Page 34 of Flirting with my Billionaire Boss

“Come move back in with me.” His eyes are pleading and gentle.

“Markus, I don’t know.” How can I ever trust him again?

“You belong with me. I know I’ve messed up in the past, but like I told you before, I’ve learned my lesson. Give me another chance. After all I’ve done for you, don’t I deserve that?”

My hand is still in his. “Maybe for just a little while.”

Triumph flashes in his eyes. “Really?”

I’m feeling numb, and now I’m just going through the motions. But then Angel kicks me hard in the ribs like she’s saying,Hey, Mom! Stop being an idiot and think about what I want here.“What about the baby?” She deserves to have her dad in her life, right? What if we become a family?

His voice is soothing when he answers me. “We’ll go to a state where abortion is still legal at your stage of pregnancy and get the baby taken care of.”

I yank my hand away from him. “What?” I spit out in horror. “You want me to kill Angel?”

His expression turns from that soothing look to one of disgust. “You named it?”

“Of course I did. She’s my daughter.”

“So, you’re still going to choose that baby over me?” Fury roils in his eyes. “We’ve been together for years, Callie. How can you just throw all that away?”

I stand up. “You need to leave.”

“Come on, Callie. Can’t we just talk about this?”

“We’re done talking. Get out.” I fling my arm toward the door. Power wells up inside me. It feels amazing to fight for the little one I’m carrying, the kid I’ve grown to love, who kicks me all night long and keeps me awake at night. She’s never done anything wrong to me, and Markus has controlled and belittled me for years. I can’t believe I almost took him back. After all the growth I’ve done, all the independence I’ve gained. I almost threw it all away in one, stupid, weak moment. It’s hard to be out there, supporting myself, but that freedom is worth it.

“I’m having this baby, whether you like it or not. You can be in her life, or you can take a hike. That’s up to you.”

“You never listen to me.”

Not when he’s telling me to kill our kid. “You’re my ex-husband. I don’t have to listen to you. But you’re in my home, and I’m kicking you out so you have to listen to me for once. If you don’t, I’ll call the police and have you escorted off my property.”

“Fine, I’m leaving. But just think about my offer. You’re still welcome to live with me. We can even go to the justice of the peace and get married again quickly if you want.”

“At this point, I wouldn’t want you even if you were offering a cute nursery and a life for our baby. You’ve blown whatever slim chance you had.” I’d been an idiot to think he’d actually changed from therapy. I should have known better, but there’s a part of me that still cares about Markus, and that part wanted him to be somehow good. It’s probably the same part of me that kept hoping I could fix him somehow. What a ridiculous joke. “Are you leaving, or do I need to put in a call to the local police station?”

“You’re going to regret this decision, Callie. When you’re dealing with a crying baby and you want my help, just think about the life you could have had sipping drinks on the beach by my side.”

“You’re disgusting. Get out.”

Finally, he listens to me, and he leaves.

I shut the door behind him and release a shaky breath.

* * *

That night, over dinner, I tell my parents what happened with Markus.

“I can’t believe you let him in our house,” my mom says. “That man is scum.”

“Any man who wants to hurt our precious grandchild isn’t welcome here,” my dad says.

“You better not have been thinking about going back to him.”

“I was for a minute,” I admit. “Angel deserves to have both her mom and her dad together.”

“But it would be toxic for her to be around that man,” my mom says.

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