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Cam grabs a serviette from the table, and tries to staunch his nose. He looks visibly shaken, his hand trembling as he mops up the blood.
“That’s it,” I say. Without looking at Henry, I tell Cam, “Come on.”
I stride out of the office, not waiting to see if Cam’s following. My face burning, I walk past the people who are watching and talking behind their hands, go into the lobby, and cross it to the exit. Only when I go through the sliding doors do I stop and turn.
Cam is six feet behind me, and he follows me outside. He looks at the tissues in his hand, which are covered with blood.
“Fucking animal,” he says. “That’s the last straw. I don’t want you seeing him anymore.”
I study his face, which I know so well. “Cam,” I say slowly, “you’ve been through so much, and I know you’ve done your best to make things work between us. But it’s just not enough. Not for me, anyway. I’ve tried. God knows, I’ve tried so hard. I know that relationships are about more than sex and excitement. They’re about loyalty and trust and duty and responsibility. But they should be about sex and excitement too. Or, at least, about love and physical affection. If sex was our only problem, I might be able to work through it. But you don’t show me any physical affection. You keep saying you’ll change, but you don’t, and I can’t live without it. A friend told me that I deserve to be happy, and I think she’s right. And Henry makes me happy.”
He lowers the tissue. He looks absolutely destroyed. “But… the baby…”
“The baby’s yours, and you’ll always be its father.”
“I’m not staying,” he says stubbornly. “I’m going to move to Australia.”
“If you want to, that’s your choice.”
His expression turns pleading. “Lettie, come on… don’t leave me, not now. I need you. Mum needs you. We all need you.”
I move back from his hand. “No.”
“Please… I can’t live without you. I don’t want to live without you.”
That final sentence kills any affection I still have for him. I turn and walk back inside, and I don’t look back.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Henry
I stand over by the windows, looking down at the Avon. I feel as if someone’s reached into my chest and ripped out my heart with their bare hands.
She’s gone with Cam. I went too far, and she obviously couldn’t bear the thought of Cam being hurt. It’s made her realize she wants to stay with him.
Hands on my hips, I rest my forehead against the glass and close my eyes. I can hear Alex and Tyson murmuring behind me, moving around as they clean up the blood that had sprayed across the room. It’s all over my shirt and my hand. I’ll need to go home, shower, and change. At the moment, though, I can’t even move away from the window. I think I might crumble into tiny broken pieces if I do.
I can’t believe I’ve lost her. I’m such a stupid, fucking idiot. Why can’t I keep my temper checked? Why do I—
“Henry,” Alex says.
I don’t reply, needing every ounce of control just to breathe.
“Henry,” he says again.
“Just… just give me a minute.”
“All isn’t lost, my friend.”
“Alex, I really can’t deal with your positive reassurances right now.”
“Bro,” he says. “Turn around.”
I open my eyes and blink a few times. Then I push off the glass and look over my shoulder.
Juliette is standing in the doorway. The automatic doors slide closed, and she steps back to avoid them, then curses and moves forward again to make them open. This time, she walks into the boardroom. Behind her, people are watching, wide-eyed, but she’s clearly oblivious of anything but me.
“It’s over,” she says.
