Chapter 17
Hannah whipped around to find Kaden standing a few yards away, his expression thunderous.
His eyes were locked on Ryder, murderous intent radiating from every inch of his body.
In a flash, he lunged forward and slammed his fist into Ryder’s face.
Caught off guard, Ryder stumbled backward. He instinctively raised his fists to retaliate, but noticing Hannah’s horrified expression as she rushed toward them, he quickly shifted strategies. Touching his bleeding lip, he softened his posture. “I’m okay,” he murmured, playing up his vulnerability.
Hannah hovered protectively near Ryder, then turned to Kaden with fury blazing in her eyes. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Kaden’s expression darkened further, his voice tight with barely controlled rage. “I should be asking you that! We’ve barely been divorced five minutes and you’re already with someone else?”
Now Matt’s hesitation made perfect, awful sense. Kaden had flown across the country full of hope only to walk into this nightmare.
Hannah’s face hardened. “How did you even find me? We’re divorced, Kaden. Who I see is none of your business.”
Something twisted painfully in Kaden’s chest, making it hard to breathe.
“How can you say that?” The words burst out before he could stop them. “You disappeared without a word. Don’t you understand? I’ve fallen in love with you!”
Hannah froze, momentarily stunned. “What did you just say?”
“I’m in love with you,” Kaden repeated, his voice raw with emotion. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”
After a long silence, Hannah sighed and turned to Ryder. “Go see your grandmother. I’ll handle this.”
Ryder hesitated, concern evident in his expression.
Hannah squeezed his hand reassuringly. “It’s fine. Go.”
Camos Too Late
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Chapter 17
With obvious reluctance, Ryder nodded and walked away, glancing back several times.
Hannah led Kaden into the house. They sat in the living room, tension thick in the air between them.
“What exactly are you talking about?” she finally asked. “You’re in love with me? I thought you loved
Phoebe.”
Kaden looked down, regret etching lines into his face. “I thought so too. But when you left… I realized I’d grown accustomed to your presence. Over those five years, through everything we experienced together, you never complained, never demanded anything. You were always respectful, kind… I began depending on you without even realizing it. Being with you felt… safe. I even started resenting Chace, jealous that he held such an important place in your heart. It wasn’t until you were gone that I understood–I’d fallen for you a long time ago. Hannah, I was wrong. I came here to ask you to
remarry me.”
Hannah studied him, her expression complex with emotions she couldn’t quite name.
After a heavy silence, she shook her head firmly. “I’m sorry, but no. I don’t want to reconcile.”
Kaden stared at her in disbelief.
He’d expected resistance, but not such an unequivocal rejection.
Anger and jealousy flared inside him. “It’s because of that college kid, isn’t it? Since when are you into guys that young? What can he possibly offer you that I can’t? I have everything–money, influence. And let’s be honest–you never complained about our sex life either.”
Hannah blinked in surprise, completely unprepared for this outburst.
This wasn’t the controlled, composed Kaden she knew–the man who always maintained a dignified air of superiority. Now he sounded like a jealous teenager, comparing himself to a younger man with none of his usual restraint.
She sighed heavily. “Yes, you have money and power. You’re more successful than him in every conventional way. But there’s one thing you’ll never have that he does.”
Kaden’s expression darkened. “What?”
Hannah met his gaze evenly, her voice matter–of–fact. “He looks exactly like Chace.”
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Chapter 18
