at me with surprise. "Reese? Where are you going?" "I need to handle something." "Now?" She frowned. "We have that important meeting—" "Reschedule it." My voice came out firm, but my chest was a mess. Alice studie

Elliot POVThe silence in the car was oppressive, a heavy blanket that draped over us, unbroken except for the low hum of the engine and the rhythmic tapping of Reese’s fingers on the steering wheel. Each tap echoed like a heartbeat, filling the space between us with an anxious tension I couldn’t ignore.I stole a glance at her from the corner of my eye, trying to decipher the change I sensed in her presence. It wasn’t just the way she gripped the wheel with steady, almost ironclad determination, her knuckles whitening slightly under the pressure. It was something deeper—the way her shoulders stayed rigid, pulled back as if she were constantly bracing for an unexpected blow, a shield against a world that had already dealt her too many. Her jaw was set, her hazel eyes locked on the road ahead, reflecting a guarded intensity I hadn’t seen in her before, or at least not to this degree."You’re different," I blurted out, the words slipping out before I could weigh them. They hung in the

Reese POVThe parking lot was nearly empty, with faint lights casting a soft glow over the parked cars. I stood near my car, waiting for Elliot to emerge with Sammy, my breath shallow and my nerves fraying with every passing second. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, each tick consuming me, making me feel as if my heart might stop. I was still trying to steady myself and make sense of what was about to happen after so long apart.When I finally saw Elliot step out of the school building with Sammy, my body froze. The boy looked at me, stopping mid-step, standing still as if trying to piece together who I was, trying to understand the moment unfolding before him. That look hit me with such force that I nearly couldn’t breathe. His small frame, so familiar yet so changed, stood there under the dim lights, his wide, curious eyes locked on mine, searching for something I wasn’t sure I could offer.I gazed at him, my chest tightening painfully. How he’d grown. So different. I knew he’d ch