Chapter 4

I took out my phone.

A news alert had popped up.

"Pruitt Group officially reveals CEO Maisie Pruitt. So sweet! Maisie Pruitt is already married, with a happy family and one adorable little son!"

The announcement came with a family photo.

In it, Maisie and a man each held one of a little boy's hands, their eyes full of love.

"Daddy's awake..."

I looked up without thinking. My son was glancing around, dazed.

I pushed the door open and went in.

I heard him ask, carefully, quietly,

"Daddy, do you think... Mommy just doesn't like me? I... I saw it. Mommy was sitting in that car, and that other little boy was next to her..."

Meeting his red, swollen eyes, I felt something like a boulder pressing on my chest, so heavy I could barely breathe.

A long moment passed.

I reached out and took his hand, my voice low and serious.

"Robin, if Mommy and I got divorced, would you..."

"Then I'll go with you, Daddy!" It came out before I finished.

Like he'd already made up his mind, he looked straight at me and said, one word at a time,

"You told me to love someone who loves me. If Mommy... really doesn't love me, then I won't love Mommy either."

"Okay."

I closed my hand around his, something firm settling in my eyes.

Then I picked up the phone and messaged a lawyer I knew well.

"Julian, I need you to draw up divorce papers for me."

Something made me pull the phone back out and call Maisie. Sooner or later I had to say it all out loud.

The second it connected, her voice came through, already impatient.

"Didn't I tell you I have work today? Whatever it is, it can wait till I'm home. You—"

"Maisie, let's get a divorce."

I cut her off before she could finish. As far as I could remember, it was the first time I'd ever done that.

"What?"

"Mommy..."

He opened his mouth to say something, but she was talking again before he could.

"I have to get back to work. Don't sit there dreaming up nonsense all day. I'm already exhausted. Hanging up now."

I stood there staring at the phone she'd hung up on.

A long moment.

I dragged the corner of my mouth up, but there was nothing in my eyes except contempt.

Just how much of a fool was I. Even now Maisie still thought she'd covered every seam, that I didn't know a thing.

I picked up the thermos to go fill it with water.

And walked straight into Maisie coming the other way. She had that man beside her, the two of them holding the little boy's hands, and she was murmuring something to him in a soft, gentle voice.

She looked up.

Our eyes met.

And at last,

something like panic flickered through the eyes of a woman who was always so calm, so composed.

Then, as if it had just come to her, she strode over to me and led with the accusation, right in my face.

"Charles, are you following me?"

"Come with me!"

She yanked me off to the side, and by now there was open impatience in the way she looked at me.

"I'm out here working hard, earning money, and this is how you doubt me? Charles, when did you turn into this?"

Before I could even answer, the little boy's crying rose from somewhere not far off.

By the time it registered, Maisie was already hurrying away, straight toward him.

I followed and the first thing I saw was my own son, standing off to the side, head down, wiping at his tears.

I moved to take his hand, but in the next second Maisie swept the little boy into her arms, turned, and without a single word raised her hand.

And slapped my son, hard.

"Robin, apologize!"

She hadn't even asked what happened. She just dumped all the blame onto him.

I was turning to argue with her when my son's face went white as death and he pitched straight backward.

"Robin!"