I hadn’t spoken to Daphne since I walked out of my apartment three days earlier, and I hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that something was missing. I knew exactly what was causing my discontent, but I couldn’t bring myself to do anything about it. The one-two punch I’d received at the hands of Deacon and my own father a few days earlier was still fucking with my head in a serious way.

The intercom on my phone chirped just a moment before my assistant’s voice came through the speaker. “Mr. McMannus, you have a visitor to see you.”

I quickly pulled up the calendar on my laptop and saw that I didn’t have any meetings scheduled, but it wasn’t unusual for someone to stop by unannounced. Thinking it might have been Daphne, I hit the button that rang back. “Thanks, Stacy. You can send her in.”

A blonde walked through the door, but definitely not the one I’d expected or secretly hoped for. I shot up from my chair, propping my hands on my desk to keep me upright since I felt like my legs were about to give out. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Connie, the woman I’d seen with my dad a few nights back, shut the door behind her and sauntered into my office looking entitled and snooty as she took it upon herself to have a seat in one of the two chairs in front of my desk.

“Pleasure to see you too, Caleb. I thought maybe it was time we had a chat about your father.”

A loud burst of bewildered laughter escaped my throat. “Is this a joke? Are you off your meds? What in the ever-loving hell would make you think I’d have any desire to sit with my father’s latest whore and have a conversation?”

Her blasé expression morphed into the best facsimile of a glare she could make considering the bitch had been botoxed to within an inch of her life. “I’d suggest you stop with the insults. Christopher won’t be pleased to hear that you’ve continuously insulted me.”

I let out a derisive snort and took my seat, pressing my fingertips together in a steeple beneath my chin. “Lady, I don’t know what delusion you’re currently living in, but if you think my old man gives two shits about you, you’re seriously fucked in the head. You’re just his current fuck. Not the first and, sadly, won’t be the last.”

The woman had to be well into her fifties, but she’d had so much work done she looked at least ten years younger. However, no amount of surgery could mask the cold vindictiveness on her plastic face. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” She smiled callously. “Christopher’s quite taken with me. You’d do well to treat me with some respect. There’s a possibility that I’ll soon be your stepmother. I can make life very, very difficult for you.”

My fists clenched against my desktop so hard my knuckles cracked. “You crazy bi—”

“No! Ms. King, you can’t just walk into—”

My office door swung open and Daphne, followed by my beleaguered-looking assistant, came rushing in. “I’m sorry,” Daph directed over her shoulder at Stacy. “I know I shouldn’t barge in, but I really need to talk to him.”

“Mr. McMannus, I’m so sorry,” Stacy sputtered. “She wouldn’t take no for an ans—”

Daphne’s eyes landed on Connie a second later and a frigid chill suddenly enveloped the entire room. “Mom?”

“Daphne?”

I shot up again. “You two know each other?”

* * *

Daphne

I was so damn thankful the stalls were empty as I rinsed my mouth in the sink, swishing and spitting the water around to get rid of the nasty taste from being sick. My stomach had been a mess for days. I attributed it to my stress over Caleb. It had thrown my entire body off. It was either stress or a stomach bug, but whatever it was, I couldn’t shake it.

I rested my hands on the basin and looked up into the mirror above the sink. My complexion was pale and clammy, my makeup streaked from throwing up.

The bathroom door creaked open and Sophia’s voice came through. “Daph, honey? You in here?”

I blew out a breath through my mouth, hoping to stave off the nausea that still lingered. “Yeah,” I answered.

She and Lola moved inside, staring at me with matching expressions of concern. Not that I could blame them. Ten minutes before, as soon as the On Air light had gone off, I’d bolted from the studio with my hand clamped over my mouth.

“You still feeling sick?”

Stupid Caleb. Stupid feelings. Stupid non-relationships with no stupid fucking strings attached! “Yeah. I think I’ve got a bug or something.”

Lola came up to me, a frown marring her pretty face as she lifted a hand to feel my forehead. It was a motherly gesture that I’d never experienced from my own mom; she was too busy with whichever man she was trying to scam to worry about her daughter being sick. I might have struck out in the parent department, but I’d seriously lucked out with my friends. “Aw, honey, I’m sorry. You think you should maybe eat something?”

My stomach revolted at the mention of food. I gagged and placed my hand on my traitorous belly to calm it down. “Uh, no. Think it’s safe to say I’ll be skipping lunch today. But you two go. I’m heading home shortly. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

They each gave me a hug, Sophia adding a kiss to my forehead, and headed out. I stayed in the restroom a while longer, running cold water over the inside of my wrists before feeling well enough to go back to the office. I’d just finished packing up my stuff when I was hit with an idea.

For someone who claimed not to be avoiding me, Caleb was doing a freaking awesome job at it. I wasn’t going to feel better until I confronted him, and I couldn’t go another day feeling this sick.

That was it. Whether or not the conversation ended badly, it was going to give me the closure I needed to hopefully be able to hold down a damn meal.

I took the elevator down to Bandwidth’s floor, working on my deep breathing the whole way. I was terrifyingly close to losing my nerve the closer I came to his office. Then I reached the pretty brunette sitting at the desk right outside the door.

“Hi. I’m Daphne King. I just need to speak with Caleb for a second if that’s okay.” I didn’t stop walking as I blurted that all out.

