Page 84 of Silver Fox's Secret Triplets
My father's jaw tightened, but before he could respond, the phone rang. The sharp sound cut through the tension, making everyone freeze. My father glanced at the caller ID, and his expression darkened further.
"It's him," he said, his voice flat.
My stomach dropped. "Don't answer it."
But he was already moving, his long strides carrying him to the phone. He lifted the receiver slowly like he was moving in slow motion, his eyes never leaving mine.
"Walsh."
I couldn't hear Duncan's voice, but I watched my father's face harden with each passing second. His grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles went white.
"No, she's not available," he said, his tone arctic. "And frankly, it's no longer any of your concern."
"Dad, don't?—"
He held up a hand, silencing me. "You've done enough damage. Stay away from my family."
The click of the receiver hitting the cradle seemed to echo through the room. My father turned back to us, his expression grim with satisfaction.
"He won't be calling again."
The finality in his voice broke something inside me. I covered my face with my hands, and the tears I'd been holding back finally came. They poured out in harsh, ugly sobs that shook my entire body. All the fear, exhaustion, and heartbreak I'd carried for years crashed over me at once.
"Oh, honey." Mom moved closer, her arms wrapping around me. "It's going to be okay."
But it wasn't okay. Nothing about this was okay. I'd spent years building a life without him, convincing myself I was stronger alone. Now he was back, and I'd let myself hope. I'd let myself believe that maybe we could find a way forward together.
Lauren's voice cut through my despair. "He has a right to be with his children, Bill. Whether you approve or not."
"He lost that right when he decided to run," my father shot back.
Their voices faded into background noise as I sobbed into my hands. The conversation I'd overheard replayed in my mind—Duncan's angry tone as he screamed at Nick, Nick's revelation that Duncan wanted to "be free" and have nothing tying him down. Nothing—like three children who were tethers to a life he no longer wanted.
"Mama?" Sammy's small voice broke through my breakdown. "Where's Daddy?"
I looked up through my tears to find all three children watching me with worried expressions. Elena clutched her elephant tighter, while Chrissy abandoned her blocks to toddle closer.
"Where'd Daddy go?" Sammy asked again, his hazel eyes—so much like his—wide with confusion.
I covered my face again, the question destroying what little composure I had left.
34
DUNCAN
Idrove to the gym instead of home after work. My hands gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles ached, but the rage burning in my chest demanded more than a quiet apartment and a glass of scotch. Bill's voice echoed in my head just as dismissive and final as he'd sounded on the call. The way he'd spoken to me as if I were nobody. As if four years of wondering where Ivy had gone, four years of questions that never got answered, meant nothing.
The gym was nearly empty at this hour. Good. I didn't want witnesses to whatever was about to happen. I changed into workout clothes with mechanical movements, my mind still reeling from that phone call. Bill had cut me off before I could explain anything, before I could ask the questions that had been eating at me since Ivy walked back into my life.
I attacked the heavy bag with methodical fury. Each punch landed with the sound of leather meeting flesh, but it wasn't enough. Nothing was enough to quiet the storm in my head. The way Ivy had looked at me in the office before she left—shattered, distant, like she'd already decided I was the enemy. I'd spent thelast hour replaying every conversation we'd had, searching for the moment I'd lost her again.
"Rough day?"
I turned to find Nick standing in the doorway, already dressed for a workout. His timing was impeccable and unwelcome. The last thing I needed was his particular brand of corporate wisdom.
"Not in the mood, Nick."
"Come on." He moved to the opposite side of the heavy bag, steadying it with his hands. "You look like you need to talk."
