Page 91 of The Broken Keys

The baby. She said, “The baby.”

But I don’t tell him that. Not yet. Not when I’m unsure he knows what I’m talking about. Not when there’s genuine confusion mixed with terror in his eyes.

“She was hanging by a thread when the paramedics got there.” I lean back against the window and cross my arms over my chest. “But she’s strong. She’ll make it through this.”

“She has to.”

We stand in silence for a moment. The TV and hushed conversations fill the air. That’s all there is between us.

The last five years crumble in on me. While I was fighting for my life, they were building one together.

I jut my chin out, needing one final answer. “How long has it been?”

Chapter Nineteen

CALLUM/CASH

Now

Titanium Kings & Fortunes Favor

They say it’s never over until it’s over.

The waiting room seems to freeze with the question I just blurted out. Jaxon doesn’t respond.

I try again. “Come on, Jaxon. Just tell me how long it’s been.”

His gaze meets mine. “How long what’s been?”

“How long have you been with her?” My chest tightens as I wait for the answer I already know will destroy me. “Two years? Maybe more?”

He’s quiet for a long moment, likely weighing whether to lie or give me the truth. His expression cracks, and I know he’s decided on honesty. Probably because there’s no point in lying anymore.

“Over two years. We got close once she joined my mentorship program, The Vault.”

The blood in my veins drains even though I expected himto say that. I turn away and peer out the window to give myself a moment to take in the gravity of his words.

Over two years. While I was getting sober and rebuilding my life. All the time I was dreaming about getting her back, she was already his.

I face Jaxon. “So, the whole time she was in Paris?”

He waits a beat, then holds his head high. “We got together about six months after she moved there. We’ve been in a committed relationship ever since.”

He doesn’t glance away or apologize. He just states it like a fact that can’t be changed. And it can’t.

My laugh comes out bitter and hollow. “You know what’s really fucked up about this?”

“I can only imagine, but what’s fucked up for you now that you know?”

“I wanna hate you right now, but I can’t find it in me.”

“Understood.”

“You helped me. You backed my label and gave me the tools to become the man who could be worthy of her again.” I rake my teeth over my bottom lip, the irony so sharp it cuts.

“Cash—”

“The whole time, she was the reason I needed to become that man in the first place, and you had her. Why? Why help me when you knew she was the woman I was rebuilding my life for?”