“What do you want?” My tone is cool. Professional. It costs me.
His jaw tightens. A muscle flickers near his ear.
“You brought him here.”
My pulse spikes. How dare he?
“We did, yes.” I keep my chin lifted. Refuse to flinch.
“And you’ve talked to him?” His eyes search my face like he’s looking for something. Guilt? Hesitation? Weakness?
“If you read my messages, you would know the answer to that.”
“I did read them, Alie. I just want to hear the words come out of your mouth.”
“What is it you want me to say, Aaron?”
He lets out a sharp laugh. “He knows about Seraphina?”
“He does.”
“And?”
“And what?” I lean forward slightly, bracing my hands on the edge of my desk. I refuse to shrink. “Liam’s relationship with her is none of your business.”
“What did he tell you?” Aaron’s jaw flexes. His fingers curl briefly at his sides before he tucks them back into his pockets.
“That you told him I didn’t want to have anything to do with him and that he had no idea about the baby.”
“And you’re just taking his word?” he huffs, shaking his head like I’m the unreasonable one.
“I asked you,” I snap. My restraint fractures. “I asked you what he said.”
“And I told you.”
“You lied.”
His eyes flash with something cold. “I protected you, Alie.”
“From what? The truth?”
“From getting hurt,” he shoots back, stepping closer now. Not aggressive. Just closing space. “You think I didn’t see how wrecked you were when you got back and told me he was with someone else? That he got someone pregnant? That he was probably using you because of your family name?”
The words hit because they’re not entirely false.
I remember the sleepless nights. The swollen ankles. The terror of doing it alone.
But that doesn’t absolve him.
“You don’t get to rewrite this,” I say, quieter now. Sharper. “You didn’t protect me. You decided for me.”
He starts pacing and running his hands through his hair.
“You were vulnerable,” he insists. “Pregnant. Alone. He wasn’t answering. He wasn’t here.”
“Because you made sure he wasn’t.”
He doesn’t deny it.
