Chapter 6

ROSE

Ryder held the phone in his hand, and I did not bother trying to take it from him. He was stubborn, and he had definitely heard what I said earlier, so there was no way he was going to give it back easily.

"Your husband?"

The question came, and I was tired. I simply nodded.

"Yes."

"He cheated?"

I nodded again.

"With who?"

He did not even let me answer before saying her name.

"Maya?"

I did not respond. I looked away, and I guess that was answer enough.

He muttered, "I never liked her. She's always been fake. Everyone saw it except you."

His brow was raised, and I could tell he was irritated. I did not reply. I just swallowed.

"You're not tired of your hide-and-seek game?" Steve's voice came from the other end with a scoff. "You think I will turn the city upside down looking for you?"

Well, he would soon realize I was miles away from the city. One week later, and now he was calling? At least, if not for anything else, he should have called for his daughter. The thought reminded me of what he and Maya had called Annie, and anger burned inside me. I had disliked him so much. I should have left when I found out I was pregnant with Annie. It had been a one-night mistake. I should have left then. I did leave three years later anyway.

I could see Ryder's eyes turn cold. He glanced at the sleeping Annie, then pulled me by the waist back toward the sitting room. He shut the bedroom door behind us, and my heart skipped. I wondered what he was about to do. Ryder could be crazy, but when he was angry, he became even crazier. I kept swallowing as Steve's voice came through the phone again after he realized I was not answering.

"You know what? You can stay wherever you are right now. You'll come crawling and crying back to me when you're finally stranded."

I gasped as Ryder leaned toward my ear.

"I'll punish you if you don't make him jealous right now."

His voice was low and sultry, and his hand slipped lower. I shuddered at his touch, and a low moan escaped my throat before I could stop it. Ryder brought the phone closer to his mouth and sat on the couch, pulling me onto his lap with his other hand.

"I've missed you," he whispered against my neck.

His voice went straight through the phone. I heard a chair scrape against the floor on the other end. It seemed Steve had stood up, and his voice came out louder this time, filled with anger and jealousy. In all my three years with Steve, I had never heard him sound that way.

"Rose, are you with a man? Are you now into prostitution just to feed yourself? Being with Maya doesn't mean I pushed you away. I still provide for you. Just come home."

His words made my blood boil. Was that how low he thought of me? Prostitution?

"You can be with Maya. I'll send the divorce papers soon."

"Tell me where you are. I'll come pick you up."

I stayed quiet.

"Rose," he called again. "What about Annie? What about her?"

I threw his own words back at him.

"You said she isn't your child. She's mine, so let me worry about her alone."

"You heard that?"

His voice was filled with frustration. Ryder allowed the conversation to continue without interfering, but his closeness made it difficult for me to think clearly.

"We can talk this out. Just tell me where you are. My mom is already asking about you. You know I can't inherit all my parents' businesses and property if I can't provide you and our daughter."

That was it. That was why he was looking for us. That was why he had kept us all this time. The inheritance.

"You can't find me. Forget about us. If you can't have the inheritance, that's your headache. It's not my business."

My voice rose into a yell, and the call ended. Ryder had pressed the red button, and I was glad because I had wanted to do it myself. The phone started ringing almost immediately, and Ryder tapped the screen, silenced it, and tossed it onto the other couch. Then he pulled me against his chest.

I started to cry. I was overwhelmed. The man I had given birth to a child with only wanted our daughter because of what he stood to gain, and the man I had loved and thought I had forgotten after leaving him in my hometown three years ago was now sitting there with me in his arms. I did not understand what I was feeling. He let me cry, and he only patted my head while holding me. I could feel his anger in the tension of his body. He was trying hard to contain it.

After a while, he suddenly asked, "You'll be job hunting?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself before nodding.

"What do you intend to do?"

I did not answer. I had not really thought about it. I did not have enough money to start a business of my own. I would have loved to start a small restaurant in town, just like my parents had. They had sold theirs when they went into debt. I only thought about it. I did not see any reason to tell Ryder. I did not want to owe him. I already owed him for helping me with Steve, and I did not know how things would have gone if I had been alone.

"There is an opening at my club."

"You have a club now?" I asked.

"Yeah. It's more like a motorcycle club and a workstation for bikes," he replied casually.

I nodded. Back then, he had just been a boy who loved riding bikes, and now he had turned it into a business. It felt good knowing he was doing well for himself.

"You can come work for me. The pay is good. You can—"

"No."

I quickly refused before he could finish.

"It's late. I think you should head home."

He nodded, and I got to my feet and adjusted my dress. He walked toward the door.

"You can choose to work for me, or you don't work at all."

He pointed toward the bedroom.

"I can be the man in your life and hers."

I stared at him.

"If you don't want to owe me that much, then work and earn your salary. I'll come pick you up tomorrow for your first day."

He said it like the decision had already been made, and then he walked out. I rushed to the door and bolted it, my back resting against it as I inhaled slowly. Maybe it would not be a bad idea. Just maybe. I could disappear somewhere none of those men would find me if this turned out to be a bad idea.