Page 31 of Because of Her

A swift clang sounds above me and I push off the wall. Turning to head up the stairs, I swipe my hands across my face to dry the tears that were starting to pool.

Seeing me, Callum freezes. He reaches an arm behind his back and I glance up to see a second pair of dainty feet behind him.

My heart sinks as I realise why he rejected me. Putting the pieces together, I keep my head down as I continue up the stairs. Towards him. Towards them. Callum and … her.

He coughs and shuffles his feet, like he is unsure what to do or say.

A tiny giggle sounds from behind Callum’s back, and now I’m closer, I realise how tiny the feet are. The blue sandals shuffle around, glitter catching the light and reflecting it back in a rainbow of sparkles. The owner tries to push past Callum.

“Daddy,move.”

Wait … Daddy?

I thought my heart had sunk as far as it possibly could, but somehow it tumbles lower. It’s dropped out of my abdomen and straight through the floor. I imagine it resting, bloody, bruised and barely beating on the lobby floor.

My head spins. I close my eyes, trying to steady myself. When I no longer feel like I’m on a cruise in rough waters, I bring my gaze up to meet Callum’s.

He hasn’t said anything, and the look on his face tells me he has no idea what to say. I attempt to raise an eyebrow, keeping my mouth tight, not trusting myself with words.

He steps to the side. Beside him stands a much younger, female version of him. She’s four maybe, or five. I’ve never been good at guessing kids’ ages. Her long dark hair falls over her shoulders in soft waves, pinned off her face in a high ponytail with an obnoxiously oversized pink bow.

“Um, hi, I—” I stutter, incapable of forming a complete word, let alone a sentence.

“Cassidy, this is Maisie.” Callum places a hand on his child’s shoulder before looking down at her. “Maisie, this is my neighbour, Cassidy.”

“Do you live behind the number thirty-three door?” the little girl asks.

I nod slowly, my mind still processing what I’m seeing and putting the pieces together.

I do a mental search for clues, signs I should have picked up that would have made this less of a shock. I’ve only been in Callum’s apartment twice. The first time was the day he moved into the building. There was no sign of the little girl that day. The second was after his panic attack in the hall. I hadn’t noticed anything that screamed ‘a child lives here’, but I wasn’t exactly searching the room either.

“Is she—” I start, but I can’t force the words out.

“Mine.”

Callum’s protective tone forces any remaining resolve I was holding onto, to trickle to the floor. I choke back a whimper.

“My dad lives at number thirty-two, did you know? I remember because that’s how old my mummy is.” Maisie smilesup at me, one hand clinging on to Callum’s pocket and the other twirling in her hair.

Her mother.I hadn’t even contemplated her mother. But she obviously has one, and everything feels like too much information, and not enough, all at once.

I shift my gaze back up to Callum, seeking guidance, answers.

He stumbles over his words, sounding every bit as flustered as I feel. “I … we were … just on our way to swimming class.”

Well, that answered absolutely none of my questions.Words are still stuck in my throat. My vision blurs as I feel tears forming, but I hold my breath and blink them away. I try to tell myself the only reason this feels so unnatural is because I still feel off balance after losing Madison’s support this afternoon.

“I have to go,” I blurt out.

As I step forward, Callum guides his daughter out of my way.

“Rogue,” he whispers as I pass him.

I don’t look back. I can’t look back. Instead, I storm down the hall, not stopping until I reach my apartment. Fishing around in my bag for my key, the tears start to fall.

When I finally find the keys, I head straight for my bedroom, collapsing on my unmade bed. Today was, quite frankly, shit. All I want to do is sleep the rest of it away.

The sound of the front door slamming closed shocks me out of whatever emotional slumber I had fallen into. There’s a greyish haze to the light filtering into the room, and I realise I must have slept away the whole afternoon. The light makesitfeellater than I’m sure it is, but I still haven’t adjusted to daylight savings ending.

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