Page 67 of Atlas Uncharted

I was gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles were white when I pulled out my phone and called my mother. Ifanyone could rein in Ashlen, it was her. At least, that’s what I hoped.

“Atlas,” she answered, her tone clipped. “This is unexpected.”

“I need you to talk to Ashlen,” I said, skipping the pleasantries.

There was a long pause. Too long.

“No,” she said finally. “I taught you better than this. You’re creating a spectacle and embarrassing your wife.”

I clenched my jaw. “You don’t even like Ashlen.”

“That doesn’t matter. If I have to choose between her and that... woman you’re living with, I’m choosing Ashlen. She’s your wife.”

“She’s my ex-wife.”

“Not yet,” my mother shot back. “And you’ve handled this all wrong. You’re throwing away everything we built for what? A fling?”

My anger surged, hot and immediate. “Kairi is not a fling, and this is not up for debate. Ashlen is destroying my family.”

“Your family?” she echoed, her voice icy. “Your family was with Ashlen. Not... whatever this is.”

“If you’re taking her side, then you’re making your choice clear,” I said, my voice tight. “But don’t expect to meet Dion.”

Her silence on the other end of the line was deafening. “We’ll see,” she said coldly before hanging up.

I dropped my phone onto the passenger seat, staring blankly at the road ahead. I felt trapped, like the walls were closing in, no matter which way I turned. I wished I could go back in time—I’d choose Kairi that first day, the first word spoken. This was my punishment for not doing that, or at least that’s what it felt like.

By the time I pulled into the driveway, my head was pounding. I needed to see Kairi and my son, to remind myself why I was doing all this.

But the moment I stepped inside, a scream tore through the house.

“Kairi!” I shouted, rushing toward the sound.

She was in the kitchen, her phone shaking in her hands. “What’s wrong?” I demanded, my heart racing.

“This bitch,” she said and held up her phone.

I grabbed it, my stomach sinking as I read the screen. I wished I hadn’t insisted Ebony and Lu go home. They were better equipped to deal with this, I was sure of it.

Chapter 49

Atlas

Kairi paced the length of the living room, her bare feet silent on the hardwood floor, but the energy radiating off her wasn’t. She was so angry I could see her body vibrating with it. I leaned against the doorframe, unsure of how to help without setting her off further. She hadn’t slept well after she’d seen her name trending on social media.

“She twisted everything,” Kairi said suddenly. “She’s painting herself as the victim, Atlas. Like she wasn’t fucking unbearable from the moment she entered my life.”

I knew exactly what she was talking about—the podcast Ashlen had done. The one where she’d recast our history into a tragic soap opera where she was the hero and Kairi was the scheming villain who wanted her life. I’d listened to parts of it before shutting it off. The lies were too much to bear. And I felt like the entire thing was my fault. If I’d just done what I wanted from the beginning and been with Kairi, none of this would be happening. I was scared this might be what broke us.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, trying to meet her eyes. “You know none of it matters, right? Anyone who matters—”

“That’s not the fucking point!” she snapped, cutting me off. “It’s not about the people who know us, Atlas. It’s about everyoneelse. She’s trying to ruin me. My fucking career. And why? Because she couldn’t have you, and she barely wanted you.”

I flinched. Ouch. It was the truth, but did she have to say it like that?

She kept pacing, shaking her head. “We weren’t cheating all through college. Why would she even say that? She knows it isn’t true. I should go live and tell the truth. Tell all her business. Snooty bitch wouldn’t like that.”

I stepped forward cautiously, like approaching a live wire. “Kairi, you know she’s doing this to get a rise out of you. She wants a reaction. Don’t give it to her.”

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