Chapter 14
The rays of sunlight touched Stephen's eyes, gently waking him up. His son was cuddled by his side, with Stephen's arm wrapped protectively around him.
Stephen smiled at the sleeping boy and gently caressed his brown curls.
"Isn't he a little me?" Tony's voice broke the silence as he spooned Stephen. "Brunette hair, chocolate brown eyes, that cute little nose. Doesn’t he remind you of me?"
Stephen froze at the sound of Tony's voice.
"Are you hoping for us to be the way we were? You, me, and little Peter, You miss us, don't you?" Tony's voice continued.
"I don’t... I don’t after what you—" Stephen started, turning to face Tony. But there was no one there.
Was he imagining this? Or was it what he truly wanted?
"Papa," the boy whined in his sleep, pulling Stephen from his thoughts.
"Hey, I’m here. I’m sorry. Go back to sleep, Pete," Stephen said, kissing his son’s head.
Peter settled down, hugging Stephen tightly.
Why did his heart always return to Tony, despite the way he’d treated him? Stephen didn’t know. But he knew one thing—he still loved Tony, though he couldn’t trust him again. And that, too, was something he couldn’t help.
"Mr. Stark, it’s nice meeting you. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?"
Tony was attending the gala Pepper had mentioned. He wasn’t enjoying it. He used to love galas, basking in the attention, but now it all felt overwhelming.
"Hello, Mr. Stark. Yes, I try to avoid public events now. I want to give my son some privacy. Coming to these posh galas would only put his life in the spotlight," Tony said.
"Oh, yeah! I haven’t met the little Stark yet. How old is he?" the man asked.
"He’s three," Tony replied.
"I know, being a parent is really tiring," Musk commented.
"Especially when you’re a single parent," Hammer interjected.
Tony hated that man.
"Hi, Tony. I heard about your divorce. Your husband left you, didn’t he? Leaving you with your son," Hammer said with mock sympathy.
"We’re not divorced. And he hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s taking care of my son," Tony sneered.
"Oh, Tony, you might be able to keep this from the media, but I have my sources. It’s the life of billionaires like us—our partners are only with us for money and fame," Hammer said smugly.
"Shut your mouth and leave. Stephen is nothing like that," Tony snapped.
"Then why did he leave you, Tony?" Hammer smirked.
"Mr. Hammer, I suggest you leave now, or my men will escort you out of the gala," Musk intervened.
"Tony, come," Pepper said, pulling him away before he could do something rash.
Tony was red with anger.
"Tony," Pepper said, touching his shoulder.
"I’m going to punch that bastard. How dare he talk about Stephen like that?" Tony fumed.
"Tony, you know how Hammer is. He’s all talk. Leave it," Pepper said.
"He can’t talk about my Stephen like that," Tony insisted.
"Stephen isn’t yours anymore, Tony. Wake up to reality. You need to end this properly, or rumors will spread about you and Stephen. Our PR team has done their best to keep your estrangement a secret, but I don’t think we can keep it under wraps any longer," Pepper said.
"What do you mean?" Tony asked.
"You need to file for divorce. We’ll issue a statement that’s fair to both you and Stephen. Neither of you will be cast in a bad light," Pepper said.
"Pep, it’s not as easy as you make it sound," Tony said.
"It has to be. Three years is a long time, Tony. I can’t watch you hurt yourself anymore," Pepper said firmly.
Tony stayed silent.
"Here, have this drink. It’ll calm you down," Pepper said, handing him a glass.
"Pep, I don’t want to be here. I want to go back to my son," Tony admitted.
"It’ll be okay. Just four more days. You’re feeling off because you haven’t mingled with a crowd like this in so long. Tomorrow, I need you to act like the CEO of SI. That’ll draw our investors back. You can do it, Tony. The world misses the Tony Stark," Pepper encouraged.
Pepper was right. Tony had to maintain the legacy his father had built. For that, he had to be Tony Stark.
"Papa, come get the ball!" Peter squealed, kicking it across the lawn.
Stephen chased after him, pretending to struggle to catch the ball from the energetic boy. Peter squealed with delight and ran faster.
After some time, Stephen slumped onto a bench, exhausted.
"That’s enough, Pete. Papa’s tired," Stephen said.
"Come on, Papa! Let’s play some more," Peter whined.
"No, no, I need to catch my breath," Stephen said, laughing.
Peter ran up to him and tugged on his hand. Though the grip wasn’t firm—it was that of a three-year-old—Stephen’s sensitive hands couldn’t bear it.
"Ahh," Stephen winced, pulling his hand back.
His hands trembled badly.
"Did I hurt you, Papa?" Peter asked, concerned.
Stephen was still in pain but managed a weak smile.
"I’m sorry, Papa," Peter said, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Hey, baby, it’s okay. You didn’t hurt me. Papa’s hands are always like this," Stephen reassured, pulling the boy into his lap.
"But you’re hurting because of me," Peter said, sobbing.
"No, baby, you didn’t do anything wrong. The pain will go away," Stephen said, trying to console him.
But Peter continued to sob.
"Hey, Pete," Stephen said, gently cupping the boy’s face. "Do you know how to make the pain go away?"
"How?" Peter asked, sniffling.
"You can kiss it better," Stephen said.
Peter’s face lit up. He took Stephen’s hands and kissed both of them.
"I’m feeling better already. Thanks, Pete," Stephen said, smiling.
The boy grinned widely. Stephen wiped the tears from Peter’s cheeks.
"Let’s go inside. Uncle Wong will be back from shopping soon. Let’s see what he’s brought for you," Stephen said.
"Okay, let’s go!" Peter said, running into the Sanctum. Stephen followed.
Wong appeared, carrying several bags in his hands.
"Uncle Wong! What did you bring for me?" Peter asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Hey, Peter. You like Batman, right?" Wong asked.
"Yes!" Peter said eagerly.
"Here you go," Wong said, handing him a small Batman action figure.
Peter took it and jumped with joy.
"Wong, he already has plenty of Batman figures. Why another one?" Stephen asked.
"It’s never too many, right, Pete?" Wong said, smiling.
"Yes!" Peter shouted, running off to play with his new toy. The Cloak of Levitation trailed after him.
Wong sat beside Stephen.
"How’s he adjusting?" Wong asked.
"He likes it here. I want to make a room for him. He says the rooms in the Sanctum are scary," Stephen said, chuckling.
"Hmm... We can arrange that. But, Stephen, you need to make a decision about your relationship with Stark. If you don’t want him back in your life, end it for good. Both of you need to move on," Wong advised.
"I... I’m thinking about it," Stephen said uncertainly.
"Hmm. Fine," Wong said, standing up.
Stephen sighed. He knew Wong was right. Tony needed a fresh start, and Stephen couldn’t deny him that.
Maybe divorce was the right step—Stephen thought.