Whoever owns this house is very basic. I thought it belonged to a family, but… now I’m not so sure. There are no toys, no family pictures. Actually, there are no pictures at all. Just a couple of plaques on a wall nearby, nothing personal.
I stay still, because if there’s a camera in here, and I fully expect there is, I don’t want to look like a creep snooping through someone’s home. So I just sit with the kitty curled up on my chest.
I don’t even realize I’ve fallen asleep until I’m being shaken awake. My eyes snap open and I stretch, confused for a split second before the truth slams into me. I’m not at home.
I bolt upright.
“I’m so sorry—”
The apology dies in my throat.
Because when I stand up and drag in a breath, I choke on it.
I’m face-to-face withLincoln.
Myex-husband. Lincoln.
-??-
Chapter 32
No
Am I saying it out loud? I need to be.
“No,” I say.
“Absolutely not.”
“Gabby, wait—” Lincoln starts, following me as I head for the door, still holding the kitten, completely forgetting I’m still holding the kitten.
“This is low, even for you, Link,” I say.
“Can you just hear me out?” he asks.
“Hear you out for what? Oh my God, did you know it was me when you messaged me?” I turn around fast, looking right at him.
“Of course I knew it was you,” he answers.
“Then why didn’t you tell me that?” I demand.
“Because I knew you would say no,” he says, like it’s the simplest, most obvious thing in the world.
“And you don’t understand why?” I ask.
Lincoln releases a sigh. “I know we have a rough past—”
“A rough past?” I cut in with a scoff. “Lincoln, oh my God, I don’t even know what to say to you right now. Stop. I don’t need your help.”
Lincoln laughs.
I spin around, confused, wondering what the hell is so funny.
He doesn’t answer immediately. He just shakes his head. “You’re so freaking stubborn. That you’ll be begging for help, and when it lands right in front of your face, you still refuse to take it.”
I give him a sinister smile. “Yeah, well that’s because I’ve learned not to trust so easily. Thank you for that lesson, by the way.”
Still walking toward the door, I hear him say:
