Page 22 of Where the Little Birds Are (Little Bird Duet 2)

I sit back and blink slowly. Once upon a time we were inseparable. Everyone joked that the honeymoon phase would wear off and neither of us believed them. It’s why we jumped into marriage so quickly—six months quick. We’d been consumed by what we felt and acted on it like it’d last because, for once, it didn’t feel like there was only one person for me.

But that isn’t how I feel anymore. That feeling was a mask to hide the inevitable beneath it that would eventually lead us here. Yet another cycle that all leads back to Kinley.

“You don’t mean that,” I answer. “And while we’re on the topic of things you don’t mean, you had no right telling the media what you did about us. We can’t keep pretending, Lena. Think about this.”

Her lips twitch downward as she draws back. “I know we agreed to this, but I think we could work it out. What if we tried counseling? We’ve never discussed that and I’m sure it’d be suggested if we proceed with the papers.”

“Lena.” I push away from the table and run a hand through my hair. “Where is this coming from? When we spoke about this you agreed it was for the best. I

know you’re nervous about your parents, but—”

She frowns, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. There’s a disconnect that I can’t figure out. “I love you. Is that so hard to believe?”

Yes.

I slide the papers toward her. “I love you too, but we both know it’s not the kind that warrants this marriage to continue. Counseling won’t help us. It’ll just be a waste of time and money. What happened to the woman who held my hand and told me she was sorry for not feeling the same as we did when we first met? New feelings don’t just grow out of nowhere.”

Her nostrils flare as she stares at the paperwork. It’s not the first time she’s seen them, but her anger displayed so openly toward the documents is certainly new.

“Why do you want this?” she asks, one perfectly sculpted eyebrow raising.

“Because you deserve better.”

“And why is that?”

“Lena, come on.”

She crosses her arms, pushing her breasts up and making me look away. “You used to look at me like you couldn’t believe I was real. I felt cherished. Loved. Maybe not in the way I should have been, but it was enough. Then you got this movie deal, and everything changed.”

I try stopping her before her thoughts stray too far. “Things have been strained for us for a lot longer than when I accepted this role. You know that, Len. How long have we been beating around the bush? I’m tired of it. You were tired of it too.”

She laughs coolly. “So Kinley Thomas has nothing to do with why you want a divorce? It’s all coincidental that you’re asking for it now that you two have rekindled?”

Eyes widening at her brass statement, I study her for a moment before collecting my thoughts. “How do you know about…?”

Her eyes roll. “Don’t act like you haven’t done your homework on me. We both have a past with people that we knew little about. I just dug into yours because I realized your past wasn’t just in the past. Honestly, I would have preferred you slept with Olivia. At least I knew it would have been a fling instead of something complicated like this.”

My fists tighten on my lap. “Are you kidding me right now? I gave you privacy because I trust you. So, no. I’m not acting for once in my goddam life. If you wanted to know something about me, you could have just asked without going behind my back. And really? You honestly wish I slept with somebody else? I can’t be the only one who hears how ridiculous this conversation is.”

She leans forward. “Would you have answered if I asked? Be honest with yourself. That’s one thing you’ve never been good at being.”

I scoff and walk into the kitchen for a beer from the fridge. Taking a moment to collect myself, I crack the lid and grab a bottle of water for her before joining her back at the table. “I’m not saying that I don’t have my fair share of issues. I just want what’s best for us, and that’s not keeping this charade up.”

“Charade,” she repeats, murmuring in Greek. Yet another reason we don’t work. Shouldn’t I have picked up the language? Learned a thing or two? I don’t know what her or her family says unless she translates.

I take a swig of my drink and set it down, meeting her distant gaze. “Have you read the book that the movie is based on?”

“Why would I do that?”

I lean back. “Because you’ll see why I took the role. The story is one a lot of people can resonate with. I’m connected to it. Not just because I knew Kinley in the past, but because I know the characters. Ryker…” I lift my shoulders and play with my beer bottle. “He’s the kind of role that I’ll be proud of for the rest of my life because he represents the kind of man I want to be. If you read the book, maybe you’ll understand what I can’t seem to put to words.”

The tip of her tongue swipes slowly across her bottom lip. “Let me get this straight. You want me to read your ex-girlfriend’s novel?”

“It’s not—”

“You’ve lost it, Callum.”

I gesture to her with my hand. “That. Why do you insist on calling me by my last name instead of my first? If anyone should call me Corbin, it’s my fucking wife.”

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