Chapter 3

Back at the apartment, I collapsed straight onto the couch.

Even one more sentence with Kieran left me drained to the bone.

My phone rang. It was Liam.

"Send me a copy of the project file."

His voice was as flat as ever.

"Sure, Mr. Gilbert."

I flipped open my laptop and sent the file over.

A few minutes later, he replied by text.

"The proposal's fine. A few details need work."

"Come by my office first thing tomorrow."

Early the next morning, I knocked on Liam's office door right on time.

He pointed out a few holes in the proposal, every one of them dead-on.

I caught on right away.

"Thank you, Mr. Gilbert. I'll go fix them now."

"No rush."

He leaned back in his chair.

"I hear the team lead on the partner side is your ex?"

My stomach tightened. This had gotten around already?

"The whole company's talking about it," he said, offhand.

I felt awkward, and for a moment I didn't know what to say.

"If it's too difficult, I can put someone else on the project."

"No need!" I said quickly. "Mr. Gilbert, this is work. I can keep the two separate."

He nodded and let it drop.

I carried the file back to my desk, my head a mess.

Liam knew about the whole ugly thing between me and Kieran. Who knew what he thought of me now.

Would he think I mixed the personal with the professional?

I shook my head hard and forced myself to stare at the screen.

That afternoon, Kieran came in with his team to kick off the project.

The air in the conference room was strange.

I stood at the front and ran through the revised proposal again.

Kieran didn't say a word the whole time.

He just stared straight at me.

The moment the meeting ended, his assistant Robert Dickerson sidled over.

"Marilyn, Kieran asked me to give you this."

He handed me an envelope.

I opened it. Inside was a bank card.

"There's two hundred thousand on it," Robert said, lowering his voice. "Kieran said the extra is interest and compensation for you."

I pushed the card straight back.

"Tell him I don't want it."

3

"He and I settled up a long time ago."

Robert looked stuck. "Marilyn, you really should take it. Kieran sold his brand-new car to put this together."

My heart gave a hard jolt.

He'd loved that car.

The day he picked it up, he was so happy he couldn't sleep half the night.

But so what? He sold his car to scrape the money together, and that wiped clean all the disgusting things he'd done?

"Whether he sells his car has nothing to do with me."

I shoved the envelope back into Robert's hand. "Take it."

I honestly never expected Daisy to show up at my company.

She was dressed to the nines, the hundred-and-eighty-thousand-dollar bag slung over her shoulder, standing there bold as anything outside the building.

"Sis," she called out.

I stopped and looked at her, cold.

"What do you want?"

She came over and hooked her arm through mine.

"Sis, don't stay mad at Kieran. Whatever went wrong, it's all my fault."

As she spoke, her eyes went red.

"I really shouldn't have taken this bag from him. If you like it, I'll give it to you."

She made a show of sliding it off her shoulder.

I stepped back and shook off her hand.

"No thanks."

"I'd feel dirty carrying it."

Her face went white in an instant, tears dripping down.

"Sis... how can you say that to me?"

"We're sisters!"

A few coworkers heading home had already started whispering and pointing.

I couldn't be bothered to go back and forth with her here.

"If that's all, I'm going."

"Don't go!" She clung tight to my clothes.

"Sis, I came today because there's something I have to tell you."

She leaned in close and dropped her voice.

"I'm pregnant."

My body went rigid.

"It's Kieran's baby."

She stared at me, the corner of her mouth curling up just slightly.

"He said he'll do right by me."

Something roared in my head.

Pregnant...

Kieran's baby.

He sold his car to scrape the money together, and it wasn't guilt over me at all. It was to clear space for the baby in Daisy's belly.

What a joke.

Looking at Daisy's tear-streaked face, my stomach churned.

"Congratulations."

I forced the word out through my teeth.

"May you two grow old together, and may your line die out with you."

I flung her hand off and walked away.

I don't even know how I made it back to my complex.

Cold sweat all over me.

I locked myself inside, Daisy's words turning over and over in my head.

She said Kieran would do right by her.

The man who'd sworn up and down that it was me or no one had turned around and become the father of my sister's baby.

And what was I?

A pure, first-class sucker.

My phone buzzed nonstop on the table. I couldn't be bothered to look.

Then the doorbell rang.

I figured it was Kieran come knocking, and I didn't want to deal with him.

But the bell kept ringing, on and on.

Irritated, I went to the door and looked through the peephole. It was Liam.

I opened the door.

He stood there, a thermos in his hand.

"Have you eaten?"

I shook my head.

"Let's talk inside."

He came in and set the thermos on the dining table.

"My mom made chicken soup. She had me bring you some on my way."

He lifted the lid, and the smell of the soup rushed straight up my nose.

I looked at him, and the tears came at once.

I really didn't want to cry.

Least of all in front of Liam.

But there was no holding them back.

He didn't say anything, just pulled out a tissue and handed it to me.

I took it and swiped roughly at my face.

"Sorry. You must think I'm a mess."

"It's fine."

He ladled out a bowl of soup. "Have something warm first."

I held the bowl, the warmth soaking into my palms.

"Thank you."

"Did something happen to you today?" he asked suddenly.

I hesitated, then told him about Daisy coming to the company.

Including the part about her being pregnant.

My tone was flat, like I was passing along gossip about someone else.

When I finished, I looked at him. "Mr. Gilbert, do you think I'm pathetic?"

He shook his head.

"No."

He looked at me, his voice serious.

"I think you're brave."

"It takes courage to cut a piece of trash out of your life that cleanly."

My heart jumped hard.

It was the first time since this whole thing blew up that anyone told me I hadn't done anything wrong.

Everyone else was calling me dramatic. Only he called me brave.

"Drink it while it's hot," he said. "Once it's gone, we call this closed."

I nodded and bent my head to the soup.

It was rich, and one swallow spread warm through my stomach.