Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 87289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
I hesitate for only a moment before stepping inside.
The apartment is massive and pristine. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the lake in the distance as sunlight glints off the water. The kitchen gleams, untouched and showroom ready. Everything is minimalist and expensive looking, from the modern light fixtures to the oversized sectional sofa that looks like it’s never been sat on.
This place isn’t just nice. It’s high-end. Custom and luxurious.
It’s nothing like the one Zane used to live in, or the modest two-bedroom townhouse Nora and I called home. The contrast is stark.
While I’ve been clipping coupons and skipping meals to stretch our budget, he’s been living like a king.
A sharp pang twists in my stomach.
Even though I shouldn’t be shocked, I am.
Where was all this money when I needed help buying formula or paying the rent?
I take a moment to remind myself why I’m here.
The loan.
And the truth.
Zane appears in the hallway, tugging at the waistband of a pair of skintight jeans, the top button undone. His chest is bare, revealing the bruises and scrapes from last night’s game.
He drags a hand through his tousled hair, eyes widening slightly when he sees me standing in the entryway.
“Hey, Callie,” he says. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to talk to you.” My weight shifts uneasily from one foot to the other.
His brow arches. “About what?”
My thoughts tangle in my head, too many crashing into each other to make sense of just one. I stare at him, stunned by how different this moment feels from the one we had last night.
I thought he’d know exactly why I was here.
That he’d be expecting an answer.
Instead, I’m standing in front of a half-naked man, fresh from someone else’s bed, after a woman in a silk robe called me his baby mama and then disappeared without a second glance.
Even though the truth is obvious, I still have to ask. “Last night… did you mean any of it?”
When he blinks and says nothing, my voice turns sharp. “What you said about wanting to be a family again. Was any of it real?”
His silence is deafening.
“I’m such an idiot,” I murmur, more to myself than to him.
“Callie—”
I raise a hand to silence whatever pathetic excuse he’s about to offer. “Just answer one more question and then I’ll get out of your way.”
He hesitates. “Okay. What?”
“Did you pay off the bank loan for the bakery?”
His lips part like he’s about to lie, but a flicker of guilt, too quick to catch fully and too familiar to miss, flashes across his face. He glances over his shoulder, like maybe he’s afraid of being overheard before stepping closer.
“No.”
The word lands like a slap. “Then why would you tell me that you did?”
He shrugs, shifting on his feet. “I thought…”
When his voice trails off, something inside me snaps. “What? What did you think, Zane?”
“That it was probably River,” he mutters. “And I don’t like the thought of you two together. He shouldn’t be going after something that’s mine.”
I reel back a step, floored by the sheer arrogance. “I’m not yours. I’ve never been yours. You don’t get to claim me like property.”
“You don’t get it. I—”
“No, you’re the one who doesn’t get it,” I cut in, temper rising. “You don’t care about me or what’s best for our daughter. You care about control and spinning your life for some damn show. How dare you try and destroy someone else stepping up when you couldn’t be bothered.”
His tongue darts out to lick his lips as he bounces between defensive and pathetic. “He’s breaking bro code.”
I let out a short, humorless laugh. “That might be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. River has been kind, loving, and steady to both me and Nora. And you tried to blow that up because you couldn’t stand the idea of someone else doing what you should’ve done all along.”
“That’s not true—”
“It is,” I snap. “You don’t get to rewrite history. And you don’t get to lie to me and take credit for something he did.”
My body shakes, but I don’t let myself cry.
Not here in front of him.
“You know what? I actually feel sorry for you.” My tone gentles. Not with sympathy, but with pity. “You’re missing out on your daughter’s life. The real moments. All the ones that matter. Someday you’ll realize that. I just hope it won’t be too late to undo the damage you’ve inflicted.”
Instead of giving him a chance to respond, I turn on my heel and head for the elevator. Even when he calls out my name, I don’t look back.
Because the man who actually loves me already gave me the truth without ever having to say a word.
45
River
It feels like I’ve been pacing the penthouse for hours. Back and forth. Again and again. Like a man on the edge of splintering apart, because that’s exactly where I am.