Page 58 of Love on the Edge
I inhale deeply, letting her words settle, letting them carve into the space where I held my anger, my hurt, my longing for her.
“I understand why you left.” My voice is steady, but there’s an edge of something else—something real, something raw. “But I also understand why you’re here.”
She nods, exhaling like she’s been holding this in for too long.
“I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
I reach for her hand, hesitant, waiting for her to pull away.
But she doesn’t. Her fingers are cold, but her grip is firm, grounding, sure. She’s here. For me. For CC.
I let out a slow breath, squeezing her hand. “Are you sure?”
Her eyes search mine, unwavering. “I love you, Ethan.”
The words hit, shatter, and rebuild me within a moment.
I don’t realize I’ve been holding my breath until I let out a quiet exhale. “I love you too.”
The tension, the distance, the weeks of uncertainty dissolve between us.
She’s here, and she’s choosing me. She’s choosing us. And I choose her right back.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” Margo’s voice slices through the cold air, dripping with the kind of outrage only she can muster.
I turn, already bracing for impact.
Her band stands behind her like a pack of vultures, their smirks smug, arrogant. They think they’ve already won. They think today will be in their favor. That Callum Hayes, the sleazy attorney she dug up, will rip me apart, tear Valeria down, paint me as the villain.
They have no idea what’s coming. They have no idea CC recorded a video, or that Ryan is holding a file thicker than the damn rulebook Margo never followed as a mother. They don’t know that we have proof of all the lies she’s been spinning, and we’ll be turning it all over to the judge.
But they will.
Valeria steps forward, her back straight, her voice calm but steady. Unshaken.
“I’m here for Ethan,” she says. “For the Crosse family. For CC.”
Margo snaps. “Keep my daughter’s name out of your mouth!”
My daughter. Not our daughter. Mine.
Valeria doesn’t flinch, doesn’t react. She just tilts her head, lips pressing into a thin line.
“You should’ve thought about your daughter, Margo,” she says, voice controlled, cutting. “But you never did.”
She turns before Margo can respond, her hand finding mine, her fingers curling around my own like an anchor.
Margo bristles. Livid. Callum steps forward, clearing his throat, his smirk growing. “Well, Ryan,” he drawls. “Can’t wait for you to explain this one—your client caught in an affair.”
Ryan doesn’t even blink. Doesn’t hesitate. “Sure, Callum. Right after I lay out all of your client’s dirty little secrets.” He adjusts his tie, all confidence, all control. “Since she wanted to be in front of a judge and all.”
Margo scoffs, rolling her eyes. “I have no dirty secrets.” Her sneer is almost convincing. Almost. “You’re just making things up for Ethan. You’ve been best friends forever.”
Ryan’s smirk grows, something lethal beneath it. “Well, the PI says differently.”
Silence.
I watch it happen. The way Margo pales, just slightly, her stance shifting, her fingers clenching at her sides. The way Callum stiffens, his smugness flickering, like a man realizing he walked into the wrong fight.
