All Chapters of They Know What She Wants: Chapter 191 - Chapter 200

With a sigh, I rubbed my face hard with both hands, smearing the last traces of yesterday’s mascara across my cheeks, and stared at the blank TV screen across the room. Then I stood up, the blanket sliding to the floor in a heap. My legs felt shaky, but I paced the small living room anyway, bare feet slapping against the cold floor, fingers raking through my hair. I couldn’t just sit here anymore. I couldn’t keep staring at my phone waiting for him to decide I was worth calling back. I needed to see him. I needed to look him in the eye and hear him say it again—that it was a mistake, that he didn’t want me the way I wanted him—so I could stop torturing myself with the what-ifs.“Fuck this,” I said out loud. “I’m going to find him.”I didn’t even give myself time to talk myself out of it. I grabbed my coat from the hook by the door, shoved my feet into my boots without bothering to lace them properly, and snatched my keys and phone off the coffee table. Outside the cold slapped

“I know you said it was a mistake. But I can’t stop thinking about it, Paul. I can’t stop seeing your face when you came apart under me, I can’t stop hearing the way you said my name like it mattered, and now you’re not answering and Caleb said you’re never home and I thought something happened to you and I—”My voice cracked again, loud enough that Paul flush deepened to something almost crimson. He looked mortified but he didn’t pull away, thank fucking God. His hand stayed on my elbow, thumb brushing slow circles against the sleeve of my coat like he was trying to ground me through the fabric.“Shh, Mia, please,” he murmured, voice tight. “It’s alright. Just… let’s get you out of the middle of the bar, okay? Please.”I nodded jerkingly, messy tears still falling because I couldn’t make them stop. He helped me off the stool gently and guided me toward the back corner where the booths were emptier. His hand stayed on my elbow the whole way, warm even through my coat, and I hated h

But still, it also wasn’t her fault either.She’d been older, yes, but she’d also been the one left holding the baby while he was still figuring out how to be a man. She’d paid for everything, housed him, supported him through school, and then watched him become this calm, distant professional who was now asking for a divorce, even after she’d given up pieces of herself for his sake.Yes, she wasn’t innocent, but she wasn’t the villain I’d painted her as in my head either. She was just… human. “You were a kid,” I let out finally. “A fucking kid, Paul. Fifteen. I somehow get why she doesn’t want to let you go and why you can’t push her off completely but none of that makes you a bad person.”He didn’t answer right away, and when he eventually did, his voice was low and rough around the edges.“I did resent her for keeping the baby in the beginning,” he admitted with a soft chuckle. “I felt trapped by the baby’s existence and by a future I was not ready for, and by a woman who had ev

I stayed like that for a while, knees drawn up, blanket wrapped tight, staring at the door he had disappeared through.Then I pressed my forehead against my knees, trying to breathe through the rising panic. The only thing that pulled me out of my spiral was the sound of footsteps in the hallway. It was a steady, measured step that didn’t belong to Gage. I lifted my head just as a woman walked in. She looked to be in her forties, with hair pulled back into a very tight bun that didn’t allow a single strand to escape. Her posture was perfect, shoulders back, chin level, dressed in a crisp dark blouse and tailored pants. Her presence felt so intimidating that I didn’t even realize I had stood up until the words were already leaving my mouth.“Yes. I’m Thea.”She stopped a few feet away and looked at me with cool, assessing eyes. I quickly raised my hand for a handshake, the motion automatic and awkward in the heavy silence. But Caroline just stared at my outstretched hand for a b

“Get your hands off her,” Caroline said, her tone sharp for the first time since she’d walked in. She didn’t raise her voice, but the command cut through the air. Reyes laughed. The sound was low, rough, and way too amused for the situation. Then he gave my breast one last squeeze before his hand dropped away, but he didn’t let go of my waist. “Relax, Caroline. Just curious, that’s all. Girl’s got both father and son wrapped around her little finger. Gotta be something more than a pretty face and a tight—” “Enough,” Caroline cut in, stepping closer now. Her eyes flicked to me for a brief second, and I swear there was the tiniest flicker of disgust before the mask slid back into place. “We have a schedule. Let’s not waste time.” Please this can’t be happening. This just can’t! I was breathing hard, chest heaving, tears blurring my vision as I stared at her. “Why are you doing this?” She paused. Then walked toward me slowly, while Reyes kept his arm locked around my