My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 218: Private Time

The air between them felt heavy in a way Katherine hadn’t quite expected when she yanked Felix back inside. Her hand remained planted on the wall beside his head, his shoulder just barely brushing the tips of her fingers. He didn’t flinch, didn’t step away, but his eyes were studying her with that same mix of curiosity and caution she’d seen when they first met. Like she’d suddenly become an unfamiliar puzzle.

For a beat, neither of them spoke. The soft hum of the fridge in the kitchen filled the silence, joined by the faint buzz of the hallway light beyond the door. His breathing was steady, but she wasn’t fooled, there was a slight tightness in his jaw, the kind that showed up when he was holding something back.

Then, of course, he had to break the silence in his usual way.

"Well," he drawled, lips curling faintly at the edges, "this is new. Never pegged you as the aggressive type, Katherine."

Her eyes narrowed. "Aggressive?"

He tipped his head just enough to glance pointedly at her arm, still braced beside him, then looked back at her. "You’ve got me cornered. In my experience, this is usually step one before an interrogation... or a confession."

A tiny smirk ghosted across her lips, but she refused to let him derail her. "Don’t tempt me."

"Too late," he said easily, but there was a flicker of something warmer beneath the words. He leaned a fraction closer, and she caught the faint scent of his cologne, something clean, with a hint of spice, distractingly pleasant in ways she refused to acknowledge. Not now. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"So... pretending to be tired just to get rid of Leonard? I’m flattered."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"The yawns, the sudden ’you should go home’?" he said, smirking deeper. "You didn’t even give me my usual ten-minute warning."

"I was tired," she huffed. "And I didn’t pretend anything."

"Mhm."

"It just... came to me at the last minute," she continued, brushing off his skepticism. "I didn’t plan it, I swear. You were about to walk out and-" She hesitated, realizing how ridiculous this might sound out loud. "And I realized I needed to talk to you. Alone."

His gaze softened at that, though he didn’t say anything right away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, studying her like he was trying to decide if she was telling the truth.

She decided to cut through it. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

One of his brows lifted. "About...?"

"About you being engaged to Lara Johanssen," she said flatly.

The smirk vanished. His posture shifted, shoulders squaring, and for once, he didn’t have an immediate comeback.

"Katherine-"

"I had to hear it from her and the news," she went on, sharper than she meant to be. "Do you know how frustrating that is?"

He let out a slow breath, eyes never leaving hers. "It’s not true."

Her frown deepened. "She said-"

"She says a lot of things," he cut in, voice steady but edged with frustration. "My parents... they’re trying to pull this whole betrothal thing out of thin air. I’ve told them no. Multiple times. Lara just-" His jaw clenched. "She’s delusional enough to believe that if she keeps saying it, it’ll become real."

The tightness in Katherine’s chest eased, though she wasn’t ready to let go of her irritation just yet. "So you’re saying-"

"I’m saying there’s nothing between us," he said firmly. "There never was, and there never will be. I’ll make sure she understands that. You don’t need to worry."

She exhaled slowly, tension bleeding from her shoulders. "Good," she murmured. "I just... needed to hear you say it."

Something shifted in his expression, ofter, lighter. Then, inevitably, that smirk returned.

"Were you jealous?"

She gave him a look. "Don’t push it."

He leaned in a little, his voice dropping. "Because if you were... I’d take that as a very good sign."

"Felix-"

"You know," he said lazily, "you’re kind of a bad woman."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Hanging me out to dry for this long," he teased, eyes glinting. "Not even giving me an answer to my confession back then. You’ve left me in suspense for weeks. Cruel."

Her cheeks warmed. "I... haven’t asked the kids about us yet," she said, stumbling slightly over the words. "That has to come first."

He tilted his head, gaze flicking briefly to her mouth before returning to her eyes. "Fair enough."

Then, without warning, he leaned forward, not closing the distance completely, but enough that his breath ghosted against her lips. Her heart fluttered, traitorous and unsteady.

"And what about this?" he murmured. "Is this your answer?"

Katherine swallowed, willing her voice to stay steady. "Is this... enough for now?"

His eyes widened slightly, surprise breaking through his usual composure. For a moment, he just looked at her, like he was memorizing every detail, the curve of her smile, the way her breath caught.

"Well," he said slowly, "I’m grateful for it..." A slow grin tugged at his mouth. "But of course, if it’s from you, I’ll always want more."

He began to close the remaining distance, hand lifting as if to cup her cheek, and that’s when it happened.

"Mommy?"

The small, uncertain voice echoed from down the hall, freezing them both.

They stepped apart instinctively, like guilty teenagers caught in the act.

Katherine turned toward the sound. "Maya?"

Her daughter stood there in her pajamas, hair rumpled, eyes wide and a little watery.

"What’s wrong, baby?" Katherine asked, moving to crouch in front of her.

"I had a nightmare," the girl mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Katherine’s heart softened instantly. "Oh, sweetheart..." She brushed Maya’s hair back from her face, then glanced briefly over her shoulder.

Felix gave her a rueful half-smile and stepped back toward the door. "Let’s keep it PG for now," he said quietly, mouth twitching.

She rolled her eyes, but there was no real heat behind it.

He opened the door, hesitated, then leaned in and pressed a quick, gentle kiss to her temple, gone before she could react.

"Goodnight, Katherine," he said, voice low enough that only she could hear.

Then he was gone, leaving her with a heart pounding louder than she wanted to admit.