I Sent Away Every Woman He Loved Until I Became the One Who Left Chapter 02

I Sent Away Every Woman He Loved Until I Became the One Who Left Chapter 02

I glanced down at his hand.

Knuckles defined. Fingertips warm.

I’d held this hand for seven years. I hadn’t wanted to let go.

From the early days of him pulling all-nighters to rewrite proposals, to Keller Industries going public.

From the first affair to this girl who finally made me give up.

Seven years. Every fight, every cold war, every time I stormed out, I came back on my own.

He just had to wait in place.

Wait for me to cool down. Wait for me to swallow the humiliation myself.

He knew I had a severe emotional dependency on him.

To keep from leaving him, I could even lie to myself until I believed it.

Now I’d finally let go of all that strength. I gently pulled free.

“I’ve thought it through.”

He stared at me for two seconds, then spoke.

“Then say it clearly.”

“Say what?”

“She got all three wrong. Why step aside?”

I looked down.

It was the first time he’d ever asked why.

But today, of all days, this question and those three answers didn’t matter anymore.

I let out a dry laugh. “You don’t want her kid to be born outside the marriage, right?”

He paused.

“That’s the reason?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “That’s the reason.”

It was just a guess from the way she’d touched her stomach and showed off. But at least it was the outcome everyone wanted.

He lowered his head and took a drag.

The crease between his brows smoothed out. With a reasonable explanation, he didn’t hold back his reward.

“More sensible than I expected.”

“The Lakeshore Ridge house is yours. Move there first.”

“Brittany needs to rest for the pregnancy. You’ll have quiet there. I’ll visit when I can.”

I didn’t say anything. Turned and walked out.

Behind me came the girl’s coquettish voice.

“Grant, what does she mean by that?”

“Those three questions were so easy. I’m smart. How could I get them wrong?”

“I don’t want people saying I’m using the baby to lock him down.”

The man’s voice was half amused, half indulgent. He tapped her nose. “Then the baby gets the status through you. Good enough?”

Amid the laughter, my hand was already on the door handle.

Cold air from the hallway hit my face.

My heart went cold with it.

My assistant jogged after me and caught up at the elevator.

Her face was anxious.

“Ms. Winslow, what are you doing?”

“Brittany was just guessing randomly. Why would you concede?”

Concede?

I’d never won in the first place. How could I concede?

When I didn’t answer, she lowered her voice. “She’s just the other woman. She’s all talk. For all we know, there’s no baby at all.”

I pressed the elevator button. “Then you’ve wronged her. She’s not even third in line.”

I’d lost count of how many there were.

More than ten had come to see me.

And the ones who hadn’t? Who knew.

“Ms. Winslow…” She stepped closer. “If you leave, then Mr. Keller…”

“He has Brittany now,” I said.

From now on, this position, constantly defended and impossible to defend, was hers.