Page 69

“Okay, good. I mean, you’re more than welcome to my sofa, but it’s not the greatest thing to sleep on.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. I know you hate shopping, but at some point, you’re going to have to replace it.”

“And when I can afford to, I will. Though perhaps I’ll wait until the toddling phase is over. I distinctly remember your brother taking a black sharpie to our cream leather sofa when he was three.”

“Good point.” She bites her lip as she eyes me, and I can tell she wants to ask something, but is unsure how.

“Just spit it out, Sophie.”

“What happened to all the money you got in the divorce? Your place is cute and all, but you have next to nothing, and it’s in a really shitty part of town.”

I look at her before I reply. She’s not asking because she’s being a brat, she’s asking because she’s worried. “I didn’t get any money in the divorce, Soph. I walked away with the clothes on my back, my books, and a handful of personal items. I basically left with what I brought into the home, and as I was just a teenager when we first started cohabiting, that was next to nothing.”

Her mouth drops open in shock. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, of course. You don’t honestly think I’d choose to live there, do you?”

Her mouth opens and closes like a guppy before she scowls and yanks her phone from her bag. “Stupid rotten liar,” she snaps, hitting the keys and holding them to her ear.

“What on earth?”

“Dad? How come you lied to me about Mom getting half in the divorce?”

Now it’s my turn for my mouth to drop open. He said that to them? Why would it even come up in conversation?

“No, you told me she got half and that she pushed for even more than that, but that’s not true at all, is it?”

Though I can’t hear what he says, it has Sophie stomping her foot like the teenage version of her when she was arguing on the phone with her friends, which, given her penchant for drama, was quite a lot.

“I cannot believe you. Why lie? Was it just another way for you to try to make Mum look bad?” She shakes her head at his response. “No, she hasn’t gotten in my head. She doesn’t know the shit you said to me. Because up until recently, I haven’t seen her, and that was partly your doing, too. You know what, I love you, Dad. But right now I’m so freaking mad, I can’t talk to you, or I might say something I’ll regret.” Her face pales at his response before she hangs up.

“What did he say?” I ask softly, but I feel fire burning in my gut at her wounded expression.

“He told me to grow up, that I don’t understand the way of the world, and that if I keep my mouth shut for once, Toby might be persuaded to give me another chance.”

I step closer and cup her face, staring at her fiercely. “I will not make your dad the villain of my story because, in truth, I did that shit to myself. Was he an asshole? Yeah. But he only got away with shit for so long because I let him. I didn’t realize he was mentally beating me down over the years because I was used to it. It’s what I saw from my mum and dad, so it was all normalized. Turns out my mum and I have one thing in common, our partners didn’t love us enough to remain faithful. Whereas she was willing to offer forgiveness, albeit with a warning, I wasn’t so magnanimous. I didn’t forgive him then, and I don’t forgive him now. Maybe that makes me petty. I don’t care. Nobody is owed our forgiveness, my girl. That is ours to give and ours to withhold. You have to be the one to decide what you are and aren’t willing to live with. I know you love your dad, but I don’t want you marrying someone for anything other than love.”

A tear slips over her cheek, which I catch with my thumb.

“See, I knew you’d want that for me because you want me to be happy. So why doesn’t he?”

I tug her into my arms and hug her as she cries, not giving a single fuck that we’re drawing attention to ourselves. Why is it that the first men to let us down are always our fathers?

I fight back my own tears as my baby kicks, knowing they might not even get to meet theirs. I’ve made zero effort to communicate with the asshole since he eviscerated me. Why would I? The ball is in his court. Whatever was between us is over. Now we’ll have to navigate co-parenting, or I’ll do the single-parent thing alone. But I’ll be damned if I let this kid feel like it’s their fault.

I pull back and cup her face once more. “Fuck him. You are smart, beautiful, and talented. You don’t need a man to complete you. If one makes you happy, then that’s great. But honey, don’t ever rely on anyone else but yourself.”

She looks at me with a frown, concern replacing her upset. “Are you okay?”

“This isn’t about me⁠—”

“How about we make it about both of us?”

I sigh. “I was just contemplating my choice in men. It seems I have horrendous taste, and I should probably avoid the dating pool at all costs. At least until I can learn how to swim.”

“So, no happy ending then for you and nugget’s dad either? That sucks. I was rooting for you both.”

“Me too, kid. Me too. Turns out it doesn’t matter if they wear a business suit or a leather jacket. All men are the same.”