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“You!” Caden’s low growl of disgust resounds through the foyer, and I turn to find his face mottled with barely restrained rage. “Youleft that letter? The one I pored over, cried over—the one that made me think I was a piece of shit foryears, for no good reason?”
Layla flounders, and a sadistic piece of me rejoices. “Cade, I—I—”
The rest comes out, almost like word vomit. I hadn’t meant to share this part, but after visiting my old room upstairs and reminiscing with those ghosts, I couldn’t hold it back.
“The final icing on the cake was when she took a pregnancy test and said she didn’t know if the baby was yours or Archer's. That…that was the night I left.”
* * *
CADEN
Many times throughout my life, I’ve heard people tell me they’ve been angry enough to see red. I’ve nodded, smiled, and empathised, but I’ve never truly understood the meaning.
Until now.
Until I look at my ex-wife’s face and see that the last fifteen years have been manipulation after manipulation. My mind flits back to the first night she crawled into my bed, consoling me after pulling the plug on a decade-long search for the woman I loved. We’d slept in each other’s arms, and I’d thought thatmaybedespite all her flaws, I could fall in love with the woman she was underneath.
Because she understood my loss. And I understood hers.
Because maybetogether, we could save each other from a lifetime of crippling loneliness. That I could save her from the nameless, faceless men she invited into her body in an effort to fill the hole in her soul.
That we could connect on a different level because I’d loved the person she’d lost, and she’d loved the person who’d left me.
Before I can march forward to do something I might regret, I feel my father’s quelling hand on my shoulder. His quiet words of wisdom in my ear. “Take a deep breath, son. Think of how your actions could affect your little girl.”
The wind rapidly goes out of my sails, and I can feel myself visibly deflate as Ford enters through the front door.
He smirks. “Tequila Sunrise.”
Before he can deal with the Code Black, the front door is pushed open once more to admit an irate Noah Spellman.
That man can smell trouble, I’d bet my life on it!
“For Christ’s sake, Sutton. Can you not control your fucking mutt?”
He turns to face me. His face is almost purple with rage. “What have I told you about media shitshows, Caden? It’s going to take weeks before this insanity ceases. She needs to leave. She needs to piss off back to New York right the fuck now!”
Noah’s eyes cast about the foyer before landing on Summer. She’s standing there, arms folded across her chest, and a distinctly hostile look on her face. “I’m right here,Uncle Noah. Nice to see you too!”
The man openly blanches. “Holy shit, you haven’t changed one bit.”
Summer pops a brow, giving him a pointed look. “Oh, I think you’ll find I’ve changed plenty.”
It takes him a minute to salvage his wits, and Summer stares him down the entire time as he stammers. “I—I didn’t mean—that’s to say…umm—”
Paying him no heed, I stride towards Ford. “Get Layla out of herenow. Under no circumstances should you allow her within a hundred yards of my daughter. Or me, for that matter. Because I won’t be held responsible for what I’ll do to her if I so much as glimpse her face unless it’s across a courtroom.”
I turn as Noah abandons his half-assed attempt of apologising to Summer to approach Layla like she’s some fragile creature.
“Come on, Layla. I’ll get you back to your hotel.”
She allows him to tuck her beneath his sizeable arms, a frown marring her face as she takes in everyone in the foyer. Her gaze lands on Summer and stays there as she is led from the house while a plethora of emotions flashes across her features.
I move to Summer’s side, clasping her limp hand in mine and squeezing softly in silent comfort. Layla’s eyes move down to our joined hands, and her brow furrows at the sight right as she disappears from view.
CHAPTER17
CADEN
