Falling For My Ex's Dad by Oma Green

Chapter 182: She PutIn This Position Gabriel's POV "Mom, please don't go... cback..." My voice cracked in the dark as I reached for her-but the door slammed before I could move.

I jolted awake, heart pounding, drenched in sweat.

The alarm blared besidelike it wanted to yankout of more than sleep.

4:30 AM.

I shut it off and sat there, breathing hard, trying to understand why that dream had cback-after all these years.

I hadn't thought about her in so long. I buried that part of my life so deep I almost convinced myself it never happened.

But her face lingered-clear as day.

That day-when she packed her bags, shouted that she was done, and walked out to be with another man. She didn't look back. Just said my dad would hear from her lawyer about the divorce papers, then slammed the door like we were nothing.

She left us like we were just another chapter she couldn't wait to rip out.

I was ten.

My dad-God. He picked up the pieces. I still remembered the look in his eyes, the way he forced a tired smile through all that heartbreak. He never broke down in front of me, but I saw it. I saw him fight battles no man should've fought alone.

Friends swindled him. Partners backstabbed him. But he kept going. He worked himself into the ground to givefood, clothes-a shot at something better. He never letfeel like I lacked anything, even when we had nothing. He didn't let my mother's betrayal harden him.

He taughtwhat love looked like-even after she tore him apart.

A few years later, he met my stepmother, Lydia. He found love again, and something in both of us began to heal.

She was everything my mother wasn't-gentle, kind, patient. She never tried to replace my mom. She didn't need to. She becsomething better.

She made our house a hagain.

She loved my dad the way he deserved. She lovedlike I was hers, no questions asked. That was the first tI believed in love again.

Real love.

Peaceful. Safe. Whole.

I wanted to repay them for everything. Buy them a house. Give them the comfort they never had.

That becmy dream. My drive.

But life doesn't care about dreams.

A car crash took my parents while I was still in university.

That's when Angelique and I reconnected.

When I was at my lowest. When I needed someone-anything-to fill the void.

I mistook that need for love.

I married her right after college, too young, thinking I could rebuild what I'd lost.

I wanted stability. Something permanent.

But she cheated. Lied. Leftwith a son-the sway my mother had left my father.

Even when Clairessa asked about my mom, I told her about my stepmom-the one who died in the crash-and left out my dad, who died too.

My real mom? She might still be out there, chasing her dreams. She never reached out, and I never went looking. Honestly, I forgot I even had another mother besides Lydia.

She was the one who taughteverything that mattered-how to be kind, how to be selfless, how to treat a woman. How to love. How to cook. The list goes on.

I never talk about those years. Never told anyone the full story. Maybe I thought if I buried it deep enough, it would stay there.

But the things we bury always find a way back, don't they? And now... Clairessa.

Her betrayal hit harder than any I'd known before. She didn't just hurt me-she deceived me. On purpose. And it tore open wounds I thought had long since healed. Not just the ones left by my ex-wife, but the ones buried deep from childhood. From every woman I had ever trusted... and lost.

And out of all the women who had hurt me-she was the one I loved the most. The one I would've done anything for. Moved heaven and hell just to see her smile. Just to be near her.

Despite everything-despite the pain, the history, the wreckage-I let her in. I thought she was different. I thought she was mine.

I swore I'd never love again.

But I did.

I fell for her. Maybe I'm still in love with her with every fiber of my being.

And now I couldn't have her.

Because of Adrian.

He's all I have left. The only family I've got. We've been through it all together.

From the moment Angelique left-Adrian was just a boy, too scared to sleep alone because the nightmares wouldn't stop.

He'd wake up crying for her night after night, and she was nowhere to be found. I offered her money, a house, whatever she wanted-just to cback for him. But she refused, unless I took her back too. And that was never going to happen.

So even when Adrian messed up blew opportunities, burned through my money I never turned my back on him. I kept hoping he'd grow, kept protecting him. He was still my little boy... the only person I had left.

Maybe that's just a father's foolish kind of love.

I got up and went to the bathroom, still hearing the echo of my mother's voice in my head.

I stood under the shower longer than necessary, letting the hot water run down like it could wash off everything- grief, regret, longing.

