Page 25 of Ruin

His eyes flash down to mine. “Cam—”

But he’s cut off when the door flies open behind me.

“Mommy, I got it off! All by myself! See? I used wet wipes and the wipstick came wight off.”

My eyes swing down to Gigi. She’s still got lipstick marks on her face. But I can’t focus on that. Because her father is standing right there, in front of her, and she has no clue who he is.

Anger twists my gut.

I feel helpless and hurt and fucking livid.

I don’t know what to do. All I do know is that I want to get Gigi away from him, so he can’t hurt her like he hurt me.

But, before I even get the chance to get her back inside, she spots him.

“Who are you?” She steps forward, squeezing beside me, and tips her head back. Her eyes—his eyes—stare up at him in question.

My stomach drops out. “He’s no one,” I say quickly before he can speak. “Just the new mailman. You go back inside, Gigi. I’ll be in there in a sec.”

“We have a new mailman? Aw, but I wiked our old one. He told funny jokes. Do you tell funny jokes, New Mailman?”

I look up to Zeus, who is staring down at Gigi. His brow is creased. The way it always got when he was puzzled. When he couldn’t quite figure something out.

He shakes his head without taking his eyes from her. “I don’t know any jokes, kid. Sorry.”

Kid. He called her kid. Like he doesn’t even know her.

But he doesn’t.

I think I’m going to throw up.

“Gigi girl, can you go inside, please?” I say.

She ignores me and carries on. “S’okay,” she says to him with a shrug. “I’ll teach you some. I know lots. So, what’s your name, Mr. Mailman? Our old one was called Burt. My name’s Giselle Grace Reed. Everyone calls me Gigi. I have my granny Elle’s name. She’s called Giselle, too, like me, but everyone calls her Elle. And I have my other granny’s name, too—Grace—but I’ve never met her. She’s in heaven, Mommy says.”

Zeus’s eyes snap up to mine. Something in his expression twists.

“Gigi, please go inside, baby.” This time, I usher her into the house with my hands. “Get Granny Elle to help you find your ballet shoes.”

“Aw, but, Mommy, I was talking to our new mailman.”

“Gigi,” I say, using my mommy voice, “do as I asked.”

She sighs in that dramatic way she does. “Fine. Bye, Mr. Mailman.” She waves at him and then disappears back into the house.

I shut the door behind me and turn back to Zeus. His expression is tight. His eyes on the door. The spot where Gigi just was. Like he’s still watching her.

I step up to him, blocking his view, and hiss out, “You need to leave right the hell now. You have no goddamn right, turning up here like this.”

His eyes flash to mine. They look raw and angry and confused.

But I’m not confused. I know what I want, and it’s him, gone.

“Grace.” His voice sounds like gravel. He swallows. “She said her grandmother’s name is Grace…my mother’s name. And her eyes, Cam…so fucking blue…exactly like mine.”

“Of course they’re like yours!” I explode. “I can’t believe you think you can turn up here after all these years and just—”

“Stop!” His loud voice booms through the air, cutting me dead. “You said, of course her eyes are like mine.” His eyes are flickering between confusion and panic, and it’s making me jittery. “Are you telling me…are you saying…she’s my kid?”