Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 219

Chapter 219: Chapter 219: I can lose everything

“I thought you didn’t want to talk to me,” Lilac whispered, her voice barely audible as she looked up at Stanley. Her eyes searched his face with cautious hope, her cheek resting against his chest as they lay curled together on the office couch.

Stanley tightened his arms around her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “Lilac, I was dying to talk to you,” he murmured. “I waited outside your place for hours… just in case you’d come out. But then—”

He paused, his jaw tensing as the guilt crept back in. His fingers traced idle patterns along her arm as he struggled for the right words.

“I should’ve considered your feelings before making that decision,” he finally said, voice heavy with regret. “I was so caught up in fixing everything, in protecting you from the chaos, that I didn’t realize I was stepping away from you when I should’ve been holding on tighter.”

Lilac’s eyes softened, her fingers brushing lightly against his chest. “You hurt me, Stanley,” she admitted, her voice raw. “But more than that, I hurt myself by not giving you the chance to explain.”

He looked down at her then, eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and determination. “I’ll never make you feel like that again,” he said quietly. “You’re not someone I can afford to lose.”

Silence fell again, but this time, it was comforting. Not strained, not filled with the things left unsaid—but peaceful, like the first moment of clarity after a storm.

Lilac closed her eyes, letting her hand rest over his heart. “Just don’t disappear on me next time.”

Stanley chuckled softly, amusement lighting his features. “I should be the one telling you that. If you hadn’t called me when you did, I would’ve shown up at your doorstep anyway. It was maddening not hearing your voice, Lilac.”

Lilac shifted slightly, pushing herself up on one elbow to look into his eyes. They were intense, burning with honesty that gripped her to the core. She could feel the truth of his words settle deep in her bones.

“I can lose everything,” he continued, his voice dropping to a rough whisper, “but watching you walk away… it makes it hard to breathe.”

Her breath caught. The depth of his words unraveled something inside her, and slowly, she reached up to cup his face. Her fingers brushed his jaw gently, her thumb tracing a tender line across his cheek.

Stanley leaned into her touch, eyes fluttering shut as if he found peace in the warmth of her hand.

“You haven’t slept,” she murmured, noticing the exhaustion tugging at the edges of his expression.

He opened his eyes with a tired smile, one laced with fondness. “How could I? My personal pillow refused to join me,” he said with a low chuckle, trying to lighten the weight between them.

But behind the humor, his gaze was vulnerable—eyes rimmed with weariness, but lit with a flicker of life, a spark that came alive only in her presence. As if she was the one tethering him to sanity in the chaos.

Lilac leaned down slowly, resting her forehead against his. “Then sleep,” she whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Stanley closed his eyes again, wrapping his arms tighter around her, like letting go wasn’t an option anymore. “Good,” he murmured. “Because I don’t think I could survive losing you twice.”

And in that quiet, shared stillness, it no longer mattered who was wrong or right—only that they’d found their way back.

While Lilac continued to gently stroke Stanley’s hair, her fingers weaving through the strands with slow comfort, she felt his body gradually relax against her. His breathing evened out, the tension finally melting from his shoulders as sleep took him.

She smiled softly to herself. It was rare to see Stanley this still, this vulnerable—and she planned to keep him safe in her arms for as long as he needed.

But just then, the phone on the table buzzed.

Lilac glanced at it, frowning. Stanley had clearly set it to silent, not wanting anything to disturb their moment. Still, the illuminated screen caught her eye, and she stiffened slightly when she saw the name flashing.

A name she didn’t recognize.

At first, she ignored it, unwilling to let curiosity rob Stanley of his peace. But the call ended, and a message popped up immediately after.

The glow of the screen tugged at her attention. Lilac’s gaze flicked down to Stanley, fast asleep in her arms, breathing deeply. She hesitated for only a moment before reaching out slowly with her free hand and sliding the phone toward her.

She unlocked it—he hadn’t changed his passcode. That alone settled some of her nerves… but not enough to stop her from reading the message.

“Can we meet? There’s something we need to talk about. It’s about the people who attacked you that day.”

Lilac’s brows drew together in confusion. Her heart thudded in her chest.

Attacked?

Lilac’s mind raced, her thoughts unraveling in chaotic threads as she stared at the message on Stanley’s phone.