I shaved, standing in front of the mirror, then stepped into black tailored slacks and pulled on a crisp white shirt, fastening each button like muscle memory.

Today mattered.

Adrian was starting at the company.

After all these years of pushing him, he was finally taking that step.

I should've felt proud.

And I did.

Mostly.

But as I adjusted my collar in the mirror, my thoughts drifted-back to her.

Clairessa.

How was she doing? Was she coming in today? Would she agree to my terms? I wanted to text her.

Ask if she was okay.

But I couldn't.

I told myself space was best. That pulling away was the right thing. That it protected all of us.

But it didn't hurt any less.

Didn't makewant her any less.

And that's what made it worse-knowing that I still wanted her.

Even after the lie. Even after everything.

But it wasn't just the lie.

Not really.

If she hadn't dated Adrian-if Adrian wasn't in love with her-maybe I could've forgiven her.

Maybe we could've been together. Even right this moment, I should have been by her side.

But now? How the hell was I supposed to move forward knowing it might costmy son? Was I supposed to fight my own blood for a woman? Ask Adrian to step aside? There was no clean version of this.

No outcwhere everyone made it out whole.

And I hated it.

I hated her for puttingin this position.

I hated myself for still caring.

And deep down... maybe I hated the part ofstill trying to use her to keep Adrian on track.

That was selfish. I knew it.

But if one good thing could cfrom this if Adrian could finally grow up finally becthe man, always believed he could be mat all of this would've meant something.

I straightened my cuffs, looked in the mirror one last time, and muttered, "Let's get this over with." I made my way down the stairs...

It was still dark outside the kind of dark that usually belonged toand no one else.

I rubbed the back of my neck, still a little shaken from the dream.

Mornings were my reset-coffee, silence, routine. I didn't expect anyone else to be up. No one ever was.

But as I rounded the corner toward the kitchen, I slowed to a stop.

A sound.

The faint scrape of a mug. Movement.

My brows pulled together. I stepped in-quiet, cautious-half-expecting to find Gretchen up early. Or maybe I was just imagining things.

Then the smell hitfreshly brewed coffee.

Someone beatto it.

And there he was.

Adrian.

He stood at the counter, one hand wrapped around a steaming mug, the other braced on the marble like he'd been up for hours.

He looked alert-maybe even focused-but still wore yesterday's sweatshirt.

"Adrian," I said, a little surprised. "You're up already?" He turned with a faint smile. "Yeah, Dad. I guess I have to be. You've made it pretty clear how important today is." "Starting at the company is a big deal," I said, stepping farther in. "Glad to see you're taking it seriously." He gave a quiet chuckle and raised the mug to his lips. "I am. Waking up this early should count for something, right?" I smirked. "It does. But... you're not exactly dressed for it."

He glanced down at his hoodie. "Ah. Yeah. About that-it won't takelong. Just figured I'd grab scoffee first, maybe get my head right before I change." I moved toward the cabinet, reaching for a mug of my own. "Fair enough. How about you go get ready, and we'll head in together?" He hesitated.

"Actually..." he said, drawing out the word. "I was thinking I'd wait form Clairessa. figured we could go in together." I froze for a second, my fingers still around the handle of the mug.

Mornings used to be ours-Clairessa and me. Unless I had to head in early for an investor meeting or something with the board, I used to love sleeping in I was always the early riser by nature, but because of her, I learned to slow down-just enough to make sure we could ride in together.

Even when she insisted on keeping us a secret, those quiet car rides, those kisses right before we stepped into the building... they were everything.

And now it was over. Just... fucking done.

I couldn't even begin to untangle that feeling without risking everything blowing up in my face.

And I couldn't afford that. Not now. Not when Adrian was exactly where I needed him.

So I swallowed it down.

No arguments. Not today.

My jaw tensed before I caught myself.

"Of course," I said, keeping my voice steady, casual. "I'll see you there, then." He gave a small nod. "Yeah." Then gestured to the pot behind him. "Want scoffee?" I nodded. "Thanks." He poured it without asking how I take it. He already knew. I watched him move the quiet confidence in

his posture, the way he was starting to cart himself like a man whomeant Laman what he said. And for a split second, I didn't know whether to feel proud... or sick.

I took the mug from him, the ceramic warm against my palm. "Thanks," I said again, softer this time.