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"That's me."
"Come here."
I step in front of him and fight my shock at seeing his face. But Theo doesn't let me look away, his eyes taunting me as I take in his scarred face with one dark brown eye and one milky white, almost silver.
"Are you surprised?" he asks calmly, and I decide to go the honest route, nodding. "But not afraid, I take it."
"I've met scarier men than you." I point to a chair in front of him. "Do you mind?"
"Go ahead." He watches with amusement as I take a seat. "I've wanted to meet one of you for a long time."
"One of us?"
"I knew Parker... Nox had a family, but I didn't know who with."
"Is Parker his real name?"
"You didn't know?" I shake my head and he smiles solemnly. "Seems I'm not the only one who's being lied to."
"Your dad is Nox's brother, right?"
"Indeed. And you're adopted?" I nod, making him grin. "Thought so, the timelines didn't quite add up."
"Why did you want to meet me so soon?"
"I want information," he mutters. "And I assume you want something too, and this isn't purely an attempt at a familial reconciliation?"
I swallow. "I... My friend and I need a place to stay in New York."
"Should be easy enough," he shrugs, making me pale with surprise. How freaking rich is this guy?
"You look just like Nox, you know," I mutter.
"I look like my father."
"They must look alike. What information do you want?"
"Anything about Nox you can tell me. I need to keep my father and Nox separated."
I knit my brows together. "Why?"
"Because they'll kill each other if someone doesn't keep them apart."
Chapter 20
Raphael
Staying away from trouble has been fucking torture.
Every waking thought I have is about Willa. I can't get her off my mind despite doing everything in my power to distract myself. I've been working myself ragged trying to busy myself with mundane tasks just so I don't have to listen to my own voice telling me I've fucked up in my head.
I've been staying late in the office and using my bachelor pad more and more. Elise has moved back into my apartment and I can't bear to be near her. When she made a move on me the first night she moved in, I was clear with her – there wasn't going to be any physical action between us, not now, not ever.
It still feels like a betrayal to Willa, but I don't know what else to do. I owe Elise and our baby what my father never gave me, and as much as I want to fucking walk away from the whole thing and track down Willa, I know I shouldn't.
It's another late night in the office. I've tried so hard not to look up Willa, but today I'm finding it harder than ever to resist. My jaw tightens as I try and pull up her profile on Instagram, but am notified the profile's been deleted.
Fuck.
How am I supposed to keep tabs on her now?
I need to know how she's doing, need to make sure she's okay.
Hoping for the best and knowing I shouldn't be doing this, I open the sugar baby app, and quickly realize she's blocked me.
"Fuck," I mutter, setting my phone down and pouring myself a double drink. I fucking need it now that my life has imploded.
Every day, I find myself regretting everything that's happened – everything but Willa. I can't bring myself to do that, not when the weeks I spent with her were the happiest of my life. And this bittersweet feeling hurts, but it was still worth it just to hold her in my arms for as long as I did.
After pacing the office, I pick my phone back up again and delete my own profile on the sugar baby app. Then, I quickly make another one, giving myself the nickname of TyrantDaddy.
My heart quickens, hammering in my chest. I remind myself I shouldn't get involved with Willa – I should keep my distance and stay away from her, so I don't hurt her even more. And yet I can't help but set up the new profile and send her a friend request.
The request is quickly accepted, sending another pang of pain through my body. I can just imagine Willa on her phone right now, scrolling through her notifications, not even knowing this is me. I suppose that means she's back to this sugar baby thing. I wonder if she's going to New York. I wonder what's happening in her life and how much she misses me.
With a groan, I run my hands through my hair. I shouldn't be letting myself think about all this stuff. I need to put Willa behind me and stop hurting her.
But if she's in New York, she'll need money. I know how proud she is – she'd never ask Dove and Nox for help.
