Page 20 of Anteros' Return

“Liam.”

“I don’t know what you need to know regarding him.” She folded her arms across her chest before leaning against the kitchen door frame. “To be quite frank, he’s none of your business.”

That’s what she said, but it didn’t feel right. It felt like itwasmy business to know what Liam was up to.

Fuck it, just come out and say it.

“Is he mine, Em?” I whispered, the words slipping out like a confession I wasn’t ready to make. My stomach clenched, a cold, uneasy feeling curling inside me like a fist tightening around my insides. It was the kind of discomfort you got when you were waiting for something you couldn’t control, the sharp edge of anticipation cutting through every thought. I felt dizzy, light-headed, as if the ground beneath me might give way at any moment and I wouldn’t even see it coming.

My chest was tight, like I couldn’t quite get enough air. The silence between us stretched out, heavy and thick, wrapping around me like a suffocating fog.

The seconds morphed into what felt like fucking hours as I stood there with my heart in my hands.

“What makes you ask that?”

“I saw his birthday, Em, the dates add up, so unless you were with someone else when we were together, before I left, he has to be mine.”

“You’ve got some nerve to even suggest something like that!” Her calmness was replaced with irritation as she spoke through gritted teeth.

“Me? I’m the one who’s got some nerve?! How did you work that one out?”

“Because you come around here acting as though you’re clueless. Was that your plan?” She demanded.

“Well, actually, I’m not actually acting clueless, I just want to know if Liam is my son.”

“You know he is!” She spat, and in that moment, the rug that had always been securely underneath me was ripped away. My chest pinched, and I couldn’t breathe.

I lowered myself onto the stool at the breakfast bar, her eyes still burning holes into me.

“Why are you acting innocent? You already knew we were having a child. You didn’t want to fucking know, Beckett! You tossed us aside like we were nothing to you.”

I was taken aback at her words. She never told me, not even over voicemail. “Ididn’tfucking know! If I did, do you really think I’d let you do it all alone?!”

“It’s easy to stand there and claim you never knew, but how am I supposed to believe that?” She whispered.

“Because I’m telling you the truth!”

“After everything you did, trust is the last thing that exists between us?” She threw her arms up in disbelief.

“Because you know me. You were the only one that ever truly did!” I sighed.

A stray tear rolled down her cheek, and my heart straight up broke into a million pieces.

“I want you to leave, Beckett.” I reached out to her, but for the first time, she backed away. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as tears collected in her beautiful eyes.

“We need to talk about this,” I told her.

“I can’t talk about this anymore. Not tonight.” She walked into the hall as I followed her. She held the front door open for me. “I don’t know how you expect me to believe you after everything.”

“Em—” My voice was nothing more than a whisper.

“Please just go, Beckett,” she pleaded, fighting back the sob that I knew she wanted to let out.

As much as I hated the idea of leaving her alone, I respected what she was asking of me.

“I’m not giving up on this, just know that.” I promised.

I turned back to face her after I walked through the threshold. The familiar click of the shutting door graced my ears when all I wanted was to see her face one last time.

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