Marriage with my daughter's father: Darling please be gentle - Chapter 232

Chapter 232: Chapter 232: I won’t disappoint you

“I didn’t want to burden you, Kalix,” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath—soft, like the calm before a storm.

Kalix froze. For a fleeting second, something flickered across his face—something raw and unguarded. Then he leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers, his hands gently cradling her face. The warmth of his touch grounded her, but it did nothing to quiet the ache inside her chest.

“You were never a burden, Angel,” he said, voice thick with emotion. “You’re the priority. Hell—you’re the only priority.”

Winter’s breath caught.

She pulled back slightly, just enough to look into his eyes—and what she saw there made her heart twist painfully. The intensity in his gaze was scorching. It wasn’t just love.

It was need.

It was fear.

It was desperation—the kind that clings to a man who’s finally found what he can’t afford to lose.

And that terrifying truth? She was at the center of it.

Her lips parted, but Kalix spoke first.

“So tell me,” he said, softer now, but still laced with quiet command. “What are you hiding from me, Angel? Because I’m trying—I swear I am—but I can’t keep stumbling in the dark.”

Winter inhaled shakily, her throat tight with emotion. For so long, she’d convinced herself that silence was protection. That shielding him from the chaos in her head, from her nightmares and fears, was a way of loving him.

But Kalix wasn’t asking for perfection.

He was asking for honesty.

And somehow… that made it harder.

She braced herself and finally let the words out.

“That day… when I found Diana bleeding in the parking lot,” she began, voice trembling, “she told me someone’s after me.”

Kalix’s expression turned instantly grim.

“And?”

There was no softness now. His tone was steel, clipped and deadly. Winter swallowed hard, already feeling the storm brewing in him. Still, she didn’t waver.

“She said they’d come for me soon.”

That was the breaking point.

Kalix’s jaw clenched. His eyes darkened, and the calm he fought so hard to maintain began to unravel at the edges. His entire presence shifted—more dangerous, more unyielding. Winter could feel it: the surge of protectiveness that bordered on something feral.

She hated this side of him.

Not because it scared her—but because it hurt to know she was the reason he became this version of himself. Ruthless. Untethered.

Before he could spiral further, she wrapped her arms around him, burying herself into his chest.

“You know it’s not as simple as it sounds,” he said quietly, voice tight, as if each word was chained to a breath he barely held. “You don’t understand, Winter…”

And suddenly, she did.

The weight of Diana’s warning hit differently now—heavier, colder. The depth of the threat. The kind of enemies who didn’t just make threats. They finished them.

She couldn’t speak. She didn’t trust her voice. So instead, she pressed her face closer to his chest, her arms tightening around him in silent apology, silent understanding.

Kalix was unraveling.

The fury simmered just beneath his skin—unforgiving and wild. But holding her, feeling her tremble against him, seeking comfort in the very fire threatening to consume him… it softened him.

Just enough.

His arms came around her fiercely, as though shielding her from a world too cruel to trust. He held her like a vow, like letting go would be the end of him.

“You need to understand something,” he said, voice rough but steady—his final warning dressed in tenderness. “Whatever I do… everything I am… it’s all for you. My life? It begins and ends with you. But if you keep shutting me out, Angel… I’ll lose control. I’ll go feral. And not even your voice will bring me back from that edge.”

His words weren’t a threat.

They were a promise—raw, devastating, and terrifying in their sincerity.

Kalix had one mission in life.

To keep Winter safe.

To protect their family.

And the moment someone decided to threaten that—threaten her—was the moment he stopped playing by anyone else’s rules.

Winter uttered no words in return and continued to hug him. She knew whatever Kalix wouldn’t let a stractch on her and that every words he said was oath he had taken the moment she came into his life.

****

The morning Sylvester received the update, something didn’t sit right.

Apparently, the nurse previously assigned to Richard had gone on leave unexpectedly, and a replacement had already been hired.

“How come Jacob didn’t tell me about this earlier?” Sylvester muttered, reaching for his phone.

Across the room, the new nurse stood silently by the monitors, checking the equipment with clinical efficiency. Her movements were measured, but her gaze was sharp—too sharp. She scanned the surroundings like someone who wasn’t just here to tend to a patient, but to memorize every detail.

Her eyes briefly flickered toward Sylvester when she heard him speak.

He was still on the call with Dr. Jacob, confirming the change. “Yes… I understand. No, I’m not questioning the replacement. Just surprised, that’s all.” A pause. “All right. Thanks, Jacob.”

Sylvester ended the call, his sharp gaze falling squarely on the woman standing beside Richard’s bed.

“Miss Mia,” he said, voice formal but tinged with curiosity, “I presume you’re fully aware of the patient’s history?”

The nurse turned toward him with a professional smile—pleasant but unreadable. Her dark hair was pulled neatly into a bun, and her posture was impeccable.

“Yes, sir,” she replied evenly. “I’ve been fully briefed, and I assure you—I won’t disappoint.”

Sylvester studied her for a moment longer than necessary.

There was something in her tone—respectful, but confident. Almost too composed. But then again, anyone assigned to Richard’s care would have to be capable of handling pressure. This wasn’t an ordinary assignment.

He nodded slowly. “Good. Just know that any inconsistency, no matter how small, will be reported directly to me.”

Her smile didn’t waver. “Understood.”

As he turned to leave, her eyes followed him briefly—calculated, focused. Then she turned back to Richard, her expression unreadable once again.

But when no one was watching, her hand lingered over the monitor a second longer than necessary… and the faintest trace of something else passed over her face.

Something far from nurse-like.

Something far more dangerous.

Hey everyone,

I’m really sorry for disappearing without a word. I owe you all an explanation.

Please know that I’m not purposely delaying the chapters or taking a break because I’ve lost interest in writing—far from it. There’s something going on in my personal life that’s been weighing heavily on me, and it’s made it incredibly difficult to focus and keep up with my usual writing pace. I had hoped things would settle down quickly, but the ongoing situation has been more overwhelming than I anticipated.

Truthfully, the delay has been stressing me out just as much as it’s been disappointing for you. I care deeply about this story and all of you who’ve stuck by it. Your support means the world to me, and it’s something I never take for granted.

All I ask is a little more patience as I try to get back on track. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with the book—and with me.

With love and gratitude,

You dearest Author