“Why?” he asked, but he input my passcode and went to my contacts list, anyway.
“Because I believe Oliver’s father works for Bellandi Enterprises. Let’s just see what your Uncle Lino has to say—”
“That won’t be necessary, Sunshine,” Ryker said, stepping into the room with a smile. His eyes darkened when he glanced behind me and his gaze landed on Axel’s injury. “Surely, this can be settled within this office.”
“Thank you, Mr. Fiore,” Principal Blanchet said with a flush to her cheeks. “The voice of reason.”
“Careful, Pearl might call you a slut,” I inserted with a sardonic grin. Her lips pressed into a line, but she toned down the way she practically devoured Ryker with her eyes.
For fuck’s sake.
“Is that what this is about?” Ryker asked, turning his attention to Oliver. The boy cowered under Ryker’s attention, even if he made no move to step toward him. “You called my wife a slut?”
“I-I—”
“Answer me honestly, boy. I don’t much like liars,” Ryker growled.
Oliver jumped and nodded his head. “Yes. I did.”
“We have a zero-tolerance policy about violence,” the Principal inserted. “I can’t just let Axel off without a suspension.”
“So, suspend them both,” Ryker said helpfully. “I’m sure Calla would be more than willing to accept the punishment so long as it’s fair. Oliver intentionally baited Axel into hitting him with an insult he knew my boy wouldn’t tolerate. Unlike some, we raise our children better than that.” He glared at Pearl, but didn’t bother to dignify her by speaking to her directly.
Not even when she protested. Loudly. “That’s preposterous! Words are not a fight.”
“I agree that suspending them both is the proper course of action,” Principal Blanchet agreed, taking a seat behind her desk. “One week for each of them.”
“Fine,” I said, nodding my head. I’d take Axel for some ice cream, and then he could spend the next week hanging out at the shop with my dad. A nice brief vacation from the hard work of school.
“You should know,” Ryker said, finally looking at Pearl. She backed up a step, just like her son. “I’ll be funding your opponent in the next PTA election.” I resisted the urge to laugh at the horrified look on her face, and the knowledge that money bought elections, no matter the level.
As we turned to walk out of the office, there was one thought coursing through my brain. We could achieve so much when we fought other people instead of each other.
Forty-Eight
Calla
I fumbled through the next few days. Ryker seemed back to normal, like the fact that we'd cleared the air and accomplished something together meant all was right and well. He returned to being as warm as could be with the kids, without the dark cloud hanging over them. Like they had in the beginning of our relationship when I'd been more hesitant, they took to him like moths to the flame. I knew they needed what he gave them, but I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was coming for us.
That the worst wasn't over yet. I resented Ryker because he took me every night without protection. Having a baby should have been something we decided together, and taking that choice from me felt agonizing, though it wasn’t like I fought too hard. I practically forgot my name once I had him inside me.
And the idea of a little boy with Ryker's eyes made me melt.
I sniffled back my tears, ignoring the way Dante watched me. He knew something was wrong, knew that the tension between Ryker and I had dissolved, but he was the one who saw me sniffle at random moments through the day. I didn't think he divulged that information to Ryker, seeming to respect that certain things I should be allowed to keep to myself. "Will it ever stop?" I asked him finally, turning to face him as I drank my chamomile tea.
"What?" he asked, standing from his seat to speak to me. My students gathered in the studio, waiting for the class to start, but as my fingers skimmed over my stomach that I knew would swell with a child soon enough, I couldn't bring myself to go out there.
I sighed, huffing a laugh. "Never mind. It doesn't matter anymore," I said, and the words were true. I knew, without a doubt, that the only way I could ever be free of Ryker was to see him in prison. And that wasn't something I could do to him. I couldn't betray him like that, not when I didn't really want to be free. I loved him, and I wanted to be with him.
I just wanted that to be my choice.
"Calla!" Ness called from the studio, and I stepped out. My eyes widened in shock when I took in the uniformed police filling the studio and the way my class either gaped in gossipy interest or fled the scene.
Dante was at my back a moment later, stepping in front of me as if the police might mean to harm me. "Dante Esposito, you're under arrest. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." I gaped in shock, watching as two of the officers marched up and guided Dante away from me.
"On what grounds?" he asked, shaking off their touch. He made no move to fight them, but he communicated that they had no right to touch him since he cooperated.