Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 3366

Andrew headed straight for the stairs. The thought of seeing Shiloh again stirred something in his chest that he had not quite expected.

However, when he reached the top of the stairs and took in what was in front of him, he went completely still, and disbelief and complicated feelings washed over him.

A woman with a breathtaking profile was standing near the window, and at her side was a small child.

The little boy, no older than three, was pressed up against her leg.

He repeatedly called out, "Mommy, Mommy, can we go outside and play?"

The woman's expression had been distant and cold, as if she had been deep in thought. But the instant she heard the word "mommy," her face softened.

She smiled gently and reached down to brush her hand through the little boy's hair. "Sweetheart, give me just a little longer, okay? Then we'll go play. Be good. I have something important to take care of these next couple of days, and once it's done, I'm taking you somewhere far away from all of this, somewhere nobody knows us, and we're going to live happily ever after."

The little boy's small voice piped up. "What kind of place is that? Is it the place you talked about, where there are no more bad people? But what about Daddy? Is he really gone?"

The woman's eyes dimmed for just a moment, but she held onto her smile. Just as she was about to answer, something made her stop.

She turned sharply toward the top of the stairs, and her eyes met Andrew's.

For a split second, her gaze was cold, the look of someone who had been interrupted and was not happy about it. Then, it shifted.

Shock and disbelief followed. After that, confusion filled her gaze as though she could not believe that Andrew was actually standing there in front of her.

Andrew gave a bitter smile and walked over slowly. "Shiloh, it's been a long time."

He had come up with so many things he wanted to say, but the moment he saw the little boy, every single one of those words disappeared.

Shiloh already had a child, and Andrew honestly did not know what to do with that.

Shiloh drew in a slow breath, visibly steadying herself against the wave of emotion rising inside her.

Then, she patted the boy gently on the head and said, "Remyn, go find Uncle Joe. I need a moment."

"Yes. He's mine," Shiloh said evenly.

Andrew's voice came out rough. "I didn't expect you to have a child. The father isn't Joe, is it? I noticed you had Remyn call him Uncle Joe."

Andrew reached out and caught her hand.

Shiloh's eyes flashed, and she snapped, "What do you think you're doing?"

Andrew's voice turned cold. "I'll only ask you one thing. Just answer me honestly and don't lie. After that, I'll leave."

Before Shiloh could refuse, Andrew pressed on, his tone heavier now. "Shiloh, was there ever anything real between us?"

Seeing the pain in his eyes, Shiloh turned her face away. "I don't know, and I don't want to answer such a meaningless question."