Page 89 of Edge of Heaven

“What happened?” My voice almost sounds normal again.

“I don’t know what went on between you and Callum, but Tate found you banging on Mick’s door. He wasn’t back from New York yet, but Tate heard the banging and came to see what was going on. He knew right away you were in rough shape, so he called me. Me, him, and Angus brought you to the ER.” She pauses. “What do you remember?”

I frown. “Mick showed up and told the police it was Callum.” I shake my head. “Dammit, why did he get involved?”

“What do you mean?” Ryleigh sounds incredulous. “You can’t let Callum get away with this.”

“I had leverage!” I whisper harshly, blinking away tears. “This was my chance for him to not only pay for Toby’s treatment but also get away from him.”

“Toby.” Her face is neutral. “That’s your son.”

I realize my slip, but then it sinks in that she knows who Toby is.

“Mick told you,” I say glumly.

“What I don’t understand is why you didn’t. He would’ve been a toddler when we were in college…why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wanted…” I sigh.

That part of the story is hard to explain.

“My parents wanted me to go to college. My dad made me promise before he died. And since my mom had custody, I was embarrassed. Embarrassed that I got knocked up at fifteen. Embarrassed that the dad wasn’t in my life—he died in a car accident before Toby was born, by the way. And embarrassed that I have a child I can’t take care of. Not then and not now.” I swipe at the tears puddling in my eyes.

“You were a teenager. How could you take care of a child without help? Come on, don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“And then my agent told me it would be better if we kept Toby a secret. An up-and-coming model with a kid might be a turn-off to clients, assuming I wouldn’t be available to go to castings or shoots at the drop of a hat. So I kind of took that on.”

“That’s bullshit. Tons of models have kids.”

“Models with partners and money,” I whisper.

“No one cares about that. Your agent is an idiot.” She shakes her head.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” I take the tissue she hands me and dab at my eyes.

“What happened yesterday?”

“Callum figured out that I’m in love with Mick. He was cruder in his accusations, but it amounts to the same thing. He told me he wasn’t stupid, that he knew I was leaving him once he made the final payment for Toby and?—”

“Toby is sick,” she interjects. “We only got part of the story from Tate. He didn’t seem to know much and what little he knew, he felt bad betraying you and Mick.”

I sigh and tell her about Toby’s illness.

“Oh my God, Taryn!” She stares at me. “Angus has more money than fucking God. He’s literally going to be a billionaire before he’s forty. Ten or twenty thousand dollars is nothing for us… I mean, it’s his money but he would do this for me. For you. For Toby!”

“You and I haven’t been close in years. Yeah, it’s mostly because of Callum, but I didn’t feel right asking for money. I didn’t want everyone to see me as this pathetic loser who can’t take care of her kid. Not even when he’s sick. Here I am, partying with my rock star boyfriend, on tour, living my best life, while my kid is sick.”

Ryleigh frowns. “That’s not what we’d see.”

“It’s what my mom sees. It’s what the attorney I talked to about custody said the judge would see.”

“You’re trying to get custody?”

“Not actively. I didn’t have the money to retain the lawyer, but I was saving up. And being on tour with Callum was perfect. He was fun at first, and the sex was good. I didn’t need to rent an apartment, I sold my car, and I was getting work. And Callum didn’t start to change right away. In the beginning, I could manage him. I’d laugh off his misogynistic remarks, put him in his place when he went too far, and sex was a great way to distract him.

“Somewhere along the way…” My voice trails. “I was leaving him. I literally packed up my shit and told him I was done. I was in the lobby waiting for a cab to take me to the airport when my mom called and said the funding for this experimental treatment fell through. And he swooped right in, offering to pay, saying he’d be better, if I just gave him another chance.”

“Classic words from an abuser.”

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