Page 80 of Coast

She needed a break.

But he wouldn’t give her one.

“Trav,” Jake called, dragging his attention away from Sadie.

He looked mostly how I remembered. Tall, broad, built like a linebacker, a somewhat broad nose, brown eyes.

The only difference was his hair. When I’d left, it had been cropped short. He’d grown it out since. And in my opinion, it gave him a sleazy ‘70s porn star kind of look.

“What?” Travis barked. Jake nodded his head toward where I was standing.

Travis’s gaze followed. And I watched a whole lot of nothing cross his face. Even as his eyes moved over his daughter.

“I told you we’re done.”

“Oh, my God. You’re Zo2.0!” Sadie gasped as her gaze skimmed over me. “There have been so many people online wondering what happened to you.”

“He happened to me,” I said, looking at Travis, who refused to glance in my direction.

“Get her out of here, Jake.”

“I, uh, I think you might need to hear her out,” Jake said, shifting his feet, uncomfortable at having to disobey a direct order.

I couldn’t even blame him.

I’d once seen Travis slam him against a wall, his forearm across Jake’s throat, as he screamed in his face.

“Fucking fine. The girl is being fucking useless today anyway. Inside,” he barked as he passed me by.

In my arms, Lainey jumped, and I had to give her a wiggle and a kiss to calm her back down.

That was why I’d been willing to walk away, not to take him to court, and to let him wash his hands of us.

Because he was toxic.

Because I couldn’t let my little girl be around her cruel, selfish, demanding father.

My worst fear was she would be a super cute toddler. Who he would then exploit for views and money.

It was safer to try to make my way on my own.

Yet here I was.

I turned back to Sadie, who seemed to be fighting a battle against tears.

“Get yourself on birth control,” I told her, watching as her gaze moved to me, to my daughter, then back. Realization was clear on her face. And grief.

She wasn’t the first.

She wouldn’t be the last.

Travis wasn’t a boyfriend.

He was a content farm.

And he would continue to use, exploit, and discard women the second they lost their worth. Or the views dropped.

“And make an escape plan,” I added before turning and walking back into the house.

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