3rd POV
Max stood frozen, his breath heavy, his jaw clenched so tight it ached. The weight of Vivian’s words settled over him like a suffocating blanket. Ruth and her mother. They were the ones behind everything. The ones who had driven Vivian away, forcing her to lie, forcing her to keep Emma from him.”Go Ray, I’ll be with you in a while” He said to Ray who quickly left and slammed the door shut.
Right now, his blood boiled with rage. His mother had died because of Ruth’s mother. And now, Ruth had allied with his stepmother, Hannah, to manipulate and destroy the one woman he had ever truly cared for despite his initial indifference towards her.
Vivian stood before him, her hands trembling at her sides. Her eyes were glassy, a mix of sorrow and relief. She had carried this burden alone for six years. The moment she had dreaded, telling him the truth had finally come.
Max took a slow step toward her. “Everything you said was just confirmed by Ray, so you’re telling me they threatened to kill you? To kill Emma?” His voice was rough, dangerously low.
Vivian swallowed hard. “Yes.”
A muscle ticked in Max’s jaw. His hands curled into fists. He wanted to storm out and hunt them down, to make them suffer for what they had done. But first, he had to face what was right in front of him, the woman who had endured hell to protect their child, the woman he had failed to care for.
His gaze darkened as he studied her. “And you thought lying to me was the best choice?”
Vivian’s breath hitched. “I had no choice, Max! They would have hurt Emma. My mother was already in danger. If I had told you back then, Ruth and Hannah would have killed them both!”
Max’s nostrils flared. His rage was volcanic, but underneath it, pain simmered. She hadn’t trusted him. She had chosen to carry this burden alone rather than come to him.
His voice was sharp. “Perhaps you should have come to me, told me Vivian. I could have protected you.”
Vivian’s lips quivered. “And what would have happened, Max? You were deep in the gang life then. If you had made one wrong move, they would have killed us all. I had to make sure Emma was safe.”
His chest heaved, the storm inside him relentless. He turned away, running a hand over his face. The weight of everything crushed him. His mother’s death. Vivian’s suffering. His daughter growing up without him.
Emma.
His heart clenched as he remembered the little girl in his arms earlier, the way she had called him ‘Daddy’ with so much innocent joy. How could he have been robbed of six years with his own child?
Vivian took a shaky step closer. “Max…”
He turned sharply, his gaze locking onto hers. There was no holding back now. He grabbed her by the waist again and pinned her against the wall. She gasped, her hands flying to his chest.
Max’s eyes burned with emotion_anger, longing, desperation. His fingers dug into her hips as he leaned in, his breath hot against her skin.
“They stole six years from me,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “Six. Damn. Years.”
Vivian’s breath hitched. “Max, they-”
“They did,” he cut her off, his lips just inches from hers. “Because of them, you took my daughter from me. You let me believe she wasn’t mine even when Ray doubted it.” His grip tightened slightly. “Do you have any idea how much that kills me?”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Max, I-”
Before she could finish, his mouth crashed against hers again in a searing rough kiss.
Vivian gasped, her body igniting at the contact. His lips were bruising, desperate, claiming her with a hunger that had been restrained for far too long.
She melted against him, her fingers gripping his shoulders, holding on for dear life.
Max kissed her roughly, his hands roaming her body, as if trying to make up for all the years he had lost. His tongue pushed past her lips, tangling with hers, drawing out a moan from deep within her.
Her body responded instantly. Heat coiled in her belly, her legs weakening under his touch yet again when she was yet to recover from the previous one.
Max’s hands slid down, gripping her thighs. In one swift motion, he lifted her, pressing her harder against the wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and she could feel just how much he wanted her.
“Max…” she whimpered against his lips.
He pulled away slightly, his eyes dark and hooded. His breath was ragged.
“You are mine, Vivian. You always were,” he rasped. His hand cupped her face, his thumb brushing against her swollen lips. “And I am never letting you go again.”
Her heart pounded. She wanted to surrender. To give in completely.
But the past still lingered.
Tears escaped the corners of her eyes. “I never stopped loving you,” she whispered.
Max’s expression softened for a fraction of a second before raw possession overtook him again. His lips trailed down her jaw, along the curve of her neck, sucking and nipping as she gasped his name.
His hands roamed, caressing, exploring, memorizing every inch of her.
The intensity between them crackled like fire. Years of pain, separation, and unspoken emotions fueled their passion.
Vivian’s fingers tangled in his hair as he kissed her collarbone, his tongue leaving a hot trail against her skin.
She wanted him. God, she wanted him.
But before things could spiral any further, the sound of a phone vibrating shattered the moment yet again.
Max let out a frustrated growl against her skin, his forehead resting against hers as he caught his breath.
Vivian was trembling in his arms. Her body burned for him, and the way he held her, the way his fingers dug into her thighs, made it impossible to think straight.
But reality crashed down.
Max exhaled heavily and set her down, though his hands remained on her waist, unwilling to let her go completely.
His phone buzzed again. He pulled it out, his jaw tightening when he saw the caller. Ray.
Reluctantly, he answered. “What?”
Ray’s voice was urgent. “Boss, we have a problem again, it’s urgent and I’ve been waiting for you in the warehouse”
Max tensed. “What kind of problem?”
There was a pause. Then Ray’s voice came lower, dead serious. “It’s about Ruth, Daniel and Hannah as usual. I mean your stepmother, she might not really be what it seems as a Norman”
Max’s grip on the phone tightened. His eyes flickered to Vivian, who was watching him with wide, fearful eyes.
Ray continued, “You need to hear this. Meet me at the warehouse Boss.”
Max exhaled sharply. He turned back to Vivian, his expression unreadable.
“This isn’t over,” he told her, his voice rough.
Vivian nodded, her lips still swollen from his kisses, her heart still racing.
Max hesitated for a second before brushing his thumb across her cheek. Then, without another word, he turned and stormed out, ready to face whatever lay ahead.
But one thing was certain.
He wasn’t going to let anyone take what was his ever again.