Amelia squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back the pain that threatened to swallow her whole.
She’d thought the kids just weren’t comfortable with her yet. Maybe that’s why they’d lied, just to avoid spending time together. But the truth was so much worse. The real reason was that they were all going out—with Kristen.
Father and kids, united in their little deception.
Amelia forced herself to keep watching, even though it felt like her heart was cracking open.
“Daddy, try this!” Penny called, bouncing over to Clive and tugging on his sleeve while he was on the phone. She stretched up on her tiptoes, holding out her ice cream.
Clive wasn’t a fan of sweets, but with his daughter looking at him like that, he bent down and took a small bite anyway.
Then Penny handed the ice cream to Kristen.
Kristen shot Clive a look, tucked her hair behind her ear, and leaned down—her cheeks flushing as she bit into the exact spot where Clive’s lips had just been.
Amelia’s stomach twisted in disgust. She actually felt a little sick.
Clive saw it too. He met Kristen’s eyes, and for a second, he gave her this kind of helpless, indulgent smile—soft, private, like there was a secret just between them.
Kristen seemed delighted. She smiled, her eyes almost sparkling as she offered Clive her half-finished drink, playfully tilting her head, coaxing him to try it.
Clive hesitated, but in the end, he just couldn’t say no. He leaned in and took a sip, right from the straw Kristen had just used.
Amelia had never seen him look at anyone like that—so gentle, so openly affectionate.
She remembered, years ago, how she’d first learned about Clive’s neat-freak tendencies.


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