Page 127 of Puck Princess

I’ve lost so much. So many things have been taken from me. This baby—our baby—was mine. It can’t be his.

Blood dribbles from his lip and down his chin. “Do the math.”

Math, science, time-traveling witchcraft—it doesn’t matter what I do, the facts don’t change.

“I don’t need to. I remember the day, the moment,mybaby was conceived!” I hit him again. And again.

“Stop it! Both of you!” Callie cries out, her words strangled.

Sharpe laughs around the blood in his mouth. He looks deranged. “I told you I had her first.”

I stand up, breathing heavily, my ears ringing.

Spencer knew Callie first. They have a history. For the first time in his miserable life, he could be telling the truth.

But then I realize… I don’t care.

I reach down and yank him off the ground before slamming him into the wall. “I don’t give a shit. Even if your blood runs through that baby’s veins, the child ismine.”

My arm is barred over Spencer’s neck. He is struggling to inhale, getting only enough air to comprehend what I am saying. If I press my forearm any harder, it’ll be lights out. But I want him to be awake for this. I want him to hear me.

“You’d raise a bastard just to spite me?” he rasps.

I lean in, my face hovering in front of his. “None of this has anything to do with you. I’ll be a father to that child because it deserves one. It deserves better than you.”

Spencer gives me a smirk as a Hail Mary before spitting blood into my face. I hit him again.

I could do this all day. I could beat the ever loving shit out of him until he is just a bloodied, unrecognizable piece of meat. But then I look over at Callie. She’s leaning over the counter of the PT table—still sobbing, still scared, and still in pain.

I’m going to stop. For her. For the baby. And because this is not who I am.

I take a step back, letting Santos fall to the floor. The doors fly open with security guards marching towards us. I have no idea who called them or why they’re here, but I’m sure they’re here for me.

I step back, prepared to be hauled away, but they hustle past me and go straight for where Spencer is still slack against the wall.

“Why are you grabbing me?” he bellows. “He did this!”

They haul him to his feet by his armpits. “We heard everything you said on the walkie.”

“What walkie?” He looks at me, but I’m wondering the same thing.

“This walkie.” Callie holds it up with one hand, bracing her stomach in the other. While Spencer and I were going at it, she must have grabbed it off the table.

“Things aren’t looking so great for you,” the other guard says.

They haul him out of the room, kicking and screaming. “This is bullshit! I’m going straight to my lawyer! You’re going to be in so much shit by the time I’m done with you, Sharpe! This isn’t over.”

I ignore him. The second he’s out of my sight, he’s off my mind.

I rush over to Callie. She’s trembling from head to toe. As soon as I’m close, she falls into my arms.

“I’m sorry,” she sobs. “I am so sorry.”

I stroke her face, scanning her for injuries. If there’s even a bruise on her, I’ll hunt down Spencer. He’ll be begging for the security guards to haul him away by the time I’m done with him.

“What’s wrong, Callie? What hurts? Did he hurt you? Tell me what he fucking did.”

Callie shakes her head. “It wasn’t him. It feels like a knife in my stomach. Owen, I think I’m having contractions.”

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