Page 51 of Breaking

Troy shut his eyes, his grip tightening on the glass. "What did she say?"

"That she's done." Lilly's voice cracked slightly. "I think she meant it."

A lump settled in his throat. "You think I don't know that?"

"She won't even hear me out, Dad." Lilly hesitated. "I don't know if she ever will."

A deep, weary sigh came from the other end of the line. Another voice, quieter, hesitant.

**Max.**

"She doesn't answer my calls either," Max muttered. "I don't blame her. I was awful to her."

Troy tensed. "And you suddenly care?"

Max's voice was different this time. Regretful. "I've always cared. I just never told her."

Troy didn't respond. He stared at the amber liquid in his glass, the silence between them thick with things left unsaid.

Max cleared his throat. "She was always there, you know? When I needed something, when I screwed up, when something did not work out-Mom was there. I never thought about what she got in return."

Troy gritted his teeth. "She got us. Her family."

Max let out a quiet, humourless laugh. "Did she?" His voice was quiet but cutting. "Because if she did, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Lilly exhaled sharply. "She's not the same Mom anymore. She's changed. And not because of Lila or the divorce or the scandal. "

Troy's jaw clenched. "That doesn't mean I'm giving up."

Max sighed. "You never did know when to quit, did you?"

Silence stretched between them, heavier this time.

Lilly spoke again, softer now. "She's not waiting for you, Dad. She's moved on. She's stronger than we ever gave her credit for."

Troy exhaled sharply. "I guess I'll find that out for myself."

Lilly sighed. "Just don't expect the Mom you remember."

Troy took a sip of his drink, the burn doing nothing to ease the weight in his chest.

"Yeah," he murmured. "I got that memo."

Chapter 41

Jenna sat stiffly in the leather chair, her hands folded in her lap. The overhead lighting did nothing to soften the exhaustion etched into her pale face, the dark circles beneath her blue eyes more pronounced than ever. Her usually bright hair hung limply over her shoulders, and the weight she had lost was evident in the sharp angles of her collarbones. She looked brittle, worn down-but not broken.

Troy Bradshaw didn't look much better. His normally crisp suit looked rumpled, his eyes shadowed with sleeplessness. The air between them was thick with something unspoken, something that had been festering for too long.

Jenna had refused to meet him at first. She had made it clear through Olivia that she wanted nothing to do with him, that everything should go through the lawyers. But after a week’s standoff, whether out of exhaustion or a desire to get this over with, she had relented.

Now they sat across from each other in the sterile conference room, a heavy silence stretching between them. Olivia sat beside Jenna, her presence meant to be reassuring, but Jenna's spine remained rigid, her hands clenched together as if bracing for impact.

Troy cleared his throat. "How are you?"

Jenna's expression remained impassive. She stared at a point just beyond his shoulder. "Fine."

His fingers curled into his palms. "Jenna-"