Chapter 15 #2
Jack's a lot of things. A liar. A cheat. A man who made me feel like I was slowly disappearing for five years. But he wouldn't hurt Lily. He loves her in his own twisted, convenient way—when it suits him, when there's an audience, when he needs to look like Father of the Year for Instagram.
Right?
I set the cup down on the bench beside me, pressing my palms against my thighs. The air bites through my jacket, but the cold feels good. Grounding. Real.
My mother called earlier. We talked for twelve awkward minutes about nothing important.
By Monday, she'll be okay to watch Lily again. That's what she said. Okay. Not happy to or looking forward to it. Just okay.
I'll take okay.
"Mommy, watch! Watch!"
Lily launches herself down the twisty slide, arms raised like she's on a roller coaster. Her shriek of joy cuts through the playground noise, through the fog in my head, through everything.
This. This is why I signed that contract. This is why I walk into a house full of secrets every day and pretend I don't notice the guns or the tension or the way Nico Sartori looks at me.
For moments like this. For Lily's smile. For the zoo trip we're taking tomorrow.
A man walks past the bench—tall, dark jacket, hands in pockets. My spine goes rigid. But he keeps walking, pulling out his phone, completely uninterested in the paranoid woman clutching her overpriced coffee like a weapon.
Get it together, Kristen.
Jack's with his mistress. He's not lurking behind playground equipment like some B-movie villain. He's just... being Jack. Making threats he may or may not follow through on. Keeping me off-balance because that's what he does.
I learned something about control during those years. The person doing the controlling? They don't actually have to do anything most of the time. They just have to make you believe they might.
My phone buzzes.
I glance down automatically. Some stupid ad for a furniture sale, the kind of notification I should have turned off months ago. I swipe it away and lift my eyes back to the climbing structure.
Lily's not there.
My heart stops. Actually stops, like someone reached into my chest and squeezed.
I'm on my feet before I consciously decide to move. My eyes scan the swings—empty. The slide—a different kid, blonde, too tall. The spinning thing—
Where is she where is she where is she—
Then I see him.
His back is to me, kneeling on the wood chips near the edge of the playground. Broad shoulders in that navy peacoat he bought last winter. The one he said made him look "approachable" for client meetings.
I'd know that back anywhere. I spent eight years staring at it while he walked away from conversations he didn't want to have.
Jack is hugging my daughter.
The world narrows to a single point. I'm running before I can think, my boots slipping on the damp ground, my lungs burning with cold air and pure, primal terror.
"Lily!"
Jack stands smoothly as I approach, turning with that ridiculous smile. "Hey, Kris. Relax. I was just saying hi to my daughter."
Lily looks up at me with confused eyes.
"How did you—" My voice cracks. I grab Lily's hand, pulling her behind me. "How did you know we were here?"
"Your mom mentioned you were taking Lily to the park today." He shrugs, casual as anything. Like this is normal. Like he didn't just appear out of nowhere. "I thought I'd surprise her."
Mom.
Of course. Of course she told him.
Movement behind Jack catches my eye. A woman steps forward. Oh God, he brought her here. I don't care, but Lily can't handle all these at once.
She doesn't even look at me. Just smiles at Lily like she's auditioning for stepmother of the year.
"Hey, sweetheart," Jack says, crouching back down to Lily's level. His voice drips with that manufactured warmth. "How would you like to come stay with Daddy this weekend? We could go to that indoor water park you love. Get ice cream. Maybe see a movie?"
Lily's grip tightens on my fingers.
"I don't wanna leave Mommy alone," she says quietly.
Something cracks open in my chest. Pride. Heartbreak. Love so fierce it hurts.
Jack's smile falters for just a second. "Mommy can come too—"
"No." I lift Lily into my arms, settling her on my hip. She's getting too big for this, but I don't care. I need her close. I need to feel her. "We're leaving."
I turn and walk away. My legs shake but I don't stop. The playground exit is twenty feet away. Fifteen. Ten.
Jack's hand closes around my arm.
"Kristen, wait—"
"Let go of me."
"We need to talk about custody. You can't just—"
"Back off."
The voice comes from somewhere to my left.
Dante steps out from behind a park bench like he materialized from shadow. His eyes are fixed on Jack's hand wrapped around my bicep. His expression is completely blank, which somehow makes it worse.
Jack releases me like I've burned him. He actually stumbles back a step, and I watch his face cycle through confusion, recognition, and finally something uglier.
"Who the hell is this?" Jack looks between me and Dante, and then that smile returns—the mean one. The one I learned to dread. "Jesus, Kris. You work fast. Found yourself a new fool to fund your lifestyle already?"
The words hit like a slap.
I want to spit in his face. I want to scream that he's the one who stole from me, who took out loans in my name, who left me drowning in debt while he ran off with his girlfriend. I want to tell him exactly what kind of man he is.
Instead, I hold Lily tighter and say nothing.
Because Lily is watching. Lily is always watching.
Dante moves. Not aggressively, just shifts his weight, positioning himself between me and Jack.
"The lady said she's leaving." His voice is quiet. Pleasant, even. "I suggest you let her."
Jack's jaw works. I can see him calculating—the way he always does. Weighing his options. Deciding if this is a fight worth having.
Blondie tugs at his sleeve. "Jack, come on. Let's just go."
For a long moment, nobody moves.
Then Jack steps back, hands raised in mock surrender. "Fine. We'll finish this conversation later, Kris." His eyes cut to Dante. "When your bodyguard isn't around."
He turns and walks away, her tottering after him on those ridiculous heels.
I don't breathe until they disappear around the corner.
"Mommy?" Lily's small voice breaks through the ringing in my ears. "Why is Daddy mad?"
I press my lips to her hair.
"He's not mad, baby. He just... had to go."
Dante doesn't say anything. Just stands there, solid and silent, watching the spot where Jack vanished.
I should thank him. I should ask why he's here, how he knew, what the hell is going on.
Instead, I just hold my daughter and try to remember how to breathe.