“God forbid me, it’s a terrible thing to say about the mother of your granddaughter, but she’s a nasty little madam, and something is not right.”
I almost choke on my tongue. “They had a little girl?” I whisper.
“Oh, God.” She clamps a hand over her mouth for a few seconds. “I’m sorry, honey. I’m so sorry. I thought you knew. It’s been talked about in the media.”
“I don’t look at anything online anymore. I just… I can’t.”
She pulls me into her arms, and I should protest, but Roni always gives the best hugs, and I’m so cold inside. “It should’ve been you. It was always meant to be you.”
I wrench myself out of her arms. “Don’t. Just don’t.” My hand slips into my pocket, and I rub my grounding stone. “You said she’s blackmailing him. How? Do you have evidence?”
“Unfortunately not. Callan denies it any time I try to talk to him, but my gut tells me I’m not wrong. None of this makes any sense. My son loves you and only you. He might say differently now, but I know him, and he’s drowning behind that mask he’s wearing.”
“I can’t hear this.”
“Please, Astrid. He’s not himself. He’s been getting into fights on the pitch and in the dressing room. When he was here for a few days over Christmas, he was guarded and withdrawn. I found him wandering the house at night, unable to sleep. He’s drinking, which you know he never does, and he seems to have constant headaches. When I hug him, he’s shaking all over, and I don’t think he even realizes it. They fight when they think we can’t hear them, and he flinches sometimes when she touches him. Something is very wrong, and I’m at my wits’ end because he won’t speak to any of us.”
I feel those words trying to land, but before hope can pierce through my walls, I shut it all down. I am sick of having the same conversation with different people. It’s almost a year since everything went down. If Callan is being blackmailed or in trouble, it’s more than enough time for him to do something about it, and he hasn’t. The more likely scenario is he now realizes he’s saddled himself to a crazy bitch for life. “I don’t know what you think I can do or why I’d even help.”
“If anyone can get through to him, it’s you. Please, could you try talking to him? It’s selfish asking you this, I know, but I’m so worried about him and that little baby. Darcy is an innocent child, and I’m terrified for her because that cow doesn’t have a maternal bone in her body.”
I push my emotions down, down, down, numbing myself to the pain charging through me. “You can’t ask this of me, Roni. I’m destroyed, and he won’t speak to me. I tried talking to him at the start, and he blocked me.”
“I believe he had no choice. My son would not cut you out of his life so coldly if he had a choice.”
“He cheated on me and knocked up my best friend!”
“I… I…” She averts her eyes because, yeah, despite everyone’s theories and pleas, that’s the crux of the matter.
“I just don’t understand it,” she whispers. “I don’t see any love between them. None of this makes sense.”
“I’ve got to go, Roni, and I don’t want to talk about this ever again. Callan doesn’t exist for me anymore, and I need it to stay that way so I can move forward.”
“I’m sorry, love. I’m so sorry. It was wrong of me to ask, but in case you change your mind, they’re arriving on Friday for the weekend. Callan will be in the house alone on Friday morning. The spare key will be under the mat.”
“I won’t.”
“I love you, honey. We all do.”
“I love you too, and I wish things had turned out differently for all of us, but it hasn’t.”
“Take care of yourself, love. You will always hold a special place in my heart.”
54
CALLAN
“Iwish you’d tell me,” Travis says, and I see nothing but concern in his eyes.
“It’s better you don’t know.” I lean back against the counter in Ma’s kitchen, wishing more than anything that I could tell him. But I can’t. For a multitude of reasons.
“You look awful, and I’m worried about you.”
“Nice to see you too, mate.”
“Don’t joke, Hunt.” Travis drains his coffee and walks to the sink. “I’ve only seen you twice in the past year, and each time, you’ve looked like a walking corpse. You can’t go on like this.”
“I don’t plan to. I’m working on things.” It’s as much as I can risk saying.
