Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
The front door clicks shut just after ten, and I hear his familiar heavy footsteps in the hallway.
I've been sitting in our living room for hours, staring at the replaced window pane that still doesn't match the others, my mind churning through every lie, every excuse, every moment I should have questioned but didn't.
Reeves appears in the doorway, and the sight of him makes my chest tighten.
He looks exhausted, his shoulders slumped, dark circles under his eyes like he hasn't slept in days.
His hair is disheveled, his clothes wrinkled, and there's a defeated quality to the way he carries himself that I've never seen before.
"Hey," he says quietly, not quite meeting my eyes.
I don't waste any time, and I don't mince words. I'm so angry, I can barely breathe. My breath comes in short, sharp bursts, and I can feel my heart hammering against my chest so hard I'm surprised he can't hear it from across the room.
The anger is so intense, so all-consuming, that for a moment I think I might actually pass out from the sheer force of it coursing through my veins. "How can you call me a whore when you've been cheating for two years?"
The words come out steadier than I expected, cutting through the silence like a blade. His face goes completely white, and he stops moving entirely, one hand still gripping the doorframe.
"What?"
"Melissa. Bartender. Two years." Each word drops between us like a stone into still water. "Ring any bells?"
His jaw works silently for a moment, and I watch the denial die in his eyes before it can even form on his lips. His shoulders sag further, and he looks suddenly older, defeated.
"How did you—"
"Does it matter?" Tears start burning behind my eyes, but I blink them back. "Just tell me. Is it true?"
He runs a hand through his hair, a gesture I used to find endearing, now making me sick. "Yeah. It's true."
The admission hits me like a physical blow, even though I was expecting it. Tears spill down my cheeks before I can stop them, and I hate that I'm crying, hate that even now, after everything, this still hurts so much.
"Do you love her?" The question tears out of me before I can stop it. "Do you love her the way I love Caine?"
His eyes snap to mine at that, and something flickers across his face—surprise, maybe, and sorrow. I can see it in the way his shoulders have dropped, in the hollow look that's settled behind his dark eyes.
This isn't shock at being caught—this is the relief of a man who's been carrying a secret so heavy it was crushing him. He knows, just like I know, that we've both been living a lie for months now, maybe even years.
We've been two people going through the motions of a marriage while our hearts wandered elsewhere, and now that the truth is finally out in the open, there's no pretending we can go back to what we were.
"I don't know," he whispers. "I still love you, Jenna."
I think about all those trips to Boston, the weekend conferences that seemed to multiply over the past two years. The way he'd come home with that strange energy, guilty and distant but also somehow lighter, like he'd been living a different life for a few days.
"All those work trips," I say, my voice breaking. "How could I have been so stupid?"
He shakes his head and has no words. He knows he's in the wrong. He knows he's done worse than I have.
"I want you out," I say, matter-of-factly. "As soon as possible."
I wonder where he'll go. He'll probably run straight to his mistress. And at this point, I don't even care.
All I care about is Liam.
"Why should I move out. We're even as far as I'm concerned," he says, straightening up slightly, like he's grasping for some kind of moral high ground. "We both cheated. We both fucked up."
The audacity of it steals my breath. "Even? You think we're even?"
"Aren't we?" His voice carries that defensive edge I know so well, the one that used to make me back down, make me question myself. "You slept with him more than once, and you're apparently in love—if that's not a betrayal, I don't know what is—"
"Don't." I hold up my hand, stopping him mid-sentence. "Don't you dare compare what I did to what you've been doing for two years."
He takes a step closer, and I see something desperate flicker in his dark eyes. "Jenny Bee, come on. We can work through this. People make mistakes—"
"This wasn't a mistake, Reeves. This was a choice. Over and over again, for two years." My voice cracks, but not from heartbreak. From rage. "I fell into this thing with Caine. I tried to fight it. I felt guilty every single day. But you? You went looking for her, didn't you?"
His silence is answer enough.
"No, I didn't go looking for her," he tells me. "But she definitely made herself available. Honestly, you know this happens a lot—women practically throwing themselves at me, and this time… I guess I didn't have the resolve to fight her off."
God, I cannot stand his cockiness. It's true… Reeves walks into a room, and women notice—it's always been that way. "Oh, poor you… just couldn't fight the ladies off… it was just too much to bear. I feel for you."
"I'll leave Melissa," he says suddenly, his voice taking on that pleading tone that used to work on me. "I'll end it completely. We can start over, just you and me and Liam. Like it used to be."
I stare at him, this man I've shared seven years of my life with, the father of my child, and wait for some surge of emotion—relief, hope, anything. But there's nothing. Just a hollow emptiness where my feelings for him used to live.
"You don't get it," I whisper, more to myself than to him. "I'm not upset about Melissa."
His brow furrows. "What do you mean?"
