Ten Years Later, I Woke Up as the Wife of the Mafia Heir I Once Hated Chapter 03

Ten Years Later, I Woke Up as the Wife of the Mafia Heir I Once Hated Chapter 03

I woke up because someone was staring at me. Hard.

When I finally blinked my eyes open, the sun was already up. And there was Nick, standing right next to the bed with his little backpack strapped on, looking at me like I was the most exciting thing he’d seen all morning.

“Mommy, we’re leaving soon!”

Leaving?

Where?

I stared at him for a solid two seconds before my brain caught up.

Right. The school parent-child thing he mentioned last night.

I scrambled out of bed, splashed water on my face, and threw myself together as fast as I could. Nick followed me everywhere like a tiny shadow—into the bathroom, back to the bedroom, around every corner. His eyes never left me. Not even for a second.

Like he was scared I’d vanish the moment he looked away.

My heart just melted right there.

I bent down without thinking and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Nick went completely still. Like a little statue.

His pale cheeks turned pink almost instantly. His eyes went wide, staring up at me like I’d just done something impossible.

“You… you kissed me?”

I frowned, confused.

What kind of reaction was that?

Did future-me really not show her own kid affection? Was a simple kiss on the forehead really that surprising to him?

That thought made my chest hurt.

Before I could dwell on it, the bedroom door opened.

Alex walked in.

He was already dressed. And when I saw what he was wearing, I blinked.

Okay, wow…

Usually, Alex was all sharp black suits and untouchable heir energy—the kind of presence that made people step back without even realizing they were doing it. But today, in casual clothes, he actually looked… less intimidating. Almost younger.

Then my eyes caught those streaks of gray at his temples again.

Never mind. Still looked pretty old.

Alex’s gaze landed on me and Nick, still in our little hug. His eyes paused there for a moment, like he was taking it in.

Then he said, calm as always, “School starts at nine-thirty.”

I dropped Nick immediately and rushed to get myself together.

Twenty-year-old me had zero experience being a mom. But at least I could show up looking good. I wanted all the other kids to see that Nick had a beautiful mother.

With my twenty-year-old fashion instincts, I picked out an outfit and changed.

When I walked out of the closet, Nick’s face lit up like I’d just handed him the moon.

He practically bounced around my legs, words tumbling out in a happy rush.

“Mommy looks so pretty today!”

“Mommy looks like Snow White! No, even prettier than Snow White!”

But across the room, Alex just stood there.

His eyes traveled over me. Slow. Deliberate. Head to toe.

And for a second, I saw something flash across his face. Shock, yeah. But there was something else underneath too. Something complicated.

Like he was looking at me.

But remembering someone else.

Someone who’d been gone a long time.

Someone he missed.