After a second, Todd nods. “Yeah. Come in. He was in his room last I saw.”
“Thanks,” I tell him, squeezing his arm before heading toward the stairs.
Isaac’s door is shut. I knock once, waiting for him to call me in before twisting the knob.
He grins when he sees me, much as Todd had. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming over. Did you text?”
Isaac grabs his phone, checking his messages before I can answer him. I take a seat on his bed, beside a textbook that Isaac shoves aside. He seems to realize something is wrong because a frown draws his brows together.
His eyes sweep over me, assessing. “What is it? You’re being especially quiet.”
I let out a heavy breath, the first one I feel like I’ve taken since I sat down beside Isaac’s father on that bench. “You were right. About money mattering to some people.”
Isaac’s hand is warm as he tugs my chin around, forcing me to look at him square on. “Trevor?”
“I saw your dad today.”
He sucks in a short breath. “And?”
“And… He offered me a hell of a lot of money to cut things off with you. To tell you I’m done.”
Isaac’s bottom lip starts to shake, even as he does his absolute best to keep his expression impassive. “You took it?”
“Yes,” I answer. “You told me to, so I did, even as every fiber of my being wanted to tell that man where he could shove his stacks of thousands.”
Isaac’s other hand comes up to frame my face, his inhale shaky. “How much?”
“Isaac…”
“Trevor,” he says more firmly. “Tell me how much money my dad deems is a worthy exchange for keeping his son miserable and alone.”
I tug Isaac into my lap, burying my face in his neck. He runs his fingers along my nape and through my hair.
“It’s okay,” he says softly, trying to reassure me.
“It’s not. It’s horrible.”
“Yes, he is,” Isaac agrees of his father. “But now I know for certain. How much, Trevor?”
I blow out a ragged breath. “Enough to rent a studio for a year at minimum. Possibly two.”
“You should have asked for more.”
My laugh is pained. “I did. I got him up fifty percent from his initial offer. He had to run to the bank to get more cash.”
Isaac shakes against me, his lips pressing to the side of my head before he leans back enough to catch my eye. His are red but void of tears. “I’m done with him.”
“He’s going to find out we’re still together,” I point out.
“Let him. You’ll put that money in a secure account where he can’t touch it. He’s always been overconfident. He deserves to lose the cash. And he deserves to loseme.”
“Red,” I say softly, knowing how much this must hurt despite his outward calm. “I’m so sorry.”
He shakes his head a little. “I’m not. He’s going to be the reason you get your business off the ground.”
“At what expense? Your feelings matter to me more than business.”
His sigh is gentle, his smile slight. “This has been a long time coming. I’ve felt overlooked and outright disregarded by my dad since I was a kid. The way he treats me… He sees it as doing what he thinks is best. But it’s not best for me. And I’m not a kid anymore. I don’t have to put up with it.”
