“You ever seen Doctor Strange, Coach?”
He nodded again, having no idea where this was going.
“Know when the bald chick yanks Doctor Strange out of his body?”
Elliott tried to contain a groan. “You mean the Sorceress Supreme?”
“Right. How I’m feeling right now is how I imagine that to feel.”
Chuckling, Elliott turned his full attention back to the game as the seconds ticked down to the buzzer. He’d take a one-nil win over the Raccoons, and as long as Theo wasn’t hurt, it was a decent game with a solid outcome. Another win in the books and another game closer to making the playoffs.
Stepping out of the rink, his stomach clenched at the sight of Denise standing next to his vehicle. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“Please, Lio? I’m sorry I lied about the house. But things are getting serious for me and now with the baby…” Her voice trailed off as she patted her stomach.
Was she really trying to manipulate him using her unborn child as leverage? Did the woman have no limits? How had he ever loved such an unscrupulous bitch?
“Can’t you just give me the house and let us both move on?” Her saccharine sweet tone curdled his stomach. Was she delusional? Justgiveher the house? In her fucking dreams.
“You should go.” He stepped around her and unlocked the car. She grabbed the door with both hands, but he slipped into the driver’s seat and jerked it from her grasp.
“Elliott, please. Be reasonable.”
He guffawed. Reasonable. He’d been beyond reasonable, for years. Now he was just done. “Any further communications between us will be done through our lawyers, Dee. I’m changing my number, and if you ever show up like this again, I’ll call the cops. Leave me the fuck alone.”
Her face hardened and her eyes narrowed before she flipped him off and spun on her heel. As he drove in circles around the city in an attempt to clear his head, his stomach bubbled. How had he been so fucking stupid to be taken for a goddamn ride?
Was he really so gullible? So easy to manipulate? Part of him couldn’t help but wonder if Denise was even really pregnant. It tore him apart to speculate, but he’d heard stories about narcissists who created a fictitious baby to manipulate something from their partners. Was that what Denise had done?
How could he be in the position where he was questioning his own ex-wife’s motives, and doubting her on such a deep level? Did he even know her at all?
If only he’d kept his nerve and given the damn flowers to pregnant Clare back in high school. They’d have raised Cat together. Mason would have been their baby...
Except that wasn’t how it worked, was it?
He thumped the steering wheel. “Fuuuuuck!”
With a deep breath, he said, “Hey, Siri. Call Clare.”
Maybe talking to her would help.
Maybe seeing her, holding her, laughing with her would help ease the raw and festering wounds throughout his body.
He pointed the car toward her house and waited for the call to connect, tapping his fingers and thumbs on the wheel as he drove.
“Elliott?”
“Yeah, Clare, I—”
“Can I call you back? Now’s… time.” Her voice cracked with the line as she spoke.
“Clare? I can’t hear you.”
The light changed to red and he pumped the breaks, swearing under his breath.
“Sorry. Can you hear me now?” She paused. “Eli?”
She sounded tired, in fact, her voice held every ounce of exhaustion that he was feeling in each and every muscle and limb.
