on, she was doing what I’d never thought she would.
Cutting herself off from me.
And even though it hurt, I moved on, because I had a kid and I needed to stay sane for him, needed to think of a future that was balanced for him.
I focused hard on proving my dad wrong, on making something of myself without his signature bankrolling it, just like he’d wanted, and from afar, I’d watched Thea make it big while I stockpiled for the future.
A future that was always going to involve us being together.
A future that was only just starting to morph into the present.
“You can’t get a divorce. You’re Catholic.”
Her words brought me back to earth with a bang. She’d stalked off, started to walk away from me, but even she couldn’t cut ties between us.
It was weird to think that all those years of striving had led to this moment.
Standing outside a fucking coffee shop filled with cats in downtown Tokyo, while the woman I’d lay my life down for was dithering on the sidewalk.
Yeah, that was what she was doing.
Dithering.
And I hated it.
Thea was many things, but she wasn’t a ditherer, but ever since...fuck, I didn’t even know what the catalyst was. I just knew that one minute she was there, we were training together, and the next, she wasn’t.
Of course, those last few months before graduation had passed swiftly. There’d even been hardship, for Thea in particular. I knew how close she’d been to the Lindens, the family driver and his wife, our housekeeper, and they’d both died in a car crash a few weeks after I’d received the letter from my grandfather.
Thea had buried herself in training and studying after their passing, but her schedule changed. Suddenly, I knew she was avoiding me, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop that.
A part of me felt certain it was the right thing to do.
That I needed space, she did as well. She was going to college, she was going to train for the Olympics, and me? I was going to be learning a whole hell of a lot about reforming properties.
I had a kid.
I had a lot of shit to deal with, and I wanted the best for Thea, so I let her go.
But only with an end date in mind.
When Cain was out of jail, and when Thea had earned her glory at the Olympics.
It was imperative to me that I go to her, that I change both our destinies once she’d fulfilled her goal. There was no way I was jeopardizing her plans to free her mom, so I stood back. I hovered on the sidelines living a half-life.
Watching.
Waiting.
Unfortunately for me, the Coronavirus had changed the timelines. Cain had been released last year for good behavior, and I’d had to wait until this moment, until now, to get my woman.
Of course, that involved her agreeing, but I wasn’t a kid anymore. I knew what I wanted. Knew what she was worth. And I’d fight for her like no one had ever fought for her before.
“I’m not Catholic.” Not much of a comeback, but it’s all I could think of saying at the moment.
She scoffed, “I know you’re not. At least, you’re not practicing. But Maria is. She’ll never divorce you.”
“She will. She has no choice. It’s called divorce by notice. Three notices published, and that’s it, that sets the ball rolling. Anyway, I haven’t seen her in eight months. I haven’t fucking wanted to,” I grumbled.
Her brow puckered. “What about Freddie?”
“I see him. Mom collects him for me, but we video chat a lot. Especially ever since I’ve been in London.”
Her brow puckered, confusion flashing over it a second. “But she said—”
I arched a brow. “She said, what?” And which she? My mother? What the hell had that bitch been saying now?
Before I could get angry, her ponytail whipped from side to side as she dismissed the question, instead asking me, “Don’t you miss him?”
“With every bone in my body,” I admitted, without an ounce of shame. “But Maria isn’t good for me. And what isn’t good for me isn’t good for Freddie. The fights, the bitterness, it was starting to taint everything. That wasn’t healthy for him.”
Her eyes narrowed as her hand tightened on the strap of her backpack. “Are you going to fight for custody?”
“Would that be a problem for you?”
Her head tilted to the side. “If I said yes, would you not fight for custody?”