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I GOT BACK TO the city on Tuesday morning, and to my surprise, I found Alfie waiting for me. He took me straight to the Puck Building, and when we arrived, I asked the doorman, Paul, to let Caleb know I was downstairs. I’d left my key to his place behind when I left, knowing I was no longer going to need it. My body was fraught with nervous energy, but after spending a few days with my mother, and seeing the photographs of Caleb and Natalia with Braelynn, I was ready to move on. It still hurt, and I still loved Caleb, but my mother made me see that I deserved better than allowing myself to be a doormat. I couldn’t regret wanting to help Caleb though. I’d seen a different side of him, a side that made this so much harder.

Caleb buzzed me up, and I spent the entire ride up to his penthouse giving myself a pep talk. It didn’t help, because as soon as I saw Caleb, everything I’d said to myself was declared null and void. He was leaning against the wall in his pajama bottoms, and nothing else. His broad chest covered in ink was on full display, and I cursed him for not wearing a damn shirt. Didn’t he realize this was hard enough as is, without him looking like that?

He looked up, and the first thing I noticed were the bags under his eyes. It looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

That made two of us.

“Hi,” I greeted lamely. “Did I wake you?”

He pushed away from the wall but didn’t come any closer. “No. I haven’t been to bed yet.”

Just then I heard Natalia calling Caleb, and it was a bucket of ice water to the face. Unlike my relationship with Caleb, this was real, and it was happening. He frowned, and cleared his throat. “It’s not what you think, Kadence. Braelynn hasn’t been sleeping well.”

“I didn’t think anything,” I lied. He didn’t need to know that the thought of him with Natalia made me want to rip her hair extensions out and strangling her with them. “Is Braelynn okay?”

Caleb shook his head. “She missed you.”

Oh God.

He pulled that card and it only intensified the pain already slicing through every part of me.

Breath in.

Breathe out.

Pack your stuff.

Leave.

Four steps. Four easy steps. I just had to tick them off, and this would all be over.

I inhaled deeply, aware that Caleb was watching me with a severity that made it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. But I forged ahead, because I had to.

“Do you have a box I can borrow? I need to get my things.”

Caleb hesitated, but gave me a brisk nod. I followed him to the living room, but went no further. When he came back, he handed me the box.

“I won’t be long,” I told him. I moved to walk past him, but froze when Natalia walked down the hallway. She was wet, and wrapped in a towel.

“I was waiting for you,” she cooed, looking straight at Caleb. “Oh hi Kadence. I didn’t know you were coming today.”

I hated her.

I diverted my gaze, reminding myself that the faster I packed up, the faster I could leave.

“Excuse me.” I looked away from them, and went to the guest bedroom. I stuck my belongings in the box, leaving all the clothes Caleb bought me in the closet. Seeing him at the office every day would be torturous enough, I didn’t need another reminder. I checked the drawers, cleaned out my toiletries, and left before I could overthink everything. I snuck into the nursery, careful not to make a noise, and said goodbye to Braelynn. She was restless, her tiny forehead furrowed – she looked just like Caleb then.

Leaning in close, I took her tiny hand in mine, and whispered to her, hoping that someday she would remember what I’d said.

“Take care of your daddy,” I sniffled. “And don’t ever forget how much I love you sweet baby girl.”

I kissed the crown of her head, and savored her scent, admitting it to memory. I was going to miss her, and watching her grow and change as the days and weeks went by. With one last image of her in my head, I let go, and as soon as I turned my back, she started crying.

I squeezed my eyes, and shook my head as if to tell myself I couldn’t go to her. I wanted to, every fiber of my being felt drawn to her. Natalia came rushing to the nursery, her face drawn into a scowl.

“What did you do to her?” she snapped. She picked Braelynn up with too much force, startling her. She screamed louder. Natalia tried to pacify her, but it was very clear she had no idea how to comfort her own child. That angered me. It wasn’t fair.

I wanted to say something to Natalia, lash out in anger and tell her that she didn’t deserve Caleb and Braelynn after walking out on them, but it wasn’t my place, and I didn’t think she had the ability to understand where I was coming from. She was a selfish bitch, incapable of thinking about anyone but herself, and any words of anger would have been wasted.