His brows furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not with Candace because of who her father is.”
I clenched my teeth and forced myself from calling him a string of cruel names. He might try to convince me that part of Candace’s appeal had nothing to do with who her father was, but I knew him better than that. In the years we’d been together, I’d noticed Ross’s aspirations growing higher and higher. There was nothing wrong with wanting more from your life, but to be so enamored of people who had gained success and his desire to have the same had unsettled me. Always, he said he wanted success for us. So I could quit my job as a Human Resources manager and stay home with our children.
I’d saved every penny I could for the home we would buy after our wedding, forgoing nights out or weekend excursions with my work friends. It was always about our home. Always about our future.
I looked around the apartment we’d shared since college graduation. I’d hated the ultra-modern space from the second we had toured it. Ross had loved it, going on and on about the amenities and close proximity to his work. With family life in mind, I had hoped for a house in suburbia. Instead, I’d bent to Ross’s wishes and moved into the one-bedroom apartment so we could save for the dream home that would no longer be.
Now he didn’t want to settle for a small-town girl from Washington with a blue-collar dad. No, he wanted the pedigree and to be a shoo-in with one of the biggest firms in Arizona. And being the son-in-law of the biggest commercial architect firm in Scottsdale would do that for him.
He took a deep, steadying breath and released a heavy sigh. “She’s pregnant, Amanda.”
I gasped, completely unprepared for that blow.
“I have to do right by her, you know?”
I clenched my hands into fists, my nails biting into my palms. “So you’re marrying her now?”
“She’s pregnant, Amanda,” he said, sounding flustered. “What choice do I have?”
“I don’t understand. You made sure I was on birth control.” I hated him so much right now. Hated the way he stared at me with that puppy dog stare, like I should feel sorry for him. Ha! Sympathy was the last thing he’d get from me. No chance in hell was I going to make this easier for him. “You insisted I get on the pill before we had sex for the first time. What was it—you were so crazy for her that you decided you didn’t need protection?”
All the dreams I’d coveted for seven years were gone. I would no longer be Ross Sullivan’s wife or the mother of his children. Instead, Candace Newberg, a high-school senior, would have his baby and live in that house with the picket fence.
I almost asked him how far along Candace was, but then decided against it. It wouldn’t help me to know that. In fact, I would agonize about it even more.
God, I hated him. I was in my late twenties, and I had lost my man to a teenager.
I couldn’t compete…nor did I want to. Swallowing hard past the lump in my throat, I pried the engagement ring off my finger. The same ring Ross had saved months for, he had said, promising me a huge wedding ring. I hadn’t cared about the size of the ring. I had just wanted him. He had been the prize. He had been enough.
But apparently I wasn’t enough for him.
He glanced at my ring, and in that moment, I recognized a light in his eyes.
Oh my God…he wanted, and maybe even expected, the ring back. What, so he could give it to his baby mama?
I slid the ring into my pocket, and I saw the disappointment flash across his face before he masked it.
Inwardly, I grinned from ear-to-ear, taking what little satisfaction I could from the small victory. “Given all we’ve been through, you could have at least had the decency to break it off with me before you started a relationship with someone else.”
His gaze dropped to the floor between us. “Like I said before, I never meant to hurt you. You can stay in the apartment. I’ve paid for the next two months.”
How generous. I almost told him I didn’t need his charity, then thought better of it. Actually, that two months would help me figure out what I was gong to do next.
Grabbing his car keys from his pocket, he held them tight in his fist. “I’ll take some clothes now and if it’s okay, I’ll come back this weekend and pack up the rest of my stuff.”