Chapter 17

Orana’s point of view

After Vaughn dropped me off at the hotel, the silence of the room felt louder than usual.

I quickly took off my clothes and rushed to the shower. I stood under the water, letting the hot water run longer than I needed, standing under it until my skin warmed and my thoughts dulled just enough to breathe.

After that, I buried myself in work and anything that kept my mind from circling back to him. I thought I would be thinking about Callahan, but instead, here I am thinking about a man I have no business thinking about.

I called Liorah to say goodnight to her cause it was almost bedtime for her.

“I love you, ma'am,” she said sleepily, and I couldn’t help but smile. “I love you too, Bunny’

Once the call was cut, I went back to work. I had to look at the Switzerland project since Vaughn was going there in a few weeks.

By the time I got ready for dinner, I told myself I was fine, but I wasn’t. I started to look at myself in the mirror, wondering if the dress I picked was too much.

It was a midnight blue satin slip-on dress that hung tight at my hips, featuring thin straps and a draped neckline. I let my hair fall freely and put on my ankle strap sandals.

The restaurant buzzed with soft chatter and clinking glasses, warm light spilling over everything. I spotted our table easily and made my way over, smoothing my hands down my dress before I sat down. When I checked the time.

He wasn’t late. Not yet, but I expected him to be here before me. Vaughn is never the kind to be late, so I’m sure whatever he had to attend to was important.

A few minutes passed, and then thirty minutes.

I didn’t even look at the menu. Vaughn wasn’t the kind of man who just didn’t show up. If something came up, he would’ve called, texted, or something.

My fingers tapped lightly against the table before I forced them still.

Another five minutes and it was already an hour.

That tight feeling crept into my chest again, quiet and irritating.

“Missed me?” The voice slid over my skin like silk, yet very unwelcome.

I didn’t have to look up to know who it was.

My stomach dropped immediately, almost rolling my eyes.

Callahan pulled out the chair beside me and sat down as if he belonged there. As if this was something he could just step back into.

I pushed my chair back immediately, ready to stand, but his hand closed around mine before I could move.

“Wait,” he said, his grip firm. “Just hear me out.”

My body went rigid at the contact, every muscle tightening.

“Let go of me.”

“Orana…” my name was like a plea on his lips.

“We have nothing to say to each other.” My voice came out colder than I wanted. “You made that very clear.”

Something flickered across his face, regret, maybe, but I didn’t care. I had cared before, and it left me broken.

“I’m sorry.”

I let out a quiet, humorless breath, shaking my head. “I don’t believe you.”

“I am,” he insisted, leaning closer, his grip tightening slightly as if he thought I might slip away. “I’ll do anything. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll fix it.”

Fix it. Like I was something broken he could put back together when it suited him.

My chest tightened, something painful pressing against my ribs.

“You never even asked,” I mumbled.

His brow pulled together. “Asked what?”

A laugh almost escaped me. “Exactly.”

“Orana, if…”

I really looked at him, and whatever softness might’ve been there before was gone. How could someone be so full of themselves?

“You never asked what I did with the pregnancy.” The words hung between us.

Confusion flashed across his face, as if the thought had never even crossed his mind.

That hurt more than anything he’d said before, even those words that I hated more than anything.

I moved to pull my hand away, but his grip tightened, panic flashing now. “Orana, wait… Let me…”

“Let her go.” The voice cut through everything. Callahan’s hand stilled on mine.

I didn’t have to turn to find out Vaughn was there, but I did anyway.

He stood just behind us, his gaze locked on Callahan, something dark simmering beneath the surface. He didn’t look calm. Not like he usually did.

“Mind your fuckin business, Carson,” Callahan snapped, his grip still firm around my hand.

Vaughn didn’t even look at him when he stepped closer. He looked at me with intensity in his eyes.

Just for a second, and something in my chest eased.

Then his eyes snapped back to Callahan, his eyes cold, and that softness he reserves for me alone gone. His hand came down, wrapping around mine, and he pulled me free.

“She is my business,” Vaughn said, his voice dropping dangerously low.

Callahan stood, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. “She’s not yours.”

The tension snapped tight between them, thick enough to choke on.

Vaughn didn’t flinch, but I felt the shift in him, the way his fingers tightened around mine, the way his shoulders squared just slightly like he was already bracing for something.

“You need to stop coming after her,” Vaughn said. “And let her walk away. She’s not your wife anymore. ”

Callahan’s gaze flicked to me, something possessive and unrelenting burning there.

“She doesn’t get to just walk away,” he said, quieter now, but no less intense. “She’s mine.”

My stomach twisted, heart pounding hard, and my breath catching even more. Vaughn’s grip tightened around my hand, squaring up to Callahan.

“Not anymore. You lost her the day you chased her while pregnant. ”

For a second, no one moved.

Then Vaughn tugged gently on my hand. “Come on.”

I didn’t hesitate. I pushed the chair back, grabbing my purse. I just wanted to be away from here.

Callahan pushed him back by his shoulder. “I’m not done.”

Vaughn chuckled dryly. “I don’t fucking care, Callahan.”

With that turned, leading me out of the restaurant, his hand tightening

I let him lead me away, my heart pounding too fast, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to be away from Callahan.