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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: IN A HEARTBEAT

OWEN

“Fine, FINE! I’ll end it!” I snarl into the phone, fury burning through me. “You will never have to worry about Millie ruining anything!”

“I’m glad you’re seeing reason, son,” Gerald replies in a condescending tone.

Goddamnit, why do I have to deal with his bullshit now? I got home from dropping Stacey off and barely made it out of the shower when my phone rang the first time…though it wasn’t Gerald. It was Elise.

Thinking over it, I should have seen the warning signs the moment she called. What happened? Right…

“Hey, Elise” I cautiously say, picking up the phone “What’s up…?”

“Have you seen the news?” she asks in a tight voice. I can tell she’s trying to keep it together, but she’s barely holding on.

“What news?” I ask sharply, already heading to the living room to grab my tablet off the couch.

“Just… Google your name,” she instructs before hanging up.

I toss the phone down and open the tablet. My stomach drops as soon as the headline stares back at me: Is Weston Cheating on Richardson Before Their Wedding Day?

“What the actual hell?” I mutter. There are two photos with the article — one of me kissing Stacey at the Nashville game, and another of Elise and me at a charity event three years ago.

Oh, fuck. I should’ve seen this coming, but I’ve been so occupied with Stacey and Millie, that it didn’t even cross my mind that this would happen. Still, how is this such big news? It really doesn’t merit a front page story — it’s not like Elise and I are fucking royalty — so why’s it top featured on such a major Canadian news outlet?

Grinding my teeth, the answer is so obvious, I feel stupid I even wondered for a second. Gerald. It had to have been Gerald. No doubt he used his power and influence to push the story and make it more prominent. It’s highly possible he’s an investor in this outlet, though I can’t keep track of every business he has his hands in.

Grabbing my phone again, I call Gerald.

He picks up after the second ring, his voice smooth as ever. “Owen, to what do I owe this ? —”

“Cut the crap, Gerald!” I snap, pacing the room. “Did you blow up this story about me supposedly cheating on Elise?”

There’s a pause before he replies in his condescending tone. “It’s not my fault people are so interested in scandals. If you hadn’t cheated on Elise so publicly…”

“I’m not marrying Elise!” I yell. “I never agreed to that, and I never will!”

“You’re forgetting who you are, Owen,” Gerald says, his voice dropping to something more menacing. “You’d do well to remember the privilege being part of the Weston family affords you. If you don’t play your part, there will be consequences.”

“Consequences?” I scoff, my voice laced with disbelief and fury. “You’re out of your damn mind.”

“Am I?” he says smoothly. “Think carefully. How would you like it if you never saw your daughter again?”

I freeze. Millie? He knows about Millie? The room spins as his words sink in. No…no, he couldn’t possibly… I only just found out, how does he?…

I picture my little girl, so sweet and innocent, with her big blue eyes and her mother’s wild red hair. My heart seizes in my chest. Gerald has always been cold and cruel, but to threaten a child — my child — is more vicious than I would have thought him capable.

A rush of protective instincts pour through me, as well as fury.

“How the fuck do you know about Millie?” I grind out, my grip tightening on the phone.

Gerald laughs, low and smug, and it feels like acid is being poured on my nerves. “Oh, Owen. Did you really think I wouldn’t know? I’ve always known. I’m the one who ensured you stayed far away from that life-destroying whore you knocked up.”

“You did what?” My voice is deadly quiet now, but my rage is boiling through me. Is this him admitting to deleting Stacey’s voicemail that she told me she left? Keeping me from finding out about her pregnancy, all these years?”

For all this time, this fucking asshole knew I had a kid out in the world, and he kept it hidden from me. Made me think that Stacey had simply ghosted me even though I was so desperately in love with her.

I’m not a violent man outside of the rink, but the urge to beat Gerald within an inch of his life slams into me. He’s lucky he’s over a thousand miles away.

“You should be thanking me,” he continues, his arrogance unbearable. “I saved you from throwing your life away on a mistake. Do you really think you’d be where you are now if I hadn’t intervened? Now, end this little rebellious act and everything will be okay. Marry Elise, produce an heir linked to two powerful families, and ensure once and for all that I gain control over the family business. I deserve it more than either of my self-righteous, worthless older brothers, and this will prove it once and for all. We won’t have to worry about your little brat ruining our family’s reputation.”

I grind my teeth. Little brat? Millie is a goddamn angel, and this prick would be lucky to have her in his life. That won’t happen, though. He wants my rebelliousness to end? Well, he’s going to get exactly what he wants.

Which is why I find myself now, still on the phone with him, making him think that he’s won.

“You’re welcome,” Gerald says in a bitter tone. “All I’ve ever done is give you a good life, and this is the thanks I get? Well, you’ll realize soon enough that I’m right, Owen, and when you do…”

I don’t bother listening to the rest and hang up the call, throwing the phone onto the couch. My chest heaves as I try to steady myself, but it’s no use.

I’m seething. I now know, for certain, that Gerald is the reason I’ve missed so much of Millie’s life, and has kept me from Stacey. I always knew he was an asshole, but this is diabolical.

A sudden knock at the door jolts me out of my seething thoughts. My blood is boiling, and I don’t want company, but it’s not like me to leave a door unanswered. When I swing it open, Elise is standing there, looking frazzled and out of place.

“Elise?” I ask, my voice hard. “What the hell are you doing here?”

