Chapter 1

Victoria Cooper's eyes lifted from the texts. She rubbed her temples, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

"Alexander, what are you making a fuss about now? I've done everything you asked. I moved back in, and I haven't spoken to Tyler in years. What more do you want from me?"

The way she said it, you'd think I was the one who'd done something wrong. I forced a strained smile.

"If you still have feelings for him, let's get a divorce right now."

I tried to keep my voice steady, but it came out hoarse anyway.

The moment the words left my mouth, Victoria snatched up the phone and hurled it to the floor. The crash of it shattering rang out, and the room went dead silent.

"You want a divorce over a few text messages? I never once replied to him, not in all these years!

"Do you have any idea how exhausted I am, Alexander? I'm sick of tiptoeing around your insecurities every single day.

"This was supposed to be over. What more do you want from me?"

She was trying to prove her innocence with sheer force. But to me, all that fury looked like nothing more than someone caught red-handed and too embarrassed to admit it.

The bedroom door flew open. My five-year-old son, Miles Marshall, came running out barefoot. He snatched a toy car off the floor and hurled it straight at me.

"Don't hurt Mommy! Bad man!"

The toy car hit me square in the forehead. Warm blood trickled down from the cut.

I wiped at my forehead and looked at the boy who, since the day he was born, had never once called me Dad. A wave of exhaustion washed over me.

"Miles, go back to your room. This is between your mom and me."

But he planted himself in front of Victoria, refusing to budge, and looked at me like I was his worst enemy.

I swallowed down the hurt and anger boiling up in me. Before I could say another word, the doorbell rang. Victoria's whole body went rigid. She hurried to the door, her steps a little too quick, and pulled it open.

It was Tyler Ford.

I hadn't expected him to have the nerve to show his face in front of me. When our eyes met, Tyler looked embarrassed. He ducked his head.

"Professor."

Just looking at him brought back memories of what had happened between him and Victoria in my office five years ago.

I forced down the nausea rising in my throat and turned to look at Victoria. Her eyes hadn't left Tyler since the moment he showed up.

Something in my chest twisted, a bitter kind of ache.

That was when Miles, who never warmed up to anyone, reached out on his own and tugged at Tyler's sleeve.

"Are you here to see Mommy?"

Doctors had said early on that Miles had severe autism. He didn't like being touched or approached by people. He'd never once called me Dad, not even to my face, and he only ever clung to Victoria.

I'd been disappointed more than once. But every time, I told myself the same thing: he was just sick. He just didn't know how to express himself.

But watching the scene in front of me now, I felt my whole body sway.

Tyler smiled and pulled a few pieces of candy from his pocket, pressing them into Miles's hand.

I reached out on instinct to stop him, my voice hard and cold. "His teeth are bad. He can't have candy."

I tried to pull my son back toward me, but he ducked behind Tyler and stuck his tongue out at me instead.

Victoria stepped sideways, blocking my view. She scooped Miles up into her arms and looked at me, her expression a tangle of things I couldn't quite read.

"Alexander, it's been five years. Your anger should have cooled off by now. Be honest with yourself. Think about how good I've been to you all this time.

"Tyler went through a lot of suffering abroad. It's time he came home."

I let out a cold laugh and clenched my fists.

"Victoria, when you got down on your knees and begged me five years ago, you swore you'd never have anything to do with him again. And now you're telling me he suffered, that you feel sorry for him, and you want him back?"

I looked at Tyler, my stomach churning, and pointed at the door.

"Get out. Don't dirty my floor."