Page 46 of My Rockstar Ex's Broken Vows

I’m about to turn back when I spot something familiar—her block. I think. It feels right, even if I can’t place why. I stop infront of a brownstone, hesitating for a moment before leaning against the stoop.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I don’t look. It’s probably Luke, or maybe Finley asking about the next session.

The thought makes my chest tighten. If Sienna thinks... No. That’s not what this is.

I’m not leaving until I talk to her.

The creak of a door opening pulls me out of my thoughts. I glance up to where the sound is coming from, next door to the brownstone I'm standing in front of.

I half-expect to see a stranger stepping out. But it’s her. Sienna. She’s wearing a simple green coat with her hair pulled back. She’s holding the hand of a little boy. He’s got a backpack that’s almost swallowing him, and his messy dark brown hair sticks up at odd angles like he just wrestled with the morning.

I freeze.

That’s... Ollie.

She doesn't see me at first and I'm not sure if I should speak or not.

I knew she had a kid, but knowing it and seeing him are two completely different things. He looks up at her with his light blue eyes bright and his hand clutching hers like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Something about the way he moves, the way he tilts his head as he asks her something—it stops me cold.

It’s like a switch flips in my chest, something sharp and unshakable catching there. I don’t know what it is, but I can’tlook away. I'm drawn to him just like I am her. He's a piece of her. Of her.

And then her eyes lock onto mine. For a second, she just stands there, her face blank with shock. Then, all at once, her expression hardens, and she pulls Ollie closer to her side, like she’s bracing for impact.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, her voice clipped but quiet.

"I’ve been trying to reach you," I say, stepping closer. "You weren’t answering, so?—"

"So you decided to show up at my house?" Her tone is sharp, but there’s something else beneath it. Something guarded.

"I needed to talk to you," I say, glancing at Ollie, who’s looking up at me with wide eyes. "Can we just?—"

"Not now," she cuts in, shifting slightly in front of Ollie like she’s shielding him. "I’m taking him to school. This isn't appropriate, Callum."

"Okay," I say quickly, holding up my hands. "I’ll wait. Just... please. I need to talk to you. Can I wait for you here?"

Her jaw tightens, and she exhales sharply, glancing down at Ollie, and then back at me. "This is a free country, you can do whatever you want. Bums sit on my steps every day."

"Ouch."

"I’ll be back in twenty minutes. Do whatever you want."

I nod, stepping back as she takes Ollie’s hand and walks away, her head high, her shoulders tense.

The kid glances back at me once, his hazel eyes wide with curiosity before Sienna gently pulls him forward. I watch them go, my chest tightening with something I can’t name.

I don’t know what’s going on here—why seeing that kid just hit me like a punch to the gut—but it makes all of this so much more real.

Sienna's right. We aren't those kids we were all those years ago. And I don't want to be. I want her as she is now, and I want her to know I do.

Sienna’s Brownstone

8:16 AM

Marble stepsin the morning air are colder than I would have expected. The chill seeps through my jeans as I sit, elbows on my knees, staring at the street like it’ll give me answers.

Sienna said twenty minutes, but it’s been nearly an hour. I check my phone again. She left to drop Ollie off at school at least forty-five minutes ago. She’s not coming back.

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