Page 85 of Last Summer

“Was mine.”

A sinking, drifting sensation floods her. She stumbles back, hand pressed to her stomach.

“Did I tell you he was yours?”

“No. I ran into you by accident in Reno last October.” He sits, protecting his ribs with one hand, supporting his weight on the bed with his good arm. “It was obvious you were pregnant. You told me you were nineteen weeks along. That put you with me in Truckee, so I asked.”

“How presumptuous of you. I’m married.”

“You sure aren’t acting like it.”

Ella sees red. “Bastard.” Like he’s one to talk.

“My question was valid, but you never answered me. I had the right to know. I still have that right.” He pushes off the bed and slowly stands. He hisses through his teeth, his muscles tight and sore from yesterday’s fall. “I kept calling you. I wanted a paternity test, but you blocked me.”

“You stalked me?”

“I loved you. I wanted to be involved in Simon’s life.Myson’s life,” he says. “Tell me, Ella.” He makes a move toward her. “Was he mine?”

“Enough!” Ella cuts her hand through the air. “I’ve heard enough.” After everything she’s been through. After the loss he’s suffered, grief has him grasping at straws for anyone he can claim as his own. It certainly won’t be Simon. The nerve of him to assume her baby was his.

Ella looks wildly around the room. The dull morning light between the cracks of the curtain panels. The rumpled bedsheets.

Oh, my god.What has she done? What is she doing here? With him?

Going to her luggage, Ella yanks on a pair of jeans.

“You called me right before your accident.”

She stills.

“I think you were about to tell me but we got cut off.”

She squeezes her eyes shut to block out his words. But she can’t. They’re there, and they want to be heard. Mulled over. Considered.

Ella lifts off her sleep shirt and puts on her bra. She tries to put on a clean shirt but her arms shake so badly she keeps dropping it.

Nathan’s voice lowers. She can feel him standing right behind her, the disturbance of air when he says, “I tried reaching you for days after you called. I was worried about you. Rebecca told me you had an accident. I called her when I couldn’t get hold of you. I visited you in the hospital.”

“What?” Ella finally pulls on her shirt and swings around. Her mind stumbles back to her last day in the hospital, to Nurse Jillian, who told her about the commotion the previous day. To the argument between Damien and her that Andrew had mentioned. That argument must have been over Nathan. That commotion must have been between Nathan and Damien. Damien wouldn’t have allowed him to visit her.

Stuffing her sleep shirt into her bag, Ella packs furiously. She’s tough. Usually she can handle the worst sorts of stories about human nature. But this reality,herreality? What Nathan’s done to her? Whatshe’sdone to Damien? It’s too much. She has to get out of here.

“What are you doing?” Nathan asks. He winces, his hand still clutched to his ribs.

“What does it look like? I’m leaving.”

“You can’t do that,” he says.

“Watch me.”

Nathan’s expression darkens. The temperature in the room nose-dives.

“You. Bitch.”

Ella snaps to attention. “Excuse me?”

“You got your story and now you’re bailing.”

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