All Chapters of Breaking Up With The Hottest Man On Ice : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Emma's POV Monday morning, I didn't go to work. I couldn't face Jake. Not after yesterday. Not after he had looked at me with those accusing eyes and asked if Alex was his son. I lied. Straight to his face, I had lied. And now I had to live with that lie. I called the office and left a message saying I was sick. since he didn't approve of my resignation. I lied I had Food poisoning. I will be back tomorrow. Another lie to add to the pile. Sarah came over with soup and sympathy. She found me on the couch, still in my pajamas, staring at nothing. "You can't hide forever," she said gently. "I can try." "Emma, you need to face this. Jake knows something is wrong. He's not going to let it go." "I know." I pulled a blanket tighter around myself. "That's why I agreed to Liam's plan. If Jake thinks I've moved on, if he thinks I have a whole separate life, maybe he'll stop digging." "Or maybe he'll dig harder because he's jealous." I hadn't thought of that. My phone rang. Liam's n

Jake's POV Emma's whole body went rigid. Her face showed everything. Shock. Fear. Guilt. And then she said, "No. He's not yours." The lie was written all over her face. "You're lying." "I'm not." "Emma, I can see it. You're lying to me right now. Just like you've been lying this whole time." I walked around the desk until I was standing right in front of her. "Look me in the eyes and tell me Alex isn't my son." She stood up. Met my eyes. And said with surprising steadiness, "Alex is not your son." But her hands were shaking. Her voice had a tremor. And her eyes—those eyes that I used to know so well—were begging me not to push further. "I don't believe you." "I don't care what you believe. It's the truth." "Then prove it. Let me do a DNA test." "No." "Why not? If he's not mine, what's the harm?" "Because he's my son!" Emma's voice rose. "He's my son, and I won't let you use him as some pawn in whatever revenge fantasy you're having!" "Revenge fantasy?" I laughed bitterl

Jake's POV I could go there right now. Knock on her door. Demand to see Alex. Get a DNA sample. A strand of hair. A used cup. Anything. But that felt too aggressive. Too invasive. I wasn't that person. At least, I didn't want to be that person. My phone buzzed with a text from Miguel. *"Got the hospital records. You're not going to like this."* My heart stopped. *"What did you find?"* *"Alex Reed was born April 15th, eight years ago. Not seven like Emma told you. She lied about his age."* I knew it. I knew she had been lying. *"What else?"* *"The birth certificate lists the father as 'unknown.' But Jake... there's something else. Something weird."* *"What?"* My phone rang. Miguel calling instead of texting. "You need to hear this," he said when I answered. "I called in a favor with a friend who works at the hospital. She pulled Emma's visitor logs from when Alex was born." "And?" "Emma had two visitors during her hospital stay. Sarah Martinez—that's her friend who came

Jake's POV I could do it. My mother was right about that. I had money, lawyers, a stable home, family support—well, maybe not family support anymore. But still. I could fight for full custody. I could take my son away from the woman who had kept him from me. But even as the thought formed, I felt sick. "That's your solution?" I asked. "Rip a child away from the only parent he's ever known? Traumatize him the same way you traumatized Emma?" "Emma traumatized herself by making poor choices." "No. You traumatized her. You threatened her. You scared a nineteen-year-old pregnant girl into running halfway across the world." I was seeing it clearly now. "What did you say to her, Mother? How did you convince her to take your money and leave?" "I simply explained the reality of the situation. That a baby would ruin both your lives. That you deserved better than to be trapped by an unwanted pregnancy. That she should do the right thing and let you go." "The right thing." I laughed bitter

Emma's POV Jake's hands were shaking as he scrolled through the messages. "She's been terrorizing you for eight years." "Yes." "And you never told anyone? Never asked for help?" "Who would have believed me? A poor girl claiming that a wealthy, powerful woman paid her off? Who would have taken my side?" Jake looked at me with something that might have been understanding. Or pity. I couldn't tell. "I believe you," he said finally. "About my mother. About the threats. About everything." Relief washed over me. "Thank you." "But Emma..." He stood up and handed me back the phone. His face was hard again. Closed off. "That doesn't change the fact that you kept my son from me for eight years. That you let me miss his entire childhood. That you made me believe I had done something wrong to make you leave." "I know. I know I did." "I grieved you. I grieved us. I spent years wondering what I had done wrong. Why you stopped loving me. And all that time, you were here with my son, living