Chapter 207
As soon as Nate heard about it, he launched into a heavily embellished version of the story for Theo.
The boy’s face crumpled-equal parts sorrow and anger.
Mom really had been bewitched by that awful Matty. She was a bad mom.
Nate continued, his tone full of disdain. “Last time at the talent showcase, your mom only beat Kelly by sheer luck. She threw juice all over Kelly before the performance, remember? Not to mention, she used that legendary violin-Shaluna.
“With all those unfair advantages, she still only managed to win by 0.1 points. What’s there to brag about?”
Theo’s expression dimmed.
He’d truly thought his mom was amazing. But Kelly and Nate made it sound like she’d just gotten lucky.
How could a mom who hadn’t even graduated high school possibly be more talented than someone like Kelly, who went to one of the best music schools in the world?
Besides… he had seen it with his own eyes-his mom really had thrown juice on Kelly.
But Kelly didn’t dwell on that. She said gently, “Theo, do you know what your mom and dad went off to do?”
Theo shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Kelly hesitated, then asked, “Theo… are your mom and dad really getting a divorce?”
“No way!” Theo blurted out before he could stop himself. “I just asked Dad! He said Mom wouldn’t divorce him!”
Something like worry flickered in Kelly’s eyes.
Nate caught the shift in her expression and gently patted her shoulder. “Kelly, I’ll go get Carter.” (1
She gave him a small, graceful smile. “Alright. I’ll stay with Theo.”
On the way to the hospital, Kelly had casually mentioned that Carter’s attitude toward Sharon seemed to be changing. That had
set Nate off. 1
“Kelly, come on. Carter will never be attracted to a middle school dropout like Sharon. Please. As long as I’m around, I’ll never let that happen. It’s all just a game-playing hard to get, pulling back to advance. Carter won’t fall for that.”
Reconciling them would be hard. But sabotage? That, he could do.
After all, Sharon had humiliated him last time, made him bark like a dog in front of everyone. He still hadn’t lived that down.
This time, he was going to make sure she paid for it. There was no way he’d let Carter have feelings for her.
Nate left the hospital room in search of Carter. Of course, he had no intention of finding him. What he wanted was to interrupt- disrupt-whatever was happening between Carter and Sharon.
That performance in the talent showcase was definitely a fluke. Sharon had just gotten lucky. But even so, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that Carter might be drawn in.
And Nate knew better than anyone-Carter had a weakness for women who played the violin well.
He stepped into the corridor and pulled out his phone to call Carter, but no one answered. Frowning, he began walking through the hospital, eyes scanning every corner.
Then, in a quiet hallway tucked away in the building, he caught sight of two familiar figures.
11/2
Of course, Carter-and that fox, Sharon.
So Kelly had been right to worry. Sharon was already swishing her tail, trying to seduce him.
Nate smirked. ‘Let’s see how shameless she can get.’
He crept closer, step by careful step, holding his breath like a thief. He didn’t dare get too near-if they spotted him, it was over. But from this distance, their voices were frustratingly muffled.
Still, he caught fragments.
“Not getting divorced”… “don’t want anything”… “tomorrow at ten”… something about meeting.
His eyes flew open, round as coins. It was like he’d just stumbled onto a scandalous secret.
2/2
