Page 35 of My Girl to Use

“That’s not your decision to make!”

“It becomes my decision when it interferes with my son’s future.”

“That’s not your call!” I cut in sharply, my patience gone. “You don’t get to decide who I love or what my life looks like.” My hand flies to my neck as tension rolls down my back.

“You’re not thinking clearly,” she replies, her tone sharpening now. “You’ve always been impulsive, but this…this is reckless, even for you.”

“No,” I say, my voice steady despite the anger burning through me. “What’s reckless is you thinking you can manipulate people into doing what you want without consequences.”

“I did what was necessary to bring you back.”

“I’m not coming back.”

“You will,” she insists. “You have responsibilities—”

“No,” I cut her off again. “You have expectations. That’s not the same thing.”

Silence falls again, heavier this time. “I gave her a choice,” she says finally.

“You backed her into a corner.”

“I protected your future.”

My hand tightens on my neck before balling into a fist and dropping to my side. “You destroyed my relationship.”

“If it was that easy to destroy, it wasn’t worth keeping.”

That does it. “You don’t get to decide that,” I snap. “And you don’t get to touch anything in my life again.”

“Jaxon…”

“I’m done,” I say, my voice low and final. “I’m done with the company. I’m done with the expectations. I’m done letting you control anything about me.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do.”

Sienna watches me closely now, something like pride flickering in her expression.

“I’m choosing my own life,” I continue. “And it doesn’t include Corbin Industries.”

“That company is yours.”

“No.” I shake my head. “It’s Sienna’s.”

There’s a sharp inhale on the other end. “Absolutely not.”

“She’s better at it than I ever was,” I say. “And you know it.”

“She has a family—”

“And I don’t?” I shoot back. “Or is it only a family when it fits your version of what that looks like?”

Silence.

“You want a CEO?” I press. “You already have one. You just refuse to see it.”

Sienna’s lips part slightly, clearly not expecting me to go this far.