Elodie hadn’t spotted him yet. She was walking down the street, her head bent, so he had a moment to study her, to see her, and he drank the sight of her in even as blood was pounding in his ears, anger impossible to fight.
Had it really been a month since he’d seen her? She was instantly familiar, but not. There were subtle changes, something was indefinably different about her.
A smile lifted the corner of her lips as she approached her door, and it was the final straw. Was she smiling because ofhim? Axel? Acid rolled through Fiero.
Had he inadvertently created the perfect situation for them to explore a budding romance by taking Jack out of the equation so often?
The idea revolted him, it was something he fought with every fibre of his being. Before he knew what he was doing, or what he intended, he strode towards her, and perhaps it was the manner of his approach but she lifted her head, absentmindedly looking in his general direction before startling when her eyes slammed to a stop on his frame.
She stopped walking and stood completely still, the small smile on her lips falling away instantly.
“Oh my God.” She bit down on her lip in that way she had and an ache formed in the pit of his stomach then spread through his whole body.
He had no idea what he’d planned to say to her but face to face with Elodie Gardiner, Fiero found himself momentarily lost for words, so all he could do was stare, emotions firing through him.
“What are you doing here?” Her question was like a blade slicing through his chest.
“I came to collect our son.”
“Where’s Emilia?” The question was immediate. “Is she not well?”
Fiero didn’t want to tell Elodie the truth – that he’d chosen to come because he’d wanted to see her, to prove to himself how over her he was. He was livid, and he couldn’t say why. He had no right to feel anything for Elodie, nor to care if she had started to date her landlord. What business was it of his?
And yet the idea of her going upstairs to spend the day – and night? – with Axel filled Fiero with an undeniable rage, so he didn’t take the wise course of action and walk away.
“I met your friend.” The words were clipped, but laced with derision.
Elodie’s expression shifted slightly, a hint of anger sparking in her own eyes. “Ax?”
“Ax,” he repeated, the word infused with disgust. “I have to tell you, I’m not that happy with a stranger playing the part of daddy to my son.”
Her jaw dropped. She stared at him with undisguised disbelief. “Jack has known Ax all his life. Longer than you,” – she wisely chose not to finish that sentence but she didn’t have to.
“And whose fault is that?”
“Mine,” she snapped, but with exhaustion, and her eyes dropped away from his, her lower lip unsteady, so he felt a sharp burst of worry that she was going to cry. And despite his rage, he didn’t want her to cry. He shook his head, but it was too late. When she lifted her face to his, he saw a single tear tracking down her cheek and regret moved inside of him. “It’s my fault, okay?” She sucked in a deep breath and before he could speak, she added, “Where’s Jack?”
“In the car.” He looked over his shoulder. “With my driver.”
She nodded, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “Well, have a good night.” She made to spin away but Fiero couldn’t let her leave. He reached for her, grabbing her hand to turn her around. A jolt of electricity fired in his veins.
“Don’t go.” The words were hoarse.
“Why not?” Another tear slid down her cheek. “What do you want?”
He wanted for her not to cry. He wanted to somehow stop time and strip away the last month of their lives, to go back to the way things had been the day before she’d left Italy.
But that wasn’t possible. “Are you sleeping with him?”
She recoiled as though he’d pushed her in the chest. “Axel?”
“Yes, Axel. The man who seems so comfortable in your apartment.”
“How dare you?” It was a whisper, but there was strength in it, strength and anger. “Do you think you have any right—,”
“No,” he interrupted, his own voice tortured. “And yes. Jack is my son. If you’re spending serious time with another man, if Jack is spending time with him, I think it’s fair that I should know.”
“Jack loves Axel. They’re great together.”