Page 54 of Cold as (N)ice

“How are you feeling? How’s the baby?”

“Oh good,” Irene chuckled, shrugging and looking a little more relaxed. “I mean, I can’t feel it moving yet, and we just saw the doctor this morning. So yeah, I mean, it’s the same as earlier… you know – pregnant.”

Not the baby… interesting, he thought silently, taking a bite and chewing thoughtfully before pausing as it clicked in his head.

“Oh man, I completely forgot about your phone being broken. Can I see it? I can take it and have it replaced tomorrow morning and…”

“NO!” Irene interrupted bluntly, almost shouting the single word at him, causing his eyebrows to shoot up as he looked at her in shock.

“No? Why?”

“I’ll take it tomorrow.”

“Irene, give me your phone.”

“I’ll handle it,” she said mulishly, poking around at her food and not meeting his eyes. Yeah, she was definitely hiding something from him, and he was starting to get a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with her ex-husband.

“What are you hiding from me?” he asked pointedly and shook his head as Stephen tapped his arm, gesturing that he wanted him to sign so he could understand.No, this is private, buddy – I’m sorry.

“Barrett, I’m not… well, I’ve got something I’ve got to handle, and I’m perfectly capable of taking care of it,” Irene began, looking worried, and the fear in her eyes was killing him.

He rose up out of his chair, reached over the table, and grabbed her purse at the same time she did. They both hesitated, holding the purse above their plates, jostling the table, as their eyes met.

“Stephen is watching us,” he said tightly, trying not to lose his temper. Whatever she was hiding was big – and important – which meant it was definitely Eric or a phone call from the doctor. Either way, he deserved to know what his wife was hiding from him. To his surprise, she released the purse and looked at him.

Barrett felt the shift in the air before she even spoke. The tension in Irene’s body, the way she curled inward as if bracing for impact, set every protective instinct in him on high alert. Her voice was barely more than a breath when she whispered,

“Don’t be mad.”

His jaw tightened. “Don’t hide stuff from me.”

Her hesitation made his pulse hammer harder. He knew. Even before she spoke, heknew.

“Eric contacted you?”

“He texted – yes,” she whispered, looking away.

His stomach dropped. He exhaled slowly, fighting the instinct to snap, to demand why she hadn’t told him sooner. Instead, he reached into her purse and retrieved her phone, his movements deliberate but controlled. “I figured something happened,” he muttered, eyes flicking to hers as he turned it over in his palm. “It’s not broken, is it?”

She shook her head. “No.”

She swallowed as he powered it on, and that small, nervous gesture sent something sharp and aching through his chest. The screen lit up, and almost immediately, it chimed—one message, then another. He felt his blood heat with every vibration in his hand. Clicking on the messages, his breath left him in a slow,simmering exhale as he took in the venomous words on the screen.

Threats. Harassment. The same toxic bile her ex had spewed before, but this time, Barrett was holding the evidence in his hands.

He lifted his eyes to hers. She looked scared.

“I promise - I’ll handle it,” she whispered.

He shook his head, voice quiet but firm. “You’re not alone, Irene.”

He let those words sink in, let her see it in his face. He wasn’t angry ather—he was furiousforher. Furious that she had lived with this weight on her shoulders for even a minute, that she had carried it alone for even a second when she didn’t have to.

Without another word, he pressed the call button.

“So, you finally got enough nerve to call me back…” the voice began, not bothering with a simple greeting – and he felt his temper surge.

Irene was so gentle and sweet that she didn’t deserve any of this hatred aimed at her that he was taking the brunt of right now as the man unloaded verbally, finally pausing.

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