The woman stood from her chair and scuttled around her desk after me. “Oh, wait. No. I’m sorry, Mr. McMannus is in a meeting.”

“That’s okay. I’ll just be a second.”

The woman kept going. “No! Ms. King, you can’t just walk into—”

I shoved the office door open, looking over my shoulder at the poor frantic woman as I spoke. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t barge in, but I really need to talk to him.”

She looked past me, addressing Caleb. “Mr. McMannus, I’m so sorry. She wouldn’t take no for an ans—”

But I had already turned around, my gaze landing on the woman sitting across from the man who was basically destroying my health. “Mom?”

She looked as surprised to see me as I was her. “Daphne?”

Caleb bolted out of his chair, his face completely flabbergasted. “You two know each other?”

My head pretty much exploded right then. I spun to look at him. “What are you doing talking to my mother?” I shrieked.

“Calm down, darling girl.”

My attention jerked to the devil woman who birthed me. I jabbed my finger in her direction. “You don’t talk! Especially to me!”

She uncrossed her legs and rose on her expensive heels, moving in my direction all regal and bitchy as always. “Honey, I’ve been calling you for months.”

“I know!” I shouted. “It hasn’t just been a coincidence that each of those calls has gone unanswered! Why the fresh hell are you here?”

“Well, I originally came to Seattle for you—”

“Not here!” I waved my arms wide. “I mean here. In Caleb’s office. Why are you in. Caleb’s. Office?”

“Well—”

“Enough!” Caleb boomed, his voice so loud it practically shook the windows. “Stacy, please, go back to your desk.” The brunette now known as Stacy scurried out of the office like her ass was on fire. “And you!” He jabbed his finger in my mother’s direction. “Get the fuck out and do not come back, or I swear to Christ, you’ll regret it.”

Mom slung her purse strap over her shoulder and flipped her hair before sauntering out like the queen of everything.

My head whipped back in Caleb’s direction. “Why was she here?” I demanded the instant the door shut behind the she-monster.

“Funny little coincidence,” Caleb said in a tone that didn’t hold a single ounce of humor. “Turns out your slut of a mother is fucking my dad behind my mother’s back.”

My jaw dropped to the floor. Then the thought of my mom and Christopher McMannus bumping uglies made my stomach drop. I lunged for his trash can, barely making it before I emptied the contents of my stomach. “Oh my god,” I gasped once I was finally able to breathe again. “I can’t believe this. She’s doing it again. She’s destroying my fucking life!”

“Jesus Christ.” His hand landed on my back, rubbing in a soothing gesture as I hunkered over the trash can. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

I snatched a few tissues from the box on his desk and wiped my mouth before standing up and facing him. “No. No, I’m not okay.” That was all it took for my rant to come pouring out. “I’ve been so stressed over what the hell is happening with you that it’s been making me sick, so I decided to come up here and confront you and finally get some answers, only to find the bitch mother from hell sitting in your chair! So no, I’m not okay, Caleb!”

He took a step away with a sigh and raked his hands through his hair. “What are you talking about? There’s nothing happening with me.”

“Really?” God, my emotions were so off the charts that I actually felt tears burn behind my eyes. “So you aren’t avoiding me?”

“Of course I’m not. I’ve just been busy, like I told you. Where’s all this coming from? You’re the one who wanted this to be easy. I’m just giving you what you asked for. I thought maybe we were spending a little too much time together and complicating things, so I took a little step back, but that doesn’t mean anything has to change between us.” He reached out and pulled me against him. “We can still have mind-blowing sex.”

“You….” I closed my eyes and pulled in a long breath. I wanted to reach out and slap him, or scream and curse him name. But I couldn’t. Because he was right. Well… about everything but the sex at least, because no way in hell was I going there again. But he was right about everything else. I’d pushed for easy. That wasn’t on him. I couldn’t blame him for not developing feelings for me the way I had him. So instead of raging like I wanted, I opened my eyes and exhaled. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I think… I think whatever’s been making me sick lately just has me feeling overly emotional. Maybe I need to go to a doctor or something.”

He caressed my forearms, watching me carefully. “You sure?”

I faked a smile as best I could. “Yeah, I’m sure. I mean, I did just hurl in your wastebasket after all. And I don’t think my mother was fully to blame for that.” I paused, running my fingers through my hair. “I can’t believe she’s sleeping with your dad. I’m just… I’m sorry. I don’t even know what to say about that.”

His eyebrow quirked up as he studied my face. “So you didn’t know about any of this?” I didn’t miss the accusation dripping from his words.

“What? No! Of course not! I haven’t even talked to the woman in seven years. I had no idea.”

He moved around his desk and started pacing. “Okay. If you say so—”

“I do say so,” I interrupted, anger surging up inside me. “I do fucking say so.” I let out an emotionless laugh. “You know what? I think I should go. I’m suddenly feeling sick again,” I said bitterly.

“Hey, wait.” He darted toward me and grabbed my arm as I headed for the door. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just… this whole-fucked up thing with my folks has me on edge. I took it out on you and I’m sorry.”

I pulled out of his grasp and reached for the knob. “It’s fine. I’ll talk to you later.”

Then I left, feeling no better than when I’d arrived.