The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife (Blair and Grayson) novel Chapter 306

Chapter 306

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Chapter 306

~MARCO~

Caterina’s new place sat at the end of a quiet street, a modest house with a small porch and curtains drawn tight.

My mother had sent the address without asking if I wanted it. She’d known I would come. She always knew which wounds still bled when she pressed them.

I stood on the step for a full minute before I knocked. My hand hovered, then dropped.

I almost turned around. Loretta was home. Two plates sat untouched on the table because I’d walked out mid-sentence.

I had to do this. Caterina deserved an apology from me.

I knocked again.

The door opened on the second try.

Her hair was pulled back. She wore a plain sweater and no makeup, and she did not

smile when she saw me.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “Didn’t you ask me to stay away from you?”

My jaw tightened. Shame crawled up the back of my neck. “I talked to my mother.”

She went still. I watched the realization move through her eyes, slow and careful. “And?”

“I know the truth now. I know why you broke up with me.”

Her arms stayed crossed. The movement was defensive and tired at the same time, shoulders drawn high like she was bracing for something. “Is that supposed to change anything? You’re married. You made that very clear to the world. I saw the video of you telling everyone to forget the rumors. You want nothing to do with me. The past isn’t going to rewrite any of that, is it?”

The marriage was a contract. I knew that. She didn’t. But she was right; it couldn’t rewrite the years I’d spent hating her or the announcement I’d made making it known I was married to Loretta.

Then there were the feelings for Loretta I was still fighting. I’d built walls after Caterina broke my heart. Now I knew she hadn’t done it intentionally. My own mother had put her in an impossible position, and I’d spent every day since hating her for it.

“Nothing is going to change that I’m married,” I admitted. There was no point in telling her the truth right now when I still couldn’t offer her anything real. “But I do want to apologize.”

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Caterina stared at me. For a second thought she would close the door in my face. Instead she stepped back just enough to let me inside.

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Chapter 306

“She told you everything?” she asked.

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“She told me your mother was sick. She told me she offered to pay for the treatment if you ended things with me and never contacted me again. She told me you agreed. That you said what you had to say so I would hate you and stay away.”

Caterina’s arms stayed crossed. Her voice came out flat, but I could hear the crack underneath it. “That’s accurate. My mother needed the surgery. We didn’t have the money. Your mother made the offer. I took it.” She looked past me, somewhere over my shoulder. “I wrote the messages. I said the things that would make you stop looking for me. I told you I was bored. That you were too much. That I wanted someone who wasn’t so fucking intense all the time. I practiced them in the mirror until I could say them without crying. Then I disappeared just how she wanted.”

She swallowed like it was painful for her to remember. “My mother lived. I was so grateful that I kept my side of the deal. But it wasn’t easy. I missed you every single day we were apart. I used to drive past your home and sit in the car until someone came out, just so I could see if you were all right. I hated myself for it. I hated her for making me do it. And I hated you for believing every word I said.”

The guilt hit harder than I expected.

“I didn’t know she would go that far.” My voice came out rough. “I spent years thinking you woke up one day and decided I wasn’t worth it. I hated you for it. I told myself you were cold. That you used people. That I’d been an idiot for trusting you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry she put you in that position. I’m sorry I believed what she wanted me to believe.”

Caterina looked at the floor for a long moment, then back at me. “My mother is fine now. She recovered.”

“Good.” I meant it. “I’m glad she’s all right.”

“Are you?” Her eyes stayed on mine. “Because you still showed up at my door after posting a video calling another woman your wife. If this is guilt, say it and leave. If this is something else, I need you to be clear. I already paid once for wanting you. I’m not interested in paying again.”

I hadn’t expected her to be that direct. My hands curled at my sides. Loretta was at home right now, probably still sitting at the table with those two plates, wondering why I’d walked out. She’d looked at me differently tonight.

I’d told myself she didn’t like me. That she never had. That she wouldn’t care about any of this. I wasn’t sure of that anymore, and the uncertainty made everything worse.

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