The attack…

She could only recall one—days ago, when everything had spiraled, and both she and Stanley had narrowly escaped danger.

Her heart pounded as she whispered aloud, “What does Logan want to talk about now?”

The name tugged a deeper memory.

Stanley had mentioned Logan before—briefly, cautiously. He hadn’t shared much, only that he suspected Logan of having a hidden agenda. That was why he had chosen to handle things alone, to protect her until he knew who to trust.

Now Lilac understood why.

Stanley hadn’t been just distant—he’d been walking into shadows, uncertain of what he’d find. And Logan… if he was truly reaching out now, was it because he had answers? Or because he realized his game was falling apart?

Her gaze drifted to Stanley’s sleeping face—peaceful, unaware, completely vulnerable.

Lilac paused, her thumb hovering over the message. Every instinct in her screamed not to trust someone Stanley himself had doubted. But if Logan knew something, anything, then staying silent could be just as dangerous.

Taking a breath, she ran her thumb across the screen and quickly typed:

“Where and when?”

If Logan truly wasn’t an ally, then they had a bigger problem than she imagined. And if he was?

Then it was time they found out the truth.

Either way… she wasn’t letting Stanley walk into it alone again.

The soft light of the afternoon bathed the room in a golden hue, painting warm tones across Stanley’s face as he stirred. Lilac sat there, still, watching the rise and fall of his chest, her fingers absentmindedly combing through his tousled hair. For a man who carried the world on his shoulders, he looked almost boyish in sleep—unguarded, vulnerable.

She leaned in and kissed his temple, a feather-light touch meant to comfort him more than wake him. But Stanley shifted, his arms tightening around her waist, eyes fluttering open slowly.

“Mm… you’re still here,” he murmured, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Lilac smiled back, brushing her fingers down his jaw. “Where else would I be?”

He blinked the sleep from his eyes and sat up a little, resting his forehead against hers. “I had the worst dream you didn’t want me anymore,” he admitted, voice hoarse. “That I lost you for good.”

Lilac exhaled shakily, threading her fingers through his. “I was scared too. But I realized something while you slept.”

“What’s that?” he whispered.

“That no matter how angry or confused I get… nothing terrifies me more than the thought of you not being beside me.”

Stanley cupped her cheek gently, tilting her face toward his. “I never wanted to shut you out, Lilac. I just… I didn’t want you to get dragged into the mess I was stepping into.”

“You’re a part of me,” she said quietly, tears stinging her eyes. “There’s no ‘dragged into it.’ If it touches you, it touches me.”

He kissed her then—slow and deep, like a promise unspoken but understood. It wasn’t rushed or desperate. It was grounding. Healing.

“I love you,” he murmured against her lips. “Every second I was away from you felt like a punishment.”

Lilac pulled back just enough to look at him. “Then promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“No more secrets. No more trying to protect me by pushing me away.”

Stanley nodded solemnly. “You have my word.”

She smiled, albeit faintly. “Good. Because we have something to deal with.”

Stanley’s brows furrowed slightly, but Lilac gently handed him his phone.

“It’s about Logan.”

The softness between them didn’t disappear, but it shifted—sharpened into something steady and united. They were no longer two people trying to navigate a fragile love. They were one team, moving forward together.

Stanley quickly unlocked his phone, his eyes scanning the message Logan had sent. But it was the response just below that made his brows furrow and his gaze shift to Lilac.

“Since we already know the truth about the attack,” she had replied, “let’s see what he has to say.”

Stanley looked up at her, the faintest flicker of surprise in his expression. “You replied?”

Lilac nodded, unapologetic. “You needed rest. I figured I’d handle it until you woke up.”

He studied her for a beat, then a small smile curved on his lips. “You really are fearless, aren’t you?”

“I’m just tired of waiting around while people with secrets play games,” she said, her tone calm but firm.

Stanley sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You’re right. We can’t ignore this. But we tread carefully. I still don’t trust him.”

“Neither do I,” Lilac said, standing from the couch and reaching for her coat. “That’s why we’re going together.”

Stanley’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, pride and protectiveness warring in his expression. Then he stood as well, slipping on his jacket.

“Alright then,” he said. “Let’s see what Logan’s really hiding.”