Kaelen didn't move from Seth's bedside until morning light streamed through the windows. The only difference in the room was the absence of Elias Thorne. She felt hollowed out, as if he had performed emotional surgery, removing her defenses while leaving her physical composure intact.
Rhys entered the room before the doctor, his movements quiet, his face betraying his lack of sleep. He didn't ask about Seth's temperature; he looked straight at Kaelen.
"He's fine, Rhys," Kaelen preempted, knowing his true question. "The fever broke around 3 AM. He's sleeping soundly now."
Rhys nodded, then focused his intense gaze on the empty space where Elias had been sitting. "You let him stay."
It wasn't a question, it was an accusation, delivered with quiet, controlled fury.
"He helped," Kaelen stated simply. "He was calm. He knew exactly what to do. He even offered to get the medical files."
"His family's medical files," Rhys corrected, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You let him sit here for five hours. Alone with you. Alone in our home."
Kaelen finally pushed off the bed, needing space. "This isn't our home, Rhys. It's the boys' home. And I will not apologize for prioritizing the well-being of my child over your... your sense of territorial dominance."
Rhys stepped forward, grabbing her arms, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Territorial dominance? I'm their father, Kaelen! I raised them! I was the one who was supposed to be here last night, not the man who tossed you aside like spare change five years ago!"
The pain in his voice was raw and real, but his aggression only pushed Kaelen further away. Rhys had always been the safe harbor, the competent, predictable companion. He had never made her heart race with fear or reckless desire. Elias did both.
"You are their Da," Kaelen emphasized, pulling her arms free. "And you are the one who told me Elias has the legal power to tear this entire life apart. He demonstrated last night that he is a capable father, not just a vengeful rival. I need to treat him like a co-parent, not a business threat."
"You are lying to me," Rhys hissed, his eyes burning with jealousy. "You looked at him tonight and saw the ghost. The one you never exorcised. The one you loved."
The truth landed with the force of a blow. Kaelen couldn't deny it. The intense, shared vulnerability had stripped away the bitterness, leaving only the memory of what they once were.
"I saw the biological father of my children," Kaelen admitted, forcing herself to maintain eye contact. "And I saw the man who knew how to calm me down in a crisis. You see, Rhys, you are a wonderful, amazing partner, and you are their father. But Elias knows my weaknesses, and when I'm afraid, I look for the person who built them."
It was the confession of failure Rhys needed to hear. He took a painful step back, his face crumpling slightly.
"So this is it, then?" Rhys asked, his voice shaking with resignation. "He's not just taking the children; he's taking you back, too?"
"He's taking nothing," Kaelen replied fiercely, though the statement was a lie. "He is forcing me to confront reality. And the reality is, I owe him honesty about his sons, and I owe you honesty about us."
She walked over to the dresser, picking up the framed family photograph—the one Elias had noticed moments before leaving—and handed it to Rhys.
"You are my partner, Rhys. You saved me. You gave the boys a home and a father. But I cannot continue to maintain a lie that risks the boys' mental health and destroys your loyalty. I need to tell Elias the full truth—that he is their father, and that they know you as their father."
Rhys looked down at the photograph, his hand tightening around the frame. He knew the fight was lost the minute Kaelen defended Elias's presence.
"What about the lie that we are together?" Rhys asked, a final, desperate plea. "Does that have to end, too?"
Kaelen looked at the man who had loved her loyally for five years. She felt genuine affection, but not the devastating, reckless passion that Elias provoked.
"I need space to figure out who I am now," Kaelen said gently. "And who I am when I am not fighting him, and not hiding behind you."
Rhys carefully placed the picture back on the dresser. He looked once more at the bedroom, the safe haven they had built, now poisoned by Elias's memory.
"The lie is over, Kaelen," Rhys agreed, his voice cold and flat. "But this is not a retreat. This is a strategic move. I'm not leaving the boys. And if Elias thinks that competence in a crisis wins him your heart, he hasn't learned a damn thing about commitment."
Rhys turned and walked out, his footsteps heavy and final. Kaelen knew he was gone not from her life, but from the role he had desperately tried to fill. The fortress was officially empty. The door was open, and the competition was no longer about the children's parentage—it was about Kaelen's heart.