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Especially when everything he’d done up until this point had been to undermine me, to drive a wedge between Isabella and me, and to take down everything the Blackthornes have worked so hard to build. The more I think about it, the angrier I get until Anita takes my hand in hers and leads me out of the stairwell and into the main part of the hospital. In silence, Ernesto, Paul, and Sam follow us down the blue-colored hallway, our shoes squeaking against the linoleum floors. At the end of the hallway, we take a series of twists and turns until we reach the cafeteria.
With its glass, high arched ceilings, and empty tables on either side, it is not the sight I’m expecting. Anita guides me to the nearest empty booth and pushes me down. To my surprise and hers, I don’t say anything. Ernesto sits down next to me and links his fingers together, exchanging a quick look with Paul, who looks haggard and has his shirt on backward. After exchanging another look, Sam sits down next to Paul and brings her forehead to rest against the table.
I don’t want to meet her gaze. I don’t want to meet any of their gazes.
None of them want to say it, but we all know it’s my fault we’re here.
“Fuck,” I say suddenly and a little too loudly, earning a few curious looks from others in the cafeteria. “Isabella doesn’t even know that I know about the baby.”
Sam’s head snaps up, and she gives me a surprised look. “You saw the note?”
I nod and dig my nails into my palms. “How long have you known?”
“A couple of weeks,” Sam admits before tucking her hair behind her ears. “She hadn’t been feeling well, so I insisted that she go to the hospital. She was incredibly reluctant, and she did try to go with you…”
My ears are ringing now. “Why didn’t she tell me?”
Sam swallows. “She was afraid, Carter. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to keep the baby, and until she decided, she didn’t think there was a point in telling you about it.”
“And you encouraged her to keep this from me, didn’t you?” My voice is like ice, but I don’t care because it has the intended effect. Sam sits up straighter, winces, and avoids my gaze. “I know you don’t like me much, but don’t you think I have the right to know about my own baby? For fuck’s sake, I am the father.”
Sam mumbles something unintelligible.
“Who gave you the right to interfere anyway?” I stand up and glower at her. “I tolerate you because I know how much you mean to Isabella, and I know you and Tristan are hooking up, but if you think for one second that I’m going to allow you to poison my family against me, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Paul is on his feet in an instant. “Carter, you need to calm down—”
I wheel on Paul and give him my most menacing look. “Don’t you fucking tell me to calm down. You have no right.”
On shaky legs, Sam rises to her feet, and I see her hide her trembling hands behind her back. “Carter, I know you and I don’t see eye to eye, but it wasn’t my place to tell you. And I actually did try and convince her to come clean, but she wasn’t ready—”
“Bullshit,” I interrupt, my voice dripping with venom and acid. “You saw the perfect opportunity to drive the wedge further between us, and you took it.”
“I didn’t—”
“Stop lying to me,” I yell, drawing more and more attention to myself. A part of me knows I need to calm down and keep myself in check lest anyone points a camera at me, but the other part of me doesn’t give a shit if the mayor knows about my ruse.
I don’t care if the whole fucking world finds out about the fake death stunt I pulled at the press conference.
I point a finger at Sam and bristle. “You’re always there, whispering in Bella’s air and telling her about all the ways I’m wrong for her. This is no different. She’s been keeping this to herself for weeks because you didn’t have the balls to go after me yourself.”
Paul steps in between us and gives me a resolute look. “That’s enough, Carter. This isn’t Sam’s fault.”
I shove Paul, and he staggers back. “Like hell, it isn’t. Tristan and Isabella are upstairs right now, and we don’t even fucking know what happened or if they’re going to survive any of this, and I have to deal with this shit.”
Paul straightens his back and folds his arms over his chest. “It doesn’t mean you can take it out on Sam. You’re not the only one who’s worried, for fuck’s sake. That’s my brother on the operating table, and he got hurt because you asked him to keep an eye on Isabella in the middle of fucking nowhere with no backup.”
I have Paul pinned to the nearest wall before the words finish leaving his lips. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”
Paul doesn’t squirm and instead holds my gaze. “You heard me.”
I punch Paul in the stomach, but other than a slight flinch, he doesn’t react. Heart pumping angrily now, I take a step back and punch Paul again, but it does nothing to quell the rage and desperation I feel. Each punch and each strike makes me feel worse.
Because I keep seeing Rich’s smug face looming over Tristan’s inert body. And I see him dragging Isabella off, kicking and screaming.
All I see is red as Paul and I spin in a circle, with him trying to get away from me. But I have the upper hand, and it feels good to do something, to hear the satisfying sound of crunching bone. Adrenaline is still bursting through me when a pair of arms come up around my waist and drag me back. Anita wedges herself between Paul and me and gives us both a long and measured look.
I’m panting heavily now. “Let me go, Ernesto, or you’re going to be next.”
