Page 70 of Broken Destiny

Her voice dropped slightly, but it only made the words hit harder.

“You don’t get to walk in here like you still have that kind of access.”

I deserved that anger.

She had every right to feel it.

“I’m sorry,” I said sincerely.

She stopped mid-motion and stared at me, her body going completely still.

The familiar scent of her perfume drifted toward me, wrapping around my senses. It suited her perfectly—far better than anything Tatiana wore. Her hair had loosened slightly from her ponytail, softstrands framing her teardrop-shaped face, and her lips looked full and glossy under the warm light of the room.

All I could think about was how much she still affected me.

Even after everything that had happened between us.

My heartbeat turned uneven, drowning out the rational voice in my head that reminded me why I had come here. The longer I stood in front of her, the harder it became to focus on my purpose.

I needed to combat this.

The first step was simple: Apologize.

I took a few steps forward, shortening the distance between us.

“I’m really sorry I said those things to you. I?—”

“Caleb?”

I turned abruptly at the sound of my name.

Lucas stood a few steps away from me, sleep still evident in his eyes.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

I glanced at Jiya and then back at him.

“I came here to apologize to your mom.”

“Why?” Lucas asked, his voice small but serious. “What did you do?”

“I said some mean things to her.” I walked toward him and knelt so I could look him in the eye. “I hurt her feelings, and I came here to say sorry.”

He studied my face with a thoughtful expression, as though he was weighing my sincerity.

“Did you get her lilies?” he asked.

I shook my head, fully aware they were her favourite.

“Did you get ice cream?”

I shook my head again, knowing it was her favourite comfort food—the one thing that could soften her mood even on her worst days.

He crossed his arms firmly across his chest. “Then there’s no way you have a chance,” he declared. “She would accept your apology if you at least had ice cream.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth despite the tension in the room.

“Ah,” I said, smacking my lips. “I’ll remember that. Thanks. What do I do now?”