“Will.” This time, I’m the one who takes a step closer. I softly take hold of his right hand. When he lets me, my toes tingle from the contact. So many words rush to my brain at the same time. I want to apologize for misjudging him. I want to give him a fucking medal for doing to Matt exactly what I’ve wanted to do since I found him cheating last year.
But all of these thoughts are pushed aside when I remember what Matthew said to Will right before he called me a whore.
I always knew YOU wanted to fuck her.
What did that have to do with anything? That’s what I want to ask Will—why would Matthew think that?
I tighten my grip on Will’s hand and open my mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by a wail. I close my eyes in defeat. Julian.
Instead of asking the question at the top of my mind, I let go of Will’s hand and give him a bitter smile. “Well, that’s my cue.” I sigh as I leave him there, wishing I could freeze time.
CHAPTER 18
WILL
“Now you’re exaggerating,” Sophie calls from the living room, where she’s nursing Julian.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I sing out, then continue rinsing the dishes that have piled up in the kitchen sink.
When Sophie went to Julian after he started crying, I didn’t waste a moment. I know she doesn’t want me doing her dishes, but I also know that no one else has been doing them for her. And she deserves it.
She deserves so much more.
“Will, come on,” she replies. I love that there’s nothing she can do to stop me. “Helping me with the kids is one thing, but cleaning my house? You’re going to make your hand worse. Come on, stop it.”
“Okay. I hear you.” I smile, hoping she can hear it in my voice. “Come and stop me, then.”
There’s silence from the living room as I continue my task. Then, she finally speaks up. “I hate you.”
Two days ago, if I’d heard Sophie say that to me, I would have taken it at face value. But now, I can hear it in her tone that she’s playing along.
Just like I am.
Turns out, it’s not too complicated to get a woman to stop hating you. Just punch her scumbag cheater of an ex-partner and that’ll do it.
I silently finish washing the dishes and start humming to myself to pass the time. My knuckles are sore, but it’s not that bad. The warm water from the dishes is actually kind of soothing.
A dark cloud passes over me as I revisit the moment of impact in my mind. Even though Sophie thanked me for what I did, there’s still an ounce of guilt gnawing on my insides. Not for Matthew’s sake—absolutely not. But for jeopardizing the already shaky co-parenting relationship Sophie is forced to keep up with him. There’s nothing forcing me to see Matt in my day-to-day life, which means I don’t have to deal with the fallout. But I can’t say the same for Sophie. If he starts acting even more shitty toward her, it will be partly my fault.
But I couldn’t just stand there and let him keep degrading Sophie like that. The audacity alone was enough to light every vein in my body on fire. For Matt to try to slut-shame Sophie was bad enough on its own, but knowing all the cheating he did behind her back takes it to a whole other level.
I’ve stood by for too long as my parents brought Océane down. I can’t stay quiet anymore.
Should I have acted out in a violent way? Absolutely not. Grown men shouldn’t lash out with their fists. I’m sure I could have handled it in a better way. Rachel wouldn’t be proud of me for this one. But I guess I don’t have to tell her.
The hairs at the back of my neck stand; Sophie’s watching me.
I turn around and there she is, leaning against the doorway of the living room. She must have finished breastfeeding Julian, because her arms are crossed, and there’s a small smile on herluscious lips. Her eyes are still weighed down by whatever illness is plaguing her, but despite that, they hold that familiar twinkle that consistently tugs at my heartstrings.
“Why don’t you go lie down?” I ask her, eliciting a small chuckle from her. “Don’t be stubborn, Sophie.”
“I will, I will.” She narrows her eyes. “I just had to see this for myself.”
“See what?”
“The great William, womanizer and respected consultant, washing dishes for me.”
A rush of warmth floods my chest. The way she’s leaning against that doorway is tantalizing, leaning her head sideways and exposing her long, graceful neck. Fuck, how I’d ravage that neck with my lips and tongue if given the chance.
