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"I'm just grabbing some stuff so I can study." It was only a half lie. I was actually taking some of my things so I could head over to my old apartment. After Dylan's announcement about the baby and his plans to move out, I'd gotten all the details. They'd left yesterday for a rental house so if I wanted my place back, it was empty and available as of right now.
"Sunshine, I'm sorry."
The words hit me all at once. I'm not sure what hurts more. Hearing him call me sunshine or the fact that he says he's sorry even though he still hasn't confided in me about Cory's biological father.
"I'm sorry too." I'm sorry I'm going to run away. I'm sorry I can't live here with you anymore. I'm sorry I'm not worth trusting. I'm just sorry.
I wait for any response and he sits silently at the table, his face buried in a stack of documents.
"See you." I throw the words carelessly at him as I turn to walk down the hallway.
"He's been in prison."
I almost trip over my feet as my body lurches to an abrupt halt. "What?" I whisper through the pained silence that engulfs the room.
"That man. The one who slept with Christina, he's been in prison," he says the words so slowly that I wonder how much control it's taking him to temper all of his emotions.
"Cory's father?"
He stands and turns all in one swift movement. "Don't call him that. I'm Cory's father."
I feel my heart drop at the sight of him. He hasn't shaved, his hair is a mess. It's obvious that he's been stuck in worry judging by how tired he looks.
"I'm sorry," I whisper. "You're Cory's dad."
He nods as he walks past me. "I only found out when Cory was ill months ago."
Only months ago? Cory was in the hospital before I even knew he existed. Hunter had told me then that he didn't know who Cory's father was. "You found out then?" I want to understand. I need to.
He sits in a chair in the living room, his knee shaking slightly as he talks. "A few weeks later."
I move to sit across from him on the couch. I can sense that he doesn't want me close. I can see that he's struggling. "How did you find out?"
"The doctors had so many questions when Cory got sick. It's happened before." There's a veiled sob within the words.
"I didn't know." Of course I didn't know. I barely know anything about Cory's past other than the few fragments that Hunter has thrown in my direction.
"When we were living in California last fall I found out who he was." He doesn't raise his eyes. He still won't look at me.
There had been weeks then when we didn't talk. He'd wanted to make a clean break from me when Christina forced him to take Cory to live with her in Los Angeles. "Christina told you?"
He nods. "She knew all along."
"What?" I spit the word out much louder than I want to. I hate that Christina was manipulating things again. I hate that she is still causing Hunter so much pain and frustration.
"Did he know he has a child?"
He instantly pulls his gaze to mine. "He doesn't have a child. He donated his sperm when he fucked her that one time."
The words are too harsh coming from Hunter. He doesn't talk like that. He's not that way. I can't respond. I don't know what I'm supposed to say.
"She gave in and told me his name because we needed to get to the bottom of what was wrong with Cory. I contacted him and he gave up his family's medical history. That should have been the end of it." His tone is clipped and decisive.
"But it wasn’t." It's not a question. I can tell by the look on his face that this is far from over.
"No." There's sarcasm skirting the word. "It's not over. That fucker is trying to ruin my life."
Chapter 16
