Hannah slowly opened her eyes to find the doctor gone and Kaden sitting beside her bed, his brow
furrowed with guilt evident in his expression.
Seeing her awake, he quickly helped her sit up. “I know what happened. I’m so sorry. I never thought Phoebe would do something like this.”
Hannah’s stomach still ached terribly, leaving her barely able to speak.
She sighed weakly. “We should let the police handle this. She’s old enough to know better than to act
so recklessly. A few days in custody might give her time to reflect.”
She reached for her phone to call the police, but Kaden snatched it away.
“No. Phoebe didn’t mean it. Hannah, please let this go.”
Hannah stared at him in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? I just had my stomach pumped for
nothing?”
Kaden was silent for a long moment before finally speaking. “I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, but please–don’t make trouble for Phoebe.”
Hannah studied him, sighing again. “Don’t you think you’re enabling her?”
Kaden shook his head. “If the person you loved were still alive, you wouldn’t want them to suffer either, would you?”
Hannah froze.
After a long pause, she spoke quietly. “Fine. But this can’t happen again.”
Though she’d agreed to let Phoebe off the hook, something about her response made Kaden
uncomfortable.
He stared at her face, words spilling out before he could stop them: “After all this time, you’re still thinking about him? Hasn’t he been dead for years?”
Hannah didn’t understand his sudden hostility.
Too Late
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Chapter 4
She’d always loved Chace–hadn’t Kaden always known that? She’d never interfered with his feelings for Phoebe, so why did he suddenly seem angry about her feelings for Chace?
Before she could respond, Kaden’s phone rang.
It was Phoebe.
After answering, his expression changed, and whatever nameless anger he’d felt seemed to subside.
He stood up, reverting to his usual polite demeanor. “Phoebe’s upset again. I need to go, but I’ll come
back when I can.”
Watching him hurry away, Hannah called after him.
“Tell your sister not to worry. I can’t get pregnant. The day we got together, I had my tubes tied.”
Kaden stopped dead in his tracks, turning back in shock. “You did what?”
Hannah looked at him with increasing bewilderment.
In five years of marriage, they’d maintained a cordial distance, and Kaden’s face had rarely shown
much emotion.
But today, she’d witnessed several uncharacteristic reactions from him.
“I won’t have anyone’s child except Chace’s,” she explained. “Surely you understand that.”
Kaden’s expression instantly darkened, as if struggling to contain himself. “I don’t understand. You’re going to have that surgery reversed. Now.”
Seeming to anticipate her refusal, he added, “It’s your duty as my wife.”
Hannah shook her head. “But we’re already in divorce proceedings. I don’t have wifely duties
anymore.”
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