Chapter 97
The moment the twins‘ doors click shut; I don’t wait. I stalk into my office, close, and pull my phone out. I dial Sierra’s number.
She answers on the fourth ring, sounding exhausted. I shake myself. I shouldn’t be able to tell when she’s tired and I hate that I can read her like this.
“What game are you playing?” I cut straight to it. 1
“Noah?” She sounds surprised, before muttering in a low voice, “Damn it. I forgot to block him again p>
She probably thinks I couldn’t hear her.
“What?” I growl.
“Nothing,” she says, the fatigue in her voice making my jaw twitch. “What do you want, Noah?” 1
I don’t bother with small talk. “Stay away from my kids, Sierra. Or you won’t like what I do p>
“Are you seriously threatening me right now, Noah?” she asks, her tone sharp. “What can you possibly do that you haven’t already done? Short of killing me, there’s nothing left for you to do p>
Her words hit like a slap. My anger rises so fast it nearly blinds me. Why the hell is she even mentioning me killing her?
“Sierra, I’m warning you,” I snap, my voice low and dangerous.
“Warn away, Noah,” she shoots back. “What the hell do you want from me? When are you going to get it through your thick skull that your threats don’t scare me anymore? Go ahead, do your fucking worst. I fucking dare you p>
For a heartbeat, I forget how to breathe. Forget how to speak. Something about this new version of her catches my attention, in a way I don’t want it to.
There’s something in her voice. Steel where there used to be glass. Confidence where there used to be fear. Something changed in her.
Did motherhood do this to her? Is that what gave her this edge? It’s like I woke up and she was a whole new and different person.
“I don’t know what angle you’re playing,” I grind out, gripping the phone until my knuckles ache, “but keep my kids out of your twisted games.
Her response comes sharp and steady. “Need I remind you, Noah, they’re the ones who came looking for me? Not the other way around p>
She has a fucking point, but it doesn’t make sense. It has to be something she did at dinner. Something that made Nova and Nolan latch onto her. They’ve never acted so out of character for anyone. Not even me.
So what’s so special about Sierra? What is it about her that made my own children trick Iris and defy me?
“If you think you can use them to get to me, you’re dead wrong,” I bite out. “I’ll never love you, Sierra. Why can’t you get that through your head? The only woman for me will always be Chloe p>
There’s a sharp sound on the other end–a crash, something shattering.
“Who needs your fucking love!” she screams, voice raw and trembling with fury. “I hate you, Noah Wood! I don’t want your filthy love. I haven’t for a long damn time! And the fact that you think I’d ever use innocent kids like that makes me sick to my stomach and It just makes me hate you even more!” a
Before I can even process what just happened, the line goes dead. I continue pressing my phone to my ear, feeling like a goddamn idiot.
Slowly, I lower it and sink into the chair behind my desk, my hands braced on the table. What the hell just happened? This is what I’ve always wanted, isn’t it? For her to finally let go. To stop chasing me.
So why the fuck did her words feel like someone just took a sledgehammer to my chest?
I stay there for a long while, staring blankly at the wall, her words echoing in my head–I hate you, Noah Wood.
I tell myself it’s only shock. I was just so used to her confessing her love, over and over again. Hearing the opposite ….it just caught me off guard. That’s all. Nothing more. Nothing less.
I shove back from the desk, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. I can’t sit still anymore. The air in this house feels too heavy.
I storm out, mutter a few instructions to the nanny about the twins, grab my keys, and get in the car. I don’t even realize where I’m going until I pull up outside one of the clubs I frequent.