Page 28 of My Girl to Use

The words hit like a physical blow. I stare at her.

“No.” I shake my head slightly. “That’s not…he would have told me.”

“Would he?” she counters smoothly. “Or are you exactly what I said…a distraction? Something to pass the time before he returns to his real life?”

My mind starts racing, replaying everything. The way he avoids certain questions. The way he never talks about his family. The way he just…appeared.

“No,” I whisper again, but it sounds weaker now.

“You don’t belong with him,” she continues, her voice softer but no less sharp. “And deep down, you know that.”

I swallow hard, my throat tight.

“And Levi?” she adds, her eyes flicking down again. “Do you think a family like ours would ever accept that situation? A woman with a child she can’t even legally claim?”

My heart clenches painfully. “I’m not giving him up,” I say immediately, my voice stronger now, fiercer. “No matter what you say.”

“I’m not asking you to give him up,” she replies. “I’m telling you that you might not have a choice.”

The threat hangs in the air. Cold. Real.

“What do you want?” I ask again, my voice barely steady.

She watches me for a second, then nods slightly, like I’ve finally caught up. “You will end things with my son,” she says. “Convincingly.”

My stomach twists. “No.” I shake my head, slightly shifting back, “I won’t.”

“You will,” she corrects, “or I will make that call.”

My breath stutters. Tears burn behind my eyes, but I blink them back. I hold Levi closer, pressing my cheek briefly to his head like I can draw strength from him.

“Why?” I whisper. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because he is not thinking clearly,” she says, her tone sharpening just slightly. “And I am his mother. I will not allow him to throw everything away for something temporary.”

Temporary. The word slices deeper than I expected.

“You don’t know him,” I say, my voice shaking now despite everything. “You don’t know what he wants.”

“I know exactly what he needs,” she replies. “And it is not this. My son turns thirty in two days,” she continues. “By then, this…relationshipneeds to be over. Clean. Final. No confusion.”

I can’t breathe properly. “You want me to break his heart,” I say slowly.

“Yes.” The answer is immediate. Unapologetic.

“And if I don’t…you’ll take Levi.”

“I inform the appropriate authorities,” she corrects. “What happens after that is out of my hands.”

A tear slips down before I can stop it. I wipe it away quickly, my teeth clenched hard.

“You’re a horrible person,” I whisper.

She doesn’t react. “I’m a practical one.”

I close my eyes for a second, my entire body trembling slightly. My hold on Levi tightens. His warmth and small movements are the only thing keeping me grounded right now.

I know exactly how this goes. Somebody makes a call, and somebody else writes it down, and then it’s in a folder with his name on it, and the folder doesn’t care that I’ve fed him every four hours for six months. Nobody came for me. Nobody’s coming for him either—except her. She’s the only one who ever would.