Page 17 of Broken Strings

His confession is like ice water poured straight into my veins. I don't even have time to come down before reality body slams me to the ground. And it hurts. God, it hurts like hell.

I cry out, scrambling away from him.

"Baby." He reaches for me, confusion swirling through his eyes.

"Don't," I rasp, rapidly shaking my head as I stumble away from the desk. "Don't."

"Mina, dammit."

I pace several feet away, my heart pounding. "I can't believe I just… That shouldn't have…" I wrap my arms around myself, shivering uncontrollably. "You left me, Grayson," I whisper, turning to face him. "You left me."

"I didn't leave you." He reaches out, touching my cheek. And God help me, I want to lean into him, let him comfort me. I'm so damn weak for this man. "Please, let me explain."

"You already did that," I whisper. "It didn't help."

"I did a piss poor job of it. There's more I need to say. More you need to know."

He's probably right, but I'm afraid to hear it. I'm not ready to hear it. Not yet. Because one way or another, it's going to change everything. And I can't let that happen unless I know one thing first—the thing that just might break us beyond repair.

"I have a question first," I say, holding his gaze.

"Ask it. I'll tell you anything."

Maybe this isn't the right time. Maybe there are things I should do first. I don't know. But I can't move forward. I can't even think about moving forward one way or another until I know…

"Did you know I was pregnant before you left that day?"

Part of me has always wondered. He always knew my body better than I did. He knew my cycle down to the day. For years, I hoped he knew. That he suspected before he left. I consoled myself with the knowledge that, even if Brinley never got to meet her daddy, there was a chance he knew about her before he died. It was the only hope I had.

But now he's back, and that hope feels…so fucked up. So twisted. Because if he knew…if he walked away anyway…he didn't just leave me. He left her too. And I'm not sure there's asingle thing in the world he can tell me that'll ever make up for that.

He doesn't say a word. But he doesn't have to say it. I see the truth in his eyes. And like so much else, it hurts like hell. He knew. When he left that day, he knew I was pregnant.

"Get out," I whisper, that tiny flame of hope flickering…and dying.

"Mina, please," he rasps, his eyes damp. "You have to let me explain."

"No, I really don't," I say, shaking my head as tears burn their way up my throat. "I really, really don't, Grayson. Get out of my office. Now."

"No. Not until you hear me out. I didn't leave you. I didn't even know about her until this morning. I saw you taking her to school. But I wanted to wait for you to tell me," he rasps. "I didn't want to take that from you like every other goddamn thing has been taken from you for the last six years."

"You're the one who took it!" I shout, shoving my way around him to the far side of the desk. I snatch the phone up from the chair where it fell, my hands shaking as I try to dial security. If he won't leave, I'll force him out. I actually have the power to do that here.

"Your goddamn father took it!" he roars.

I snap my head up, my gaze locking with his. "What did you say?"

He snaps his mouth closed, breathing hard as he tucks himself back into his pants. "Fuck."

"What did you just say, Grayson?"

"Nothing. It doesn't fucking matter."

"What do you mean, he took it?"

He holds up his hands, shaking his head. For the first time, he looks…defeated. Broken. "You want me to go, I'll go. I'll give you space to process this shit if that's what you need. But I'm notfucking giving up on us, Mina. I need you to hear me. Whenever you're ready to do that, I'll be waiting. Forever if that's what it takes." His hands shake as he drops them back to his side, reaching into his pocket.

I watch, my throat burning as he pulls out a guitar pick and strides forward, placing it on the edge of my father's desk. "Can you give this to her? It's the only thing I have left from…back then." He swallows hard. "Didn't even remember where I got it, but I never could let it go. I want her to have it."

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