Chapter 91: The Night That Wasn’t What She Expected
It was strange—Galatea thought as she lay beside Alaric, gazing up at the stars—how she had once watched the moon on the sea with someone else, and now here she was in the mountains, sharing another serene moment with him. The two most romantic experiences of her life had happened with Alaric, and it made her think of how lacking her relationship with Ambrose had been. During the years she dated him, they rarely found time to be alone. Ambrose was always buried in work, and she, caught up in family obligations, never had the luxury of these quiet, intimate moments.
As for Alaric, he had spent so much energy trying to earn her father’s approval, focusing on that goal rather than on romance. Galatea looked at him now, recalling her past relationship that had been devoid of this kind of passion. Was Alaric just naturally skilled at seduction? He seemed to have a way with making everything feel… romantic.
“You’re skilled at seduction, Alaric,” she remarked, a playful edge to her voice. “Going to sea, watching the stars in the mountains—who would believe you’ve never flirted with a woman before?”
Alaric, unbothered by her comment, shrugged slightly. “If I had really seduced Orion before, why would she be so close to me?”
Galatea raised an eyebrow. That comment was almost too ironic. If Orion heard that, she’d go crazy, Galatea thought.
“Well, there’s another old saying,” Galatea said, trying to turn the conversation in a new direction. “Having a child with someone you don’t love makes you a jerk.”
The words slipped out before she could stop herself, and Alaric seemed genuinely taken aback, though his gaze softened as he tried to explain.
“I’ve told you before, it wasn’t the conventional way of having a child, not what you think,” he said, his tone earnest but guarded.
Galatea’s eyes widened as the realization hit her. “Not voluntary? Did she drug you? Did she violate you?” Her voice was full of shock.
Alaric froze, clearly embarrassed by her wild assumptions. He stared at her in disbelief. “What? No, it wasn’t like that!”
Galatea, sensing her blunder, quickly backpedaled. “Sorry, it was just a guess.” Realizing the awkwardness of the moment, she decided to change the subject. “Forget I said anything. Let’s just look at the stars… They’re so beautiful tonight.”
But Alaric, ever persistent, wasn’t ready to let go of the conversation so easily. He rolled over, pressing his body fully against hers, pinning her down to the bed. Galatea froze, her breath catching in her throat at the sudden intensity of the situation.
“Dr. Galatea, you’re very concerned about the fact that I have a child with Orion,” he murmured, his voice low and teasing. “Makes me wonder if you have ulterior motives…”
Ulterior motives? Galatea’s mind raced, but she had learned enough to know when to tread carefully. She almost blurted his full name out of frustration, but then realized that would only result in another forceful kiss. Instead, she forced a smile, pretending innocence.
“Alaric… why don’t you get off me first? Let’s talk about this properly.”
But as soon as the words left her lips, Alaric pressed his body down again, his chest fully resting on hers, the weight of him overwhelming. Galatea’s heart began to race as she stared up at him, wide-eyed in surprise.
“Galatea, I, Alaric, have never been this patient with a woman,” he said softly, his voice full of emotion as he stared down at her.
Her heart pounded, her mind swirling in confusion. What was he saying? Was this a confession? Or was it just a man’s desire to possess? She couldn’t tell, but the words still struck her deep. Was he afraid of hurting her?
Her thoughts scattered as she fought to regain her clarity. No! Galatea, don’t let your emotions fool you. This was not a declaration of love. This was something else. A desire to conquer, perhaps.
But even knowing that, her heart still beat faster, and she couldn’t stop the way her body reacted to him. The tension between them was palpable. Galatea couldn’t escape the feeling that her resistance was futile, and the worst possible scenario seemed inevitable.
Yet, just as she braced herself for what she thought was coming next, Alaric did something unexpected. He suddenly sat up and looked down at her calmly.
“Tonight, you sleep with Elisa, and I’ll sleep with Harry.”
Wait—what?
Galatea blinked, utterly confused. Was he serious? Was this really happening?
Alaric stood up and walked toward the door, leaving her stunned and disoriented in the room. Galatea didn’t even know how to react. She was grateful that he didn’t force himself on her, but at the same time, she was left with more questions than answers.
Meanwhile, in another room, Caspian was not pleased with the situation. He was confused and disappointed.
“On such a beautiful night, you’re sure you don’t want to sleep with Mommy and sleep with me instead?” Caspian’s voice trembled slightly as he tried to make sense of it all. His mission had seemed so simple at first, but now, it was all falling apart. “Why? Don’t you like to sleep with your future daddy?”
“I’ve been sleeping by myself since I was one year old, never needing an adult to accompany me,” Caspian said, clearly irritated.
Alaric sighed, trying to reason with him. “We only booked two rooms tonight, so you’ll have to sleep with me.”
Rolling his eyes, Caspian shot back, “How could you only get two rooms if you wanted to?”
“Why do you look so much like my son?” Alaric asked, his eyes narrowing as he studied Caspian. “It’s uncanny.”
Caspian’s heart raced as he tried to maintain his composure. He couldn’t let Alaric figure things out. “I haven’t seen your son, so how would I know if I look like him or not?”
Alaric, not buying it, pulled out his phone and showed Caspian a photo. It was of him—Caspian. He stared at the picture, feeling absurdly ridiculous. “It… looks like… me,” he said, hesitantly.
“It’s not just a resemblance. It’s virtually identical,” Alaric pressed, his voice thick with intrigue.
Caspian scrambled for an excuse. “There are so many people in the world. It’s normal for some to look alike,” he muttered, trying to sound convincing.
Alaric wasn’t done. “Elisa says she doesn’t know who her father is. What about you? Has Galatea ever shown you a photo of your father?”
Caspian felt cornered. He couldn’t answer that without revealing too much. Instead, he snapped.
“Why are you asking so many questions?” He pretended to be aggressive. “Mommy said he passed away, and I’ve never seen him from childhood. Since there is no man around Mommy, and we don’t have a father, why do you care so much about it?”
Alaric fell silent, clearly taken aback by Caspian’s outburst.
“Alright, I’m going to the guest room to sleep. I’ll be by myself. And you must not come in,” Caspian said quickly, closing the door behind him and locking it from the inside.
In another room, Elisa, who was with Galatea, shared a similar sense of confusion. “Why am I here?” she asked in frustration, glancing at Galatea. “Shouldn’t the person here be my father?”
And just like that, the night was filled with unresolved tension, confusion, and secrets yet to be unraveled.