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I gritted my teeth. “I didn’t prey upon her,” I insisted.
“It was a mutual thing,” Vivian added.
“If that’s the case, Dad should have made arrangements for you to stay somewhere else,” Wally hissed. “You’re supposed to be keeping her safe, Dad. Isn’t that rule number one of being a bodyguard or something? I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to fuck the client you’ve been charged to keep safe.”
“I need you to take a breath, son.”
He jabbed an accusatory finger at me. “What was the plan, huh? How long did you think this was going to last? Do you love her or something?”
I held my breath. I certainly cared for Vivian a great deal. Maybe I did love her, but this relationship was so new and our future too uncertain. We weren’t ready for that next step. Even if we were, Wally’s outburst only served as further proof that it wasn’t going to work out between Vivian and me. It was just too hard for him to accept, and I couldn’t even blame him for thinking this way.
“Vivian and I…” I started slowly, looking at her. “We have a connection.”
“Great,” Wally grumbled. “Just great. I hope your connection was fucking worth it.”
Vivian bit her bottom lip. “Wally, I know you’re upset, but—”
“But what, Viv? But what? What possible excuse do you have to justify this?” Wally ran his fingers through his hair. “Look, even though we broke up, you’re still myfriend, Viv. And I expect my friends not to pull shit like sleeping with my forty-three-year-old father. That’s just…” His nose curled up in disgust. “What the fuck were you thinking? Did you think I’d never find out?”
Vivian didn’t answer.
Wally rubbed his hands over his face. “I can’t believe this. Not only are you unsupportive of my dreams, you just had to go and fuck my ex. Do you really hate me that much?”
“I don’t hate you, Wally,” I said.
“Really? Because these aren’t exactly the actions of someone you’re on good terms with. These aren’t the actions of a good father.”
“I don’t regret my time with Vivian,” I stated firmly. “Being with her is the best decision I’ve ever made, and I’m not going to apologize for that. Could I have handled the situation better? Yes. But what I have with Vivian… You’d never understand it, Wally.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vivian give me the faintest of smiles. She reached out and took my hand, squeezing my fingers.
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” she whispered. “But I’m sure we can figure this out if we just sit down and talk.”
“No,” my son said flatly. “No, I’m… I’m done.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…” Wally licked his lips and shook his head. “I found a place. An apartment. I’m going to move in with one of my classmates.”
“Son—”
“Don’t call me that. You don’t get to call me that.” His face screwed up in pain. “You’re the worst, Dad. The absolute worst. I get it now, why Mom left you.”
His words were a dagger through my heart. They shredded my lungs and left my ribcage hollow. The look in Wally’s eyes was one of pure disdain. My boy, the one who I loved and raised all these years, had transformed from my son to a resentful stranger. It wasn’t even a sudden transformation, but a gradual one, happening right in front of me. And now I was too late. I’d lost him.
“Don’t call me,” he said. “Don’t text me. Don’t try to find me. I want nothing to do with you, do you understand? And you can keep your fucking money. I’ll figure it out on my own. I don’t need you.”
The floor was crumbling beneath my feet. I was frozen in place, unable to move or utter a single word as Wally shoved right past me. He stormed out of the penthouse, and this time, I feared I’d truly never see him again. This was a nightmare.
Vivian peered at me, reaching up to caress my cheek. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “He’ll be back. I promise.”
I could barely hear her over the rush of blood past my ears. I was exhausted. Drained. “I don’t think he will,” I mumbled as I sat on the edge of the bed.
The mattress dipped as Vivian took her place beside me, her thigh touching mine as she held my hand. “Don’t say that. I know Wally. He’ll be upset for a little while, but I’m sure he’ll come around.” Something in the way her sentence tapered off into nothing told me she didn’t believe her own words.
“I meant what I said. I don’t regret it.”
“Neither do I.” She frowned. “I’m sensing abutin there somewhere.”
