Page 75 of Shattering

Vanessa's bravado faltered. She forced a light laugh. "Oh, Gray, you don't have to pretend. I told Cadi everything. How we—"

"I was home," Gray cut in, his tone like ice breaking. "All. Night."

Vanessa flinched.

"I was going to speak to you, Vanessa," he continued, his words sharp with controlled fury. "To apologize for what I said in the consultant's room. But it looks like we're having that conversation now."

His voice turned to steel. "I never met you for drinks. I never spent the night with you. You're lying."

Vanessa opened her mouth.

Gray didn't let her.

"And in case you need reminding," he said, "there's CCTV in the common areas of the consultant's room. "

Cadi watched Vanessa's face drain of colour.

She sputtered.

Gray wasn't finished.

"I don't know why you're doing this," he said, voice quieter now, but more dangerous. "I've told you, time and again, I am not interested in you."

His tone dipped lower, weighted with fury. "You know I never touched you. Whatever you thought, you imagined it. And if this is about what I said about taking you up on your offer..." his voice turned razor-sharp, "Cadi was standing right behind you. I was trying to make her jealous."

Vanessa's lips parted, but no words came.

Her hands curled into fists. Then, with a sharp inhale, she spun on her heel and stormed out, heels clicking in fury.

Cadi exhaled, rubbing her temple.

Gray's voice softened. "Cadi..."

She didn't miss a beat. "We'll talk later, Gray," she said smoothly. "But first—ask James's dad if Tomos can stay over tonight."

A pause.

Then Gray's voice, calmer now, but resolute.

"All right."

Cadi set her phone down.

Now she had a clinic to get through and a very important phone call to make.

Chapter 36

Cadi got home at 5 p.m. The house was empty.

She stood in the quiet for a moment before heading upstairs. The weight of the day sat heavy on her shoulders, pressing into her bones. She stepped into the shower, letting the hot water work out the tension, scrubbing away the exhaustion.

By the time she came downstairs, her damp hair towel-dried, she had changed into an old pair of pink pyjamas and a ratty t-shirt—the fabric so worn that the thin material clung to her, shadows of her nipples faintly visible through it. Her damp hair had darkened to a richer auburn., the long strands tumbling over her shoulders and down to her hips.

Gray walked in just as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

His breath caught.

Her shape had changed since she'd had Tomos—softer in places, fuller, curvier. He'd loved her body at every stage, but somethingabout this version of Cadi—the woman who had carried his child, who had endured so much—made his chest ache.

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