Page 65 of King of My Heart

“A few weeks.”

“Shit.” He sighed heavily. “I bet he’s been lying to you all this time. Whatever he said is not true. He’s an asshole.”

“That’s not true,” I whispered, my heart clenching with pain. I hated how he talked about Caspian.

“Whatever,” he muttered, falling silent once more.

I pressed my lips into a thin line and looked up when a creak from the door caught my attention. Caz walked in, wiping grease off his hands with an old towel.

“Julian,” I said, letting Caspian know who I was on the phone with. His brows raised, but he didn’t say anything. He just watched me, waiting for me to continue. “I talked to Caspian about this already. He told me his side of the story, and I already knew yours. Some things just don’t add up. And…your father would like to talk to you. Clear things up.”

“You’re fucking insane if you think I will talk to him. He’s never been in my life and I don’t need him to be now.”

My heart ached, and I was glad Caspian couldn’t hear what his son was saying about him.

I stayed calm. “Julian, he’s not who you think he is. And what you think is the truth is far from what actually happened.”

“Oh, right,” he snapped. “Because you know him so much better than I do, huh?”

“I know a different side of him. A side you refuse to see.”

I was scared that I would give away too much. I didn’t want him to know that Caspian and I were…dating.

I could hear him breathing louder now, like he was trying to hold himself back from saying something cruel.

I kept my tone soft. “I wouldn’t be asking you this if I didn’t think it was important. And I know, deep down, it’s important to you too.”

He exhaled sharply. “So, what? You want me to just forget everything? Sit there and forget that he abandoned me?”

“He didn’t abandon you,” I said firmly. “He tried. He really did, Julian. And you know it. He told me about all the calls you missed, and all the messages you responded to in a rather rude manner.”

He didn’t say anything, and I sensed he felt caught.

I hesitated for a second, then took a deep breath. “Caspian would like to come visit you.”

His reaction was immediate. “What?”

“He wants to visit you,” I repeated. “He wants to sit down with you and talk. In person.”

“Darwynn…” He groaned in frustration. “Come on, that’s stupid.”

“Please, Julian.” I was pleading now. “You have nothing to lose by just talking to him. But if you don’t, you might regret it one day. I just know it will be good. For both of you.”

I could feel him wrestling with himself through the silence. He wasn’t hanging up, which I took as a major win.

After a long moment, he let out a defeated sigh. “I’ll think about it.”

Hope sparked in my chest.

My eyes flicked back to Caspian. “That’s all I’m asking.”For now.

“Yeah, yeah.” He sounded exhausted, like I had just asked him to move mountains. “I’ll let you know.”

I smiled a little. “Okay.”

We were still a long way from fixing things. But maybe—just maybe—this was a start.

“All right,” he said, letting another wave of quiet wash over us. “I’ll text, or something.”

---