She glances past me into the room before meeting my eyes, biting her lip nervously. “I already had a trip planned to the states, but I changed my flight to here when this happened. I tried calling you, but you never answered and I needed to warn you about the article. I overheard our fathers talking about it yesterday. The photo of you and Stacey at the game went viral within hours and Gerald saw it. How he got the article out so fast, I don’t know but…”

I cut her off, crossing my arms. “You mean the article about straying from our nonexistent relationship and cheating on you? That one?”

She flinches at my tone but presses on. “Yes, obviously that one. I came to give you a heads up and try to come up with a plan so we can handle this. I didn’t expect to run into her right away...” Her voice trails off, and she looks suddenly nervous, glancing down and wringing her hands.

“What?” I snap, already running out of patience. “Who did you run into?”

“When I got here, to your place, I think I might’ve fucked up,” she says softly, her cheeks turning red.

My stomach twists. “What are you talking about, Elise?”

She pulls something from her bag — a folded piece of paper — and holds it out to me.

“I think your girlfriend was here,” she says, her voice wavering. “Your real one.”

“What?” I shake my head, confused. “You must have been mistaken. Stacey would’ve let me know she was here.”

“She looked really upset,” Elise explains. “She was crying and running away. She was so flustered she dropped this. I… I think you should see it.”

Baffled, I reach out and take the paper. She couldn’t have seen the article already, could she? It’s not like she’d be tapped into Canadian news… right? My mind is whirling, still trying to figure out what Stacey could’ve been upset about, when I open the paper. I freeze as my eyes scan what’s inside. It’s a letter with my signature at the bottom. As I scan the words, however, I know immediately… I didn’t write this.

Stacey,

I’ve moved with my family to Canada. My mom and Gerald are getting married. He wants to be closer to his family and their businesses. He’s promised to enroll me into a school with one of the top hockey programs in the whole country and to support my dream to play professionally. It’s an opportunity I couldn’t have gotten in Wisconsin, and I can’t waste this chance.

I’m writing to let you know that it’s over between us. I need to focus on my future and while what we had was a fun distraction, it was never anything serious. If I’m going to be a success, I can’t be held back by a fling I got into because I was bored living in a small town. Don’t try to contact me. I won’t respond. It’s better for us to both move on.

Owen

“What the fuck is this?” I mutter, my hands trembling as I read. The letter is cruel, dismissive, like it was written by someone who wanted to destroy Stacey, not just break her heart.

“That’s not yours?” Elise asks hesitantly, sounding almost hopeful.

“No,” I growl, my voice low and dangerous. “It’s not mine. Stacey had this?”

She nods. “Yeah. She dropped it. When I read it, I couldn’t believe you’d given her something so cruel, but if you didn’t write it, then who…?”

I think back to when I first arrived in Denver and we saw each other again. She was so standoffish — so cold. It took her so long to tell me about Millie, as if she were afraid to.

If this is the letter she received, what happened to the one I actually wrote?

It all clicks in an instant. It is a forged letter. Gerald’s smug threats on the phone. His talk about keeping me away from Stacey.

“Fucking Gerald,” I spit, crumpling the letter in my hand.

“Gerald?” Elise asks, wide-eyed. “You think he wrote that awful letter?”

“It’s him,” I say with certainty. “He’s been pulling strings behind the scenes this whole time. This —” I hold up the crumpled paper, “— this is his doing. He forged this letter to push Stacey away, back when we were first together. To keep me from her. This is the letter that kept us apart.”

Elise looks genuinely shocked. “Are you sure?”

“I’d bet my life on it,” I say, my jaw clenching. “He’s been meddling for years. I should’ve known. Now it makes so much sense why Stacey disappeared completely. Why I never knew she was pregnant with my baby…”

“Woah, pregnant?” Elise gasps. “You have a kid?”

“Yeah,” I murmur. “A beautiful little girl named Millie. Gerald kept me apart from her for seven years… I can’t forgive him for that.”

Elise stares at me, her brows drawn tight, her mouth opening and closing like she’s trying to find the right words but keeps coming up empty. Finally, she takes a hesitant step closer.

“What are you going to do?”

I glance down at the crumpled letter in my hand, the weight of everything finally pressing down on me.

“I’m going to talk to my mom,” I say firmly.

Elise blinks, clearly confused. “Your mom?”

“Yeah,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “Because what I’m about to do isn’t just cutting ties with Gerald. It’s cutting ties with the whole family — and that’s going to put Mom in a difficult spot. I need to warn her that things are going to change. I’ve put up with Gerald’s bullshit all this time for her. For her happiness. But now, I’ve got my own family to protect — Stacey and Millie. They’re what matters. She can do what she wants, but if she wants to interact with my family, it won’t be with Gerald.”

“Are you really prepared to give it all up?” Elise asks softly. “Walk away from the Weston name and everything it could give you?”

I regard her for a moment and I see the hesitant hope in her gaze. Does she want me to say yes? Would that make it easier for her to cut ties with her family and live the life she wants?

“For Stacey and Millie?” I say. “In a heartbeat.”

Elise looks away, her lips pressed into a thin line.

She’s quiet for a moment before she finally says, “You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” She looks back at me, her eyes shining with regret. “I’m sorry I risked your happiness, and I risked your family, all because I’ve been too scared to deal with my father myself. Seriously, I’m so sorry.”

I study her for a moment. “Can you help me?” I ask, stepping closer. “We should do this together.”

Her brows knit again. “What do you mean?”

“I’m going to need to go back to Canada for a few days to deal with this mess,” I explain. “If I’m going to blow up Gerald’s world, I need to make sure everything’s in place first. That means I’ll need your help.”

Elise hesitates for only a moment before she nods.

“Okay, I’ll do what I can,” she says earnestly.

“Good.” I release a long breath. “This ends now. For good.”