Page 44 of Ruthless Secrets
I’m yelling now, but I don’t even care. Let the neighbors listen in. Perhaps I could use them as witnesses when I ultimately fight Marco for custody.
Marco takes a breath and folds his arms across his chest.
“I told you, Zoe is safe with my brother and sister-in-law so you can relax an?—”
“How can you expect me to relax when my baby is with complete strangers?”
“They’re not strangers to me. I figured it would be best for Zoe to stay at my brother’s place while I drove back here to get you. The security is better, and it’s already set up with all the baby stuff because of Holly.”
“Who the hell is Holly?”
“My niece. She’s just turned one. She’s not much older than Zoe, so the place is stocked with all the relevant supplies. I swear Lila has kept every single onesie that Holly ever wore, so Zoe is set for life.”
“You do not get to decide when I see her, or who looks after her. She ismybab?—”
“She’sourbaby. She’s mine too, Clara. Whether you like it or not, I’m going to be in her life, which means I also get to have a say. And right now, what’s best for Zoe is to stay with my brother and his wife at their very secure house.”
“You should have brought her to me. I need to see her.” My voice cracks, and I bury my face in my hands as I finally let myself truly feel everything.
“I didn’t want to risk something happening.”
I throw my hands in the air. “It already did, Marco! My child was taken from right under my nose.”
“Zoe is safe?—”
“For how long? Huh? I knew saying yes to this job was a mistake.”
“You can’t be fucking serious, Clara. This didn’t happen because you took the job at Nox.”
For a moment, we just glare at each other.
If it wasn’t for Zoe, I would storm back inside my apartment, but I’ve been away from her for too long already.
Marco opens the passenger side door. “Can you just get in the car?”
I feel like my entire life is being ripped out from underneath me.
Marco has barely been in my life for forty-eight hours, and I’ve already cried more than I did when I was dealing with pregnancy hormones.
This is not what I wanted, but if I want to be with Zoe, I have no choice but to go with Marco.
I hate that he’s swept in and taken over.
I prided myself on raising Zoe alone, and now it feels like I’m not enough for her. After all, Marco has money, and money gives you security.
Levi helps to load the rest of the bags into the car as I climb into the passenger seat.
Marco’s car is extremely luxurious and likely costs more than an apartment on the upper west side.
I wish Zoe was here to throw up all over it.
When he gets behind the wheel and turns the engine on, my entire body starts vibrating in my seat.
“It won’t take us long to get there.”
Is that meant to make me feel better?
For a while, we ride in silence. Every time I open my mouth to speak, I’m overcome with the urge to scream, so I shut it again.