The realization hits me like cold water. "I'm not heartbroken that you've been with someone else. I'm not jealous. I'm not even really angry about her specifically." I meet his eyes, and the truth settles over me like a weight. "I don't love you anymore, Reeves. I haven't for a long time."
The words hang between us, brutal and final.
"That's not true," he says, but his voice lacks conviction. "You're just hurt, you're confused—"
"No." I stand up, suddenly exhausted. "I want you to pack your things and go. Tonight."
"Jenny—"
"Go away, Reeves. Just... go away."
The gorillas captivate Liam completely. He presses his face against the glass barrier, his breath fogging the surface as he watches a massive silverback lumber across the enclosure.
"Mama, look! He's so big!" Liam's voice carries that sweet lisp that makes my heart melt every time.
Caine crouches down beside him, matching his height. "That's the daddy gorilla. See how he takes care of his family?"
"Like my daddy?"
The innocent question hits me like a punch to the chest, but Caine handles it with gentle grace. "All daddies are different, buddy. But the important thing is that you have people who love you very much."
Liam nods solemnly, then breaks into a grin when one of the younger gorillas starts swinging from branch to branch. "He's playing!"
"Just like you do at the playground," Caine says, ruffling Liam's dark hair.
The tenderness in his voice makes my throat tight. Watching them together feels surreal—this powerful, controlled man melting into something soft and playful for my son.
"You have a sweet boy," Caine tells me quietly as Liam runs to the next viewing window. "You're clearly an amazing mom."
"Aww… thank you." The compliment warms me more than it should. "He's everything to me."
He smiles. "I can see that."
"I'm so happy you two finally got to meet," I tell him. "I was so nervous about it."
He cocks a brow. "Why?"
"Well, I was worried it wouldn't go well, that you two wouldn't click."
He laughs. "Well, I'm glad it's going well, because I intend to be a big part of your lives… if you'll have me."
My heart warms. "Of course we'll have you… you're nice to have around, and not bad to look at."
He inches closer, the sweet scent of him filling my nostrils. "Ditto."
I blush. I can't help it—it’s the way he always makes me feel—so desired… and a little naughty.
"I like it when you wear your hair up like that," he whispers, stroking the back of my neck with a barely there touch that drives me wild and sends a pool of warmth down my core. "I can see your beautiful neck." He leans in closer. "I so badly want to kiss it."
I bite my lip. "You behave now."
God, the things I'd like to do to him… But this obviously isn't the time or place. Damn, he's driving me insane.
I shake dirty thoughts away as we keep walking, silence dividing as we get lost in our own minds. I know exactly what's on his. As we meander through the sprawling exhibits, we take in the sights all around us—the landscaping, the towering trees, and the sounds of nature.
"Would you ever want another kid someday?" he asks.
The question catches me off guard, and I still for a moment.
I blink, feeling my cheeks flush as I try to process what he's asking—and more importantly, why he's asking it. There's something in his eyes, something intense and searching that makes my pulse quicken and my breath catch in my throat. The way he's looking at me feels almost too intimate.
"Maybe," I hear myself say, smiling despite everything. "Someday."
We walk slowly, following Liam's enthusiastic path toward the next exhibit. The late spring sun feels perfect on my skin, and for the first time in weeks, I'm not thinking about lawyers or divorce papers or the mess my life has become.
"How are you holding up?" Caine asks. "With everything?"
"I'm not sure where he went," I admit, watching Liam chase a butterfly. "He was so angry when he packed. Threw his clothes into garbage bags, slammed doors. Most of his stuff is still at the house."
"Have you found a lawyer?"
"Yes, actually. A nice woman with a silver bob and the kindest smile. Very motherly."
Caine raises an eyebrow. "Motherly? That's not what you want in a divorce attorney. You want vicious."
I laugh despite myself. "I don't want vicious. I just want this to be over with as little damage as possible. Reeves has enough problems without me making things worse."
"You're not wrong there," he agrees. "You're a good person, Jenna."
I smile. "I try."
"And us?" His voice drops lower. "What about us?"
I pause, watching my son discover wonder in every corner of this place.
His question makes me uncomfortable because there's just so much to consider right now, and I'm still reeling from everything that's happened.
My heart feels like it's been put through a blender—one moment I'm grateful for Caine's presence, the next I'm drowning in guilt about my marriage falling apart.
The divorce papers sitting on my kitchen counter, Reeves’s empty closet, Liam asking when Daddy's coming home—it's all tangled up with these confusing feelings I have for the man standing beside me.
I'm still so shaken and confused, trying to navigate this new reality where my life has been turned completely upside down.
"I… I need time, Caine. This is all happening so fast."
He nods, understanding flickering in those gorgeous eyes of his. "It's okay. I can wait."
Of course, he will. That’s Caine.
Kind. Patient. And so damn beautiful.