Chapter 84
Adam's POV:
I stared at the mashed banana in the bowl, pressing the fork down again and again until it was nothing but yellow pulp.
"So." Maya's voice cut through the silence. "You shouldn't waste too much time on me. You should go to the office."
My hand stilled. The fork clattered against the bowl.
She was dismissing me. Again.
I set the bowl down, the banana massacre complete. Grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair and left.
---
The coffee shop below Chloe's office building was half-empty. I sat in the corner booth, staring at my untouched espresso until the crema dissolved into murky brown.
"Mr. Sterling."
I looked up. Chloe Vance stood at the edge of the table, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
I gestured to the seat across from me. "Please. Sit."
She ordered a latte.
"What do you want?" Her tone wasn't hostile—just direct.
"I need to know." My voice came out rough. "About Maya. The past five years."
Chloe's eyebrows rose. "You're asking the right person. No one knows Maya's life better than me."
She leaned back, studying me with something close to contempt.
"You should know exactly how much of an asshole you've been."
I didn't flinch. "Tell me."
"What did you do?" Chloe's laugh was bitter. "Hiding your identity was fucking insane, Adam. If you hadn't lied to her from day one, none of this would've happened."
My eyes darkened. I regretted it. But I couldn't undo it.
"Why did she break up with me?" The question tore out of me. "Did she really just... want to marry rich?"
Chloe's expression hardened. "You spent a year with her. Don't you know what kind of person she is?"
"I don't know the full story." Chloe's fingers drummed against her coffee cup. "But Maya had her reasons. She always does."
"After you disappeared," Chloe continued, voice cold, "Maya looked everywhere for you. Do you have any idea what that was like? She was pregnant, Adam. Huge belly. Swollen ankles. And she came to Boston looking for me, begging me to help find you."
The words hit like punches.
"I couldn't help her," Chloe said quietly. "So she walked the streets every single day. Back Bay. Beacon Hill. The Financial District. Hoping to run into you. How pathetic is that?"
My throat closed.
"She kept it up until she started bleeding." Chloe's voice dropped. "Hospital put her on bed rest. That's the only thing that stopped her."
I couldn't breathe.
"She was waiting for you, Adam. Waiting to tell you about Amy. Waiting for you to come back so you could... what? Be a family?" Chloe shook her head. "But you? You made yourself impossible to find."
"I didn't know—"
"How could you be that cruel?" The anger finally broke through. "Maya had Amy alone. Recovered from childbirth alone. No one to help with the baby. Do you understand how hard that is?"
I pressed my palms against my eyes. "Her mother—wasn't she in Cleveland? Couldn't she—"
"Her mother?" Chloe's laugh was hollow. "Maya's mother doesn't exist. Not in any way that matters."
I lowered my hands.
"Maya called her before Amy was born," Chloe said. "Begged her to come help. Just for a few days. Her mother said no. Hung up. Haven't talked since."
The room tilted.
"Maya's relationship with her family..." Chloe trailed off. "She doesn't talk about it much. But from what I know? Her mom's been... absent. Neglectful. Maya and Amy—they've been on their own this whole time."
She kept talking. About Maya's job search. The rejections. The desperation. How Julian had been the only one willing to hire a single mom with a newborn.
I wasn't listening anymore.
All I could see was Maya. Pregnant. Alone. Walking the streets of Boston looking for a ghost.
I did that to her.
Something hot slid down my cheek.
I wiped it away, but another tear followed.
---
I don't remember driving back to Sterling Global.
I just... ended up at my desk. Staring at nothing.
Someone knocked.
I didn't have the energy to respond.
James pushed the door open anyway. "Mr. Sterling. Claire's investigator sent this over. Information on Miss Bennett."
My eyes focused.
James set the file on my desk, then left without another word.
I opened it.
The first page was routine. Addresses. Employment. Credit score.
The second page—
I couldn't finish.
The words blurred.
Maya had grown up like... like she didn't exist.
Shipped off. Forgotten.
No wonder I'd never seen her call home. Never seen her go back for holidays.
She'd been alone her whole fucking life.
And then I'd—
I'd made it worse.
The tears came again. Harder this time.
The door opened.
I looked up.
It was Ethan and Parker.
Both of them froze.
"Holy shit," Ethan said. "Are you crying?"
I wiped my face roughly.
Parker closed the door. Ethan walked toward my desk.
"It's just a woman, man," Ethan said. "You like Maya's type? We'll find you another one. Someone who doesn't—"
"Who doesn't what?" I snarled.
Ethan took a step back. "Jesus. Okay. But seriously—Maya lied to you for five years. That's some serious manipulation. She's a total—"
"Finish that sentence," I said quietly, "and I'll fucking destroy you."
Parker grabbed Ethan's arm. "Dude. Stop."
"I'm just saying!" Ethan protested. "Maya pulled some serious shit. You're allowed to be pissed—"
"Amy is my daughter," I said.
Silence.
Parker recovered first. "I knew it. I knew she looked like you."
Ethan blinked. "Wait. For real? Did you do a paternity test—"
I threw a pen at him. "Do I need a fucking test to recognize my own child?"
"I mean... you didn't know before," Ethan muttered.
I wanted to throw something heavier.
Parker grabbed the file from my desk. Started reading.
His expression shifted. Softened.
"Fuck," he said quietly. "This is... Maya really went through it, huh? No dad. Mom basically abandoned her. Boarding school from eleven?"
He handed the file to Ethan.
Five minutes later, Ethan slammed it down.
"What kind of mother does that?" he demanded. "Just... just ships her kid off and forgets about her? If you're going to have kids, you should actually raise them. This is bullshit. I'd go no-contact too."
He paused. "Actually, this is almost as bad as your mom."
Parker kicked his shin.
"So what are you going to do?" Ethan asked.
"I want her back," I said. "I want to marry her. But she—"
"Why?" Ethan threw up his hands. "She should be jumping at the chance! Marrying you would solve all her problems—"
"Get out," I said coldly.
"What? I'm just—"
"Out."
Ethan held up his hands. "Fine. Fine. My bad."
Parker cleared his throat. "Look. If Maya kept Amy, she obviously has feelings for you. She's probably just... hurt. Give her time. Be consistent."
"When you were together in Cleveland," Ethan asked suddenly, "who pursued who?"
I stared at him. "Why the hell does that matter?"
"Just answer."
I didn't respond.
Ethan's eyes widened. "No fucking way. Maya chased you?"