Page 157 of Love Unspoken

I stopped breathing.

"She knew it wasn't yours because you were always suited up. I'm sorry that I know so much. You know Mercer and I are close."

I couldn't say fucking anything. I was too shocked.

"They got together, and she had a miscarriage. But he found out a year or so ago that she had an abortion. She said she had to because she didn't know whether the baby was yours or his."

Nausea roiled through me.

"Mercer went ape shit when he found out. That's when he decided there wouldn't be a wedding. He moved out and started seeing⁠—"

"They've been broken up for more than a year?"

"Well, they'd been going to counseling. But then he fell in love with Lola. He's engaged and they plan to marry after their baby is born."

"He knocked up another woman?" I growled.

Gene laughed. "Yeah."

"You think Hugh knows?"

"I doubt it. He'd have gotten Mercer married to his daughter, shotgun and all."

"Sounds like a clusterfuck." I leaned back into the couch. Kath had made a mess out of her life and saw me as her way out. "I thought she left me because he was more successful."

"Of course she did."

I chuckled. "Thanks for telling me."

"I just…I've been seeing you these past months since you and Amara broke up, and you don't look well, Lucas." Gene seemed to be quiet for a long moment. "Look, it's none of my business, but when you announced that you and Kath were together at that university thing, I felt like maybe you should know in case you didn't know what went down between her and Mercer. I wasn't sure if you did or did not know. I thought maybe Kath would have told you."

"I didn't announce shit. Kath did."

"Yeah, but it felt like you both did."

No wonder Amara wanted to kick my balls into my throat. "She ambushed me."

"If that's the case, I think you may have grounds to get rid of her for inappropriate behavior," Gene informed me. "We can also give her a generous severance if you wish her gone."

"It may come to that." Gene was a good lawyer and friend and smart as hell because he could read the tea leaves just fine.

"I'll make sure we're covered legally."

"Thanks, Gene."

I hung up and stared at my phone. This was not how I wanted to live my life. I wanted the life I had with Amara back—the peaceful, comfortable one—the one I had mockingly thought wasn't all-consuming enough. I wanted love and affection. I wanted ease. I wanted to have babies and a family…with Amara.

TWENTY-THREE

AMARA

The Women's Advocacy Network's office was nestled in one of Charleston's stately historic homes, just off Meeting Street. The exterior was everything you'd expect from a city steeped in history—white columns, tall windows with dark shutters, and an expansive wraparound porch lined with lush ferns and rocking chairs that creaked softly in the breeze. But as soon as I stepped through the front door, it was clear that the interior was where old-world charm ended and modern purpose began.

The foyer was a blend of polished hardwood floors and bright, airy spaces. The walls were adorned with local art and black-and-white photographs capturing moments of activism and change, all framed in sleek, minimalist designs that contrasted beautifully with the home's original architecture.

I was greeted by a receptionist who directed me down a hallway to the office of the head of the Advocacy Network, Jill Trotter. Her office was at the end of the hallway, and as I reached it, the door was slightly ajar. I knocked gently, and a voice from inside called out, "Come on in!"

I stepped inside to find Jill standing by a large bay window overlooking a lush courtyard garden, checking her phone. She was an elegant woman in her mid-forties, with warm brown skin, short-cropped hair, and an air of quiet authority that immediately put me at ease. She wore a crisp white blouse and tailored pants, her look completed by a simple string of pearls.