Second Chance His Unending Love (Calista Hartwell) novel Chapter 3

The rain keep pouring down.

Calista decided it was time to leave with Olivia.

But the clerk suddenly rushed over to stop them. “Ma’am, please wait! I’m so sorry about earlier. I didn’t realize who you were. Please don’t be upset. A room just opened up. Could you come back and check in?”

The young woman rambled in a breathless rush, her words tumbling over each other as she ushered Calista and Olivia back to the desk. She kept stealing nervous glances at Calista, her eyes swimming with relief like she’d just narrowly avoided a disaster.

“How come we can suddenly get a room now?” Calista asked.

The clerk shook her head. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Management said so, but I don’t know the details.”

Calista and Olivia exchanged confused looks, but they went ahead and checked in anyway.

As soon as they got in the elevator, Olivia couldn’t help asking, “Mom, do you think Dad called the hotel?”

Killian was the CEO of Frost Group, a heavyweight in New York’s business world. Pulling strings like this would be child’s play for him.

If he had done it, maybe there was a sliver of conscience left in him after all.

But Calista didn’t think so.

The Killian she knew was cold, proud, and stubborn to a fault. He was used to everyone else apologizing to him, not the other way around. Why would he go out of his way to help her?

Besides, he was probably still at the celebration dinner, laughing it up with Nicole right now.

Calista took a deep breath.

Whatever. It doesn’t matter anymore.

Once they stepped into the cozy, well-appointed room, Calista pulled out the exam gift she’d prepared in advance.

Olivia tore off the wrapping paper in a flurry, and her face lit up with joy.

“Mom, you actually found Sir Winchester’s chess book?”

She stared at the book in her hands, her eyes wide with wonder and delight. “You must’ve gone through so much trouble to get this!”

The chess master Wesley Winchester’s books were practically impossible to find. Everyone wanted a copy, but no one was selling—not at any price.

Olivia had only mentioned liking his work once, in passing, and Calista had remembered.

Mom’s love is so gentle, so thoughtful. Why couldn’t Austin see that?

Olivia threw her arms around Calista, squeezing her tight.

At 16, Olivia had grown into a striking young woman. At five foot four, she was almost as tall as her mother now.

“Mom, I love this gift so much. I love you.”

Calista’s heart ached. Olivia’s response filled the gaping emptiness inside her, but it also made her feel guilty.

She squeezed Olivia’s hand tight, her voice thick with emotion. “Olivia, I’m so sorry.”

Tonight’s celebration should’ve been for her too.

Olivia had scored only one point less than Austin on the exam, placing second in the entire city. But there were no congratulations, no party, no family cheering her on.

Just the two of them, holed up in a hotel room, celebrating alone.

“Mom, don’t say that!” Olivia pulled back, her cool, pretty face set in a determined scowl.

She spoke sharply, her voice ringing with conviction. “You’ve been way too good to all of us! That’s why you’ve been holding everything in for two whole years!”

Tears stung Calista’s eyes, hot and heavy.

Two years ago, she’d been using Killian’s old computer to edit some files when she accidentally stumbled on photos of him with Nicole.

Nicole was only 21 back then, still in college, but Frost Group recruited her as an intern.

The photos showed her brimming with energy and playfulness, and somehow, she made Killian look younger too, even though he was 22 years older than her.

They’d gone to escape rooms together, dressed up as a prince and princess at Disney World, and hit the slopes for skiing trips in the mountains.

In all those sweet, smiling photos, Killian looked so relaxed, so carefree like he was the happiest man alive.

But he seemed to have forgotten that when they were young, they’d loved each other just as passionately.

He used to shower her with promises, whispering them in her ear like they were precious secrets.

“Calista, I’m gonna take you around the world. We’ll go skiing in St. Moritz. We’ll chase the Northern Lights in Lapland together. Calista, you’re the only woman I’ll ever love.”

How could he give another woman all the things he’d promised her?

When Calista’s trust shattered into a million pieces, she made a huge scene—screaming, crying, throwing things.

Even though Killian swore up and down that they hadn’t crossed any lines, she drafted divorce papers that same night.

But right before she signed them, one sentence from Killian stopped her cold.

He said, “When the kids are ready to get married someday, you really want people looking down on them for coming from a broken home?”

Calista ended up forgiving him. She was in her forties. She could survive without love.

For the kids’ sake, she treated Killian like a walking ATM. She stayed polite and distant, did all the things a wife was supposed to do, and stopped expecting anything or complaining.

She only let herself grieve during those lonely, quiet nights when nobody was watching.

But today changed everything. Austin’s betrayal and seeing what Olivia was going through made her see the truth.

She had to get divorced.

Calista looked at Olivia, her voice steady but heavy with resolve. “Olivia, the road ahead is gonna be really hard.”

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