so as much as I hated it, I followed her, feeling like a stranger in the home I’d designed, and my husband had built for me.
As soon as we entered the room, she turned on me, spitting fire and hate all pretense of civility now gone. I’d always suspected while Calen and I were married that she despised me. At first, I thought it was because I’d taken her friend away, seeing as how Calen had spent all of his free time with me. Later, I suspected that she had feelings for him, something I’d mentioned only once jokingly but never again since Calen had shot down the idea without giving it much thought and I knew how much he would’ve despised my show of jealousy.
“I don’t know why you’ve come back here, but it’s not going to work. You and your little crotch goblin aren’t going to come between Calen and me, not now, not ever. And don’t even think for a second that Calen’s mother will have the last say in our lives. She might be siding with you now because of your brat, but once she’s reminded of how you left her son almost destroying him, I’m sure she too will agree that I’m what’s best for him.”
“This has nothing to do with you. What happens between Calen, our son, and I is our business and none of yours.” I’m highly offended at what she called my baby. She should keep her insults aimed at me but not my son. “Everything to do with Calen is my business. I lost to you once, but that won’t happen again, so don’t even think about worming your way back into his life again, or this time I’ll destroy you.”
“What? What do you mean this time? What did you do?” I wanted to wipe the self-satisfied smirk off her face, but my limbs had gone weak, and my son was beginning to get antsy at the raised tones in our voices.
“Let’s just say that I know exactly how to get rid of you and that thing in your arms. Calen might be excited at the prospect of having a child, but I can give him children in the future once you’re gone. Any children between us, with our pedigree, will be ten times better than your spawn. You don’t belong here, neither of you do and once the novelty wears off I’ll make sure that Calen sees that.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll see to it that you get a hefty sum for child support if you agree to go away and never come back here again. But if you refuse to leave, I’ll see to it that you get nothing, that you and your brat are put out on the street like the unwanted trash that you are. I won’t share my family with you.”
I was lost for words in the face of all that hate and spite. Her words left me feeling like I was being pummeled from all sides by very strong insistent waves and I couldn’t find my bearings. I couldn’t believe that Calen could’ve changed so much. The man I knew would never have taken me to his bed if his interest laid elsewhere. But he’s been so mad at me, maybe this was all part of his revenge, to use me and toss me aside like the trash she’d just called me.
No, Calen might hate me, but he’d never do that to his son no matter how many other children he goes on to have with her on anyone, I’m sure of that. I started to formulate a comeback, to remind her that if Calen had truly planned on marrying her that he could’ve done so at any time during the last two years that I’ve been gone but just as I opened my mouth to speak Calen walked into the room and asked me to leave.
Now I’m a nervous wreck as I pace the nursery, which is where I’d retreated to once again. What did Dana mean by ‘this time?’ Did she have something to do with the monster finding me? But how? None of this makes sense. There is no way for Dana to have known anything about my past; not even Calen knew the whole story.
I’d never told him about my mother, hadn’t mentioned my past to anyone in years, not since I left the boarding school in Switzerland, changed my name, and came back to the states to finish my education. I’d gone