Page 121 of Your Second Chance
I nodded furiously, trying to process her words. “I need to get home.”
“Are you okay, Mum?”
I shook my head. “I’m okay, but I think I’m getting a little sick.”
“Wait,” a deep voice shouted from behind us.
My eyes darted to Luna’s as I begged her to help me.
We kept walking until someone came up from behind me, grabbed my elbow, and spun me around, forcing me to face him.
“No,” I spat, stepping in front of Luna.
I needed to shield Scarlette from this. He didn’t get to do this this way. This wasn’t his right. It was his choice to get fucked up the way he did. I had to keep reminding myself; otherwise I’d feel like I was the worst person around.
“You don’t get to do this right now.”
He stared at me, his blue eyes piercing. It was like seeing a ghost in real life.
“I need answers, Nova. I deserve them,” he said softly, understanding my request not to make this a big scene in front of Scarlette.
I hesitated. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what Ollie would want me to do, but this was her biological father, and standing in front of me, he looked okay. I deserved to tell him what happened—to hear him out.
“Fine. I’ll meet you tomorrow morning at nine. Downtown Winnetka. That little coffee shop on Oak Street—The Village Grind. Without her.”
His shoulders sagged, and he let out a heavy breath. “Okay,” he whispered. “Okay. Thank you.”
I mustered all the courage that I could to turn back around and walk away when his voice interrupted me again.
“Tell me one thing, Nova.”
He didn’t need to ask the question. I already knew where this was going. My eyes went wide, and I whispered, “Yours.”
43
nova
“This is all my fault. I’m so sorry, Nova,” Luna whispered, handing me a steaming cup of tea with a splash of heavy cream, the way Mrs. Stone used to make it.
Tears welled in my eyes as I took the cup. “I miss my home,” I choked out.
It had felt safe and predictable in England. I’d worked hard to keep it that way.
Thankfully, most of the boxes had been unpacked, and Aunt Mae had done an amazing job directing the movers. The living room looked almost normal, but it didn’t feel like home. Not tonight. Scarlette was asleep upstairs, blissfully unaware of the storm unraveling inside me. Luna had wrapped a heavy blanket around me, tucking it close like armor.
“I should’ve warned you,” Luna murmured. “When Dirks said he came up here sometimes, I didn’t think anything of it, but I should’ve asked more questions.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to protect me from him.”
The resemblance between Scarlette and that little girl was impossible to unsee.
“What’re you going to do?” Luna whispered.
My hands shook so badly I had to set the tea down on the coffee table. I stared into the rising steam, searching for the next step.
“I need to call Ollie,” I said finally. “Tell him everything. I won’t lie to him. Not about this.” Tears slipped down my cheeks as I wrapped my arms around my knees, burying my face in the blanket. “This is going to destroy him, Luna. This is everything he feared. Everything I promised him wouldn’t happen.”
Luna sat beside me, resting her hand on my arm. “You’re doing the right thing. He’ll understand.”
