“Prove it,” I gasp faintly, and pressure rises behind my eyes. “There’s not a single fiber in you that I trust, so prove it. Prove you have a child.”
Blair laughs, loud and sweet. Nausea churns harder in my gut.
“I don’t have to prove anything to you, my dear,” she states, and her eyes narrow to dangerous slits. “You know how badly he yearns for a child, don’t you? You might have intercepted the note, but he will find out, and when he does, do you really think he’ll turn me away? You’ll quickly fall down the rungs of his priorities. A wedding band won’t mean shit when there’ll be asonin his life.”
Rage, hot and bloody, unlike anything I’ve experienced before, surges through me, and I can’t move. I can’t speak. I can barely think, and Blair takes my silence as a victory, turning on her heel and striding away with the clack of her heels cutting through the silence of the night as sharply as her words have pierced my heart.
Achild?Knowing how broken Killian was after Blair, it’s believable that he wouldn’t have anything to do with her. And she had been in Italy for a couple of years. But a baby? The heat rises higher, and before I can stop myself, I scream my rage into the dark of the night. “FUCK!”
Fucking fuckitty fuck!! How can I compete with her now?
Tears trickle hot down my cold cheeks, and I gasp softly as the salt rolls into my mouth. Am I fighting a losing battle here? Killian just told me he’s desired a child for years, and that part of Blair’s claim is true. I’d love to have one with him, but already my mind floods with images of him spending all his time with Blair’s child as I, his wife, fade into the background.
This can’t be the whole story.This time you have to hold your head up high, and you face this!
I scold myself as I turn my gaze towards the stars, furiously blinking my tears away as my heart finally slows to a beat I can count.
I have to tell Killian, we can tackle this together.
Blair cannot be trusted, no matter what she says.
38
CARA
“Are you alright there?”
The Uber driver’s voice is the only thing holding my focus, the only thing that’s stopping me from spiraling down a terrible hole of doubt and fear as I set, processing Blair’s reveal. The rough fiber of the car seat presses into the back of my knees, and yet I tuck my legs closer together as if the very fabric is what’s holding me together.
“Ma’am?” he tries again when met with silence.
“My life is just… nothing like I ever pictured it to be,” I reply finally and my voice sounds alien to my own ears. Like someone else is puppeting my mouth to make it seem like I’m talking. My eyes remain glued out the window, watching the world pass as I’m carried back to the club.
“Sometimes life is like that,” the driver replies solemnly. “But after a sit-down and a nice cup of tea, things aren’t always as bad as they first appear.”
“My husband’s ex has popped up claiming she had a kid with him,” I mutter flatly and the driver gives a soft, hearty chuckle.
“Maybe a shot of wahiskey in that cuppa then,” he says. The corners of my mouth twitch suddenly as his comment pulls an unwilling smile from the depths of the cavern that’s been ripped into my chest, and I press back into the seat.
“Maybe a couple of shots,” I sigh deeply and turn my gaze upwards, tracing a tear in the soft fabric with my eyes.
I have no fucking clue how to tackle this. Killian is only just beginning to trust me again. How do I tell him? Oh God, how will I cope with Blair in our lives forever if it’s true?!
An audible groan escapes my throat.I hate this!
“Do you want me to call anyone for you?” the driver asks, “maybe take you home instead of back to a nightclub?”
“No, it’s okay. I have my phone. And everyone I care about is at that club,” I dip my chin down and shoot him a bland smile in the rearview before digging into my pocket for my phone.
I tap the screen, but my own reflection continues to stare back at me with wide eyes. Did my battery die?
Shit. How long was I gone?
My stomach clenches suddenly, heat skittering down my forearms. I glance at the clock on the car dashboard, but the numbers are useless. I don’t know what time I left, so I can’t work out how long I’ve been away.
It’s fine, everyone will be having too good a time. No one will even have noticed I was gone.
The thought dies as we turn onto the street with the nightclub, and I’m met with such a horrific sight, my heart screeches to a halt. The car jolts in turn as the driver slams on the brakes, and I grab the car door, wrenching it open as I stumble out of the vehicle.