Page 42 of Ruthless Secrets
“We’re at my brother’s house in Westchester. I found Zoe on the doorstep.”
“She was left on adoorstep? Why the hell would someone do that?”
“Someone was trying to send me a message.”
“This is not okay, Marco. I’m not having my daughter used as a pawn in whatever sick and twisted game your family is playing.”
“We’re not playing. You think I’m not furious about this too?”
“It’s different for you, Marco. You don’t even know Zoe.”
“And whose fault is that? If anyone should be angry, it’s me. You had no right to keep my daughter from me.”
“Tonight has only proven to me that I did make the right decision. Now bring me my baby, and then I want you gone.”
“What?”
“I’m not having you risk Zoe’s life.”
“Clara—”
“Bring me my baby, Marco. Or I swear I’ll call the police.”
How is it that I’ve built up this image of Clara in my head,and we’re barely forty-eight hours in, and she’s completely shattered it?
I guess lying about the child we made is one way to do it, but now she wants to keep Zoe from me too?
Well, fuck that.
“Fine, call the police. But Zoe is staying here with my brother where it’s safe. So, if you want to see her, you’ll have to come and stay here.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. So, what will it be, Clara?”
Alfonzo knows where she lives and will likely try to use her too in order to get to me. No matter how pissed I might be at Clara, I’m not about to risk the life of my baby girl’s mother. I need to get her the hell out of that apartment, and the only way I can think of doing that is by using Zoe as a bargaining chip.
Clara huffs. “Fine.”
“I’ll see you soon.” I hang up the phone.
Clara can hate me all she wants, but we have a child together, and that sort of connection will follow us for the rest of our lives. So, she better start getting used to having me around.
Chapter Ten
CLARA
I haven’t stopped crying eversince I got off the phone with Marco, and only partly from relief.
My daughter is alive and safe, though for how long, I’m not sure.
I hate that Marco has barely been in Zoe’s life for five minutes, and he’s already trying to call the shots.
The second this is all over, I’m calling a lawyer because I’m not about to have him try to take my daughter away from me.
“You can go now, Levi,” I mumble from my spot on the couch, cradling Zoe’s pink bunny like it’s a baby.
Levi has been standing in my kitchen, watching me cry my eyes out for the past ten minutes, looking like he would rather be anywhere else.
