PART 16:

Like what? Like the way you listen to Emma without checking your phone. The way you get excited about books. The way you’re patient even when she’s being ridiculous. Ryan leaned back against the couch. Tory Brennan was fake. But the person who sat in my daughter’s room reading chapter books until she fell asleep, that was real. Victoria felt tears starting.

I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t either. But I know that Emma needs stability. She needs to know that people who say they care about her actually stick around. I want to stick around. For how long? Until the novelty wears off? Until you realize that my life is small and ordinary and doesn’t fit with your billionaire lifestyle? My billionaire lifestyle is lonely and empty.

Your small ordinary life is the best thing I’ve ever had. Ryan looked at her for a long time. I believe you mean that right now in this moment. I believe you. But I also believed you when you said your name was Tori and you worked at a nonprofit. That hurt, but it was fair. What do you need from me? Victoria asked. To trust me again.

What do I need to do? I don’t know. Time. Maybe. Consistency. Proof that you’re not going to disappear the second things get hard. I can do that. Can you? Because you have a whole other life, Victoria. A company, employees, responsibilities that probably don’t include hanging out in a mechanic’s apartment eating burnt cookies.

I can make it work. How? You lied about everything for 3 months. How do I know you’re not just saying what I want to hear? Victoria didn’t have a good answer for that because he was right. She’d spent 3 months proving she was an excellent liar. Now she needed to prove she could tell the truth. I don’t know how to convince you, she admitted, except to keep showing up and hoping that eventually you’ll believe me.

Ryan stood up, paced to the window, and back. Emma asked me tonight if you were going to be her new mom. Victoria’s heart stopped. What did you say? I said it was complicated. She said that’s what adults say when they don’t want to tell the truth. He almost smiled. Kids too smart for her own good.

She gets that from you. She gets that from her mother. Ryan’s voice got quieter. Sarah was the most honest person I ever knew. She couldn’t lie to save her life. If she was upset, you knew. If she was happy, you knew. There was never any question about where you stood with her. You must miss her every day. But I’ve also accepted that she’s gone.

I built a life for Emma. A good life, stable, safe. And then you came in and made me feel things I didn’t think I’d feel again. And now I don’t know if I can go back to how things were. I don’t want you to go back. I want us to go forward. As what? You haven’t even told me what you want from this. Victoria took a breath.

I want to be with you. And Emma, I want Sunday dinners and burnt cookies and bedtime stories. I want to be part of your life. Really part of it. Not as some secret billionaire slumbing it with regular people. Just as me and your company, your other life. I’ll figure it out. I’ve been running that company for 5 years.

I can delegate more, work remotely, make it work around us instead of making us work around it. That’s easy to say now. Then watch me do it. Ryan looked at her. Really? Looked at her. I can’t make any promises. I can’t just forgive you and pretend the last 3 months didn’t happen. I’m not asking you to. What are you asking? A chance.

Just one real chance. No more tests. No more lies. just us figuring out if this can work. Ryan was quiet for so long, Victoria thought he was going to say no. Thought he was going to ask her to leave and never come back. Instead, he said, “Emma has a field trip next Tuesday to the aquarium. They need parent chaperones.” Victoria’s heart kicked.

Okay. If you want to come, be here at 7:30 in the morning. It’s an hour drive. The kids are loud and chaotic. You’ll smell like fish all day. And you have to actually show up, not send some assistant or cancel because a meeting came up. I’ll be here. I mean it, Victoria. If you commit to this, you have to actually commit.

No half measures. No backing out when it gets inconvenient. I understand. Do you? Because this isn’t a boardroom. You can’t just delegate Emma to someone else when you get busy. She’s a real kid with real feelings already been abandoned once. I know and I will be here. 7:30 Tuesday morning, I promise. Ryan nodded slowly.

Okay, then we’ll see. It wasn’t forgiveness. It wasn’t even close, but it was a chance, and that was more than Victoria had hoped for. She stood up. I should go. Let you get some rest. Ryan walked her to the door. They stood in the doorway, close but not touching. Thank you, Victoria said. For the chance, I won’t waste it.

You better not because if you hurt Emma again, Michelle will kill you and I’ll help her hide the body. Victoria smiled despite herself. Fair enough. She started to leave, but Ryan caught her wrist. Victoria. She turned. I’m glad you came tonight. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Victoria drove home with her heart feeling lighter than it had in a week.

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