Page 40 of Shattered Dreams

"I'll be back soon, okay?" She rubs noses with Poppy, who nods and grins at me.

"Mommy said you'll take me to the zoo."

Poppy claps her hands as Ava walks past me. I reach for her hand, and she stops, pulling away like my touch burns.

"You're mine. I don't care what you do with him—you'remine."

She holds my gaze, then shakes her head.

"No, I'm not. Not anymore."

15

ROMAN

There's making mistakes, and then there's ripping your wife's heart out and stomping on it until there's nothing left but a sticky mess beneath your feet. Then you try to pick it up, only to find you can't—parts are stuck to the ground, and no matter what, you can't get them. So you still get on your hands and knees, picking away bit by bit, until you manage to hold it all together again, carrying it to your chest as you try to fix it.

Here I was, on my hands and knees.

Metaphorically speaking.

"Why didn't Mommy come to the zoo? She said she was doing something really fun." Poppy pouts as I stiffen beside her.

We're decorating cookies despite it being seven PM andwaypast her bath time. I'm addicted to her company—she's the only thing keeping me from drinking myself into oblivion or killing Kieron.

"Because she's having a little holiday." I glance at Poppy's cookie with an amused grin. "Is that a Christmas tree?"

I watch her tongue push into the corner of her mouth as she concentrates, green icing pouring over the sides.

"No, silly, it's Earth."

I hold back a smile as she frowns at me, pointing at the cookie.

"It just needs water. Have we got water icing?"

I peer at the box of icing, then frown. "I can't see any."

"Mommy would know. Ask her."

I push myself up, reaching into the bakery cupboard behind me. Everything's labelled in Ava's beautiful script, and anything to do with Poppy has a heart at the end of it.

Poppy's favourites ?

I pull out the box, smiling.

God, I love my wife.

Even though she’s currently probably fucking—NO.

I can’t.

"There are lots of glittery ones in here?—"

"Yes, Daddy! You found them!" Poppy claps her hands as she digs into the box, pulling out a blue icing tube.

Her praise makes me feel like a king, if only for a minute.

"Has Mommy gone on holiday with Uncle Kieron?"