The Heart Left Behind (Cole and Yvonne) novel Chapter 48

"You can drop the holier-than-thou act," I said, unable to hold back my sarcasm. "We're divorced. What I do is none of your business."

Yvonne's expression darkened, but I didn't flinch.

Once upon a time, I would've bent over backward to keep her happy. I'd pluck the stars from the sky if she so much as frowned. And what did that get me? Betrayal. I had no patience left for her games or her guilt-tripping.

"Jonas, could you grab a change of clothes for me?" I asked, keeping my voice light. Jonas and I had been a team for so long that we had developed a rhythm. Even though he was just a kid, he always found small ways to help out, like carrying clothes or tidying up.

"Got it, Daddy. Hold on!" His cheeks flushed with excitement at being asked, and he eagerly turned to head to the room. Before he could take two steps, Xavier appeared out of nowhere, holding the very clothes I was asking for.

"Are these yours?" he asked coolly, sounding more like a little CEO than a child.

"Yeah," I replied, a bit caught off guard.

Even Yvonne looked surprised. "Xavier, did you get those for him?"

"Yeah," Xavier said flatly, handing me the clothes without looking at me directly.

His demeanor around Yvonne was always polite, almost formal. That was one of the few reasons I had yet to interfere much with how she raised him. At least he wasn't completely out of control—around her, anyway. But with me? All bets were off.

"Xavier, that's so thoughtful of you! See, you do care about your daddy," Yvonne said, her tone dripping with forced warmth. She was trying to play the emotional card again, just like she used to.

"Thanks, Xavier," I said, softening for a moment. He might be brash, but he was still my kid—even if his sharp edges often cut a little too deep.

Then, just as quickly, the claws came back out. "You're such a mess. How did you forget your own clothes? What a loser."