Page 73 of My Rockstar Ex's Broken Vows

I tell him about Marcus’s call the other night, about how he threatened to take me to court if I didn’t end things with Callum. I tell him how he twisted the idea of us into something reckless and dangerous, as if being with him could somehow make me a bad mother.

I even tell him about meeting with the lawyer, how I’ve been documenting everything, and how Marcus always seems to find a way to get under my skin, no matter how hard I try to shut him out.

By the time I finish, my hands are trembling, and I feel raw and exposed. I glance at him, bracing myself for whatever he’s about to say. If I were him, especially if I was about to have every bit of his life under a microscope, I would run. Fast and far.

He doesn’t speak right away. Instead, he leans back, his jaw tight, his hands clasped in front of him. He stares at the floor, but I see the tension radiating from him, the way his chest rises and falls as he tries to steady himself.

When he finally looks at me, his voice is calm but hard-edged. "Why didn’t you tell me this last night? I'm guessing this is why you've been dark this week, why you couldn't see me?"

I flinch, guilt twisting in my stomach. "Because I didn’t want to drag you into it."

"You weren't going to see me again, were you?"

"Callum, I don't know. I was still processing it. You’ve got enough going on, and this is my mess.

"It’s not just your mess," he says firmly. "Not if we’re doing this, Sienna. Not if we’re serious."

His words hit like a jolt, and I look away, my fingers twisting the edge of my robe. "Are we serious?"

"Well, I am," he says, his voice steady but unwavering. "And if Marcus wants to make me the bad guy, then fine. Let him. But I’m not going anywhere. Not because of him. Not if you want me to stay."

I glance back at him, my throat tightening. "You don’t get it, Callum. Marcus doesn’t just... argue. He finds ways to control everything. He’s always been like this."

His jaw clenches, and I can see the fire sparking behind his eyes. "Then let me help. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it."

"You can’t fix this," I whisper, my voice cracking. "I don’t even know if I can fix this."

Callum reaches for my hand, his fingers warm and solid around mine. "You’re not alone in this, Sienna. I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m here. For you. For Ollie. Whatever you need."

The weight of his words sinks into me, and for the first time in days, I feel something crack—like the tight grip I’ve been holding on everything is loosening, just a little.

I nod, blinking back tears as I squeeze his hand. "Okay."

"Okay," he echoes, his voice softer now. "But you’ve got to promise me something."

"What?"

"Next time, you tell me. No matter what it is. Deal?"

I take a shaky breath, nodding again. “Deal."

TWENTY-FOUR

Callum

We were lost, but now we’re found

Sunday, March 23

6:56 AM

I’ve been upfor hours. I tossed and turned for a while and watched Sienna sleep while thanking my lucky stars to have landed in her orbit again.

And now I'm pacing the quiet of her apartment while she still sleeps.

I stop in front of a shelf above her desk, drawn to a familiar little trinket. Well, I'll be goddamned. She still has the silly bobblehead shark I gave her forever ago. It’s a cheap, tacky thing I picked up for her as a joke. Meaningless, really. But, seeing it here, after all these years, hits me in a way I don’t expect.

I pick it up and turn it over in my hands. "No way," I mutter to myself, a grin tugging at my lips. She kept it. Through everything—through years of silence, through a whole other life—she kept it.

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