“Just go home, Kaden,” she murmurs quietly, her voice heavy with sorrow, striking me hard in the chest.
Before I can say another word, Adrian is already closing the door, trying to lock me out of Hope’s life for good.
But just before it fully closes, I catch a glimpse of Zac standing in the hallway—his sad, disappointed look the last thing I see before the door finally clicks shut.
Chapter 33
Hope
I’m frozen in place, unable to move my limbs, as if everything I’ve just learned about Kaden has rendered me motionless, numb—broken. He cheated on his wife, betrayed her in the most painful, unimaginable way, and not once did he bother to share that truth with me during all the time we were getting to know each other, hoping I’d never find out.
He’s no better than Adrian. They’re all the fucking same.
“Zac!” Adrian’s voice rings out, immediately snapping me out of my fog, and I quickly spin around.
My son stands a few feet away, the devastated look on his face telling me he heard everything. When I call his name and step towards him, he turns and rushes back to his room, slamming the door so hard it rattles the walls.
“Let him go, Hope,” Adrian says, his hand gripping my elbow, instantly halting my movements. “Give him somespace for now.”
I turn to face my ex-husband, expecting a triumphant look in his expression, an arrogant smirk curling his lips. But what I see instead is so much worse—pity. I don’t know why, but that only angers me more.
“I bet you’re loving this. I bet you’re thinking what a complete idiot I am. What a fool I’ve been to believe and trust Kaden this whole time.”
No, Hope. I don’t think you’re an idiot,” he reassures me. “I think you were misled by someone who pretended to be someone he wasn’t. He played on your emotions and your vulnerability to take advantage of you. You could never have known who he really was deep down. None of this is on you.”
I gaze at him through tear-filled eyes, each one burning a trail down my cheeks like acid. This is the last thing I wanted Adrian to witness. I’ve tried so hard, for too long, to be strong, to not shed a single tear. And I haven’t. Not since I first found out about my husband’s infidelity more than a year ago.
But now it’s as if the dam has finally broken, and I can’t contain it anymore—months upon months of heartbreak and disappointment pouring out of me all at once, soaking my cheeks.
Adrian pulls me into him, his arms closing around me, instantly surrounding me with his warmth. I don’t even have the strength to push him away, or the voice to tell him not to touch me. Instead, I let him hold me as I come apart, sobbing into his chest, my tears seeping into his shirt.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” he whispers, his hand cradling the back of my head. “Let it all out, I’m here now.”
His palm moves in slow, soothing circles against my back, and my eyes flutter shut on instinct. It takes several long minutes for my tears to subside, for the tension to slowly drain from my body, but the effort leaves me tired and hollowed out.
All I want now is to crawl back into bed, to sleep the day away, and pray that when I wake, this will have been nothing more than a nightmare.
I slowly pull away from Adrian, wiping the remnants of my tears on the sleeves of my robe. We stand facing each other, his worried gaze fixed on my face, as though he’s bracing himself for me to crumble all over again.
“Thanks,” I say, my voice barely steady, but no longer shaking. “This was not how I expected my day to go.”
“I can stay if you need to me to, make sure you’re okay.”
I shake my head. “I’ll be fine. I think I just need to sit on it for a little while longer. And I don’t think having you here will be very helpful.”
Disappointment flashes in his eyes. It’s quick but not quick enough for me not to notice. “And what about Zac? What will you tell him?”
“I’m not sure,” I admit. “My mind and emotions are a mess right now, and I haven’t even had a cup of coffee today. I just need to get my head clear before I can sit down and talk to him.”
“I still think I should be here when you do. Just in case you need some support.”
“Look, Adrian, I know you’re trying to help, but you being here will only confuse him. And I don’t have the energy toexplain the complexity of our situation to our nine-year-old right now.”
“And what about Kaden?”
“What about him?”
“Are you still going to see him?”
