Chapter 187 Enough

Chapter 187 Enough
“Cathy.”
“Go on and continue living your life, kissing all those girls.” He snarls. The warning in his eyes fly past me. I need to hurt him. “If I could, I would swap your life for Amelia’s. If anyone deserves to be dead, it’s you, Calum.”
“Enough!” He slams his fist on the table and I jerk back. Tension thickens the air. Anger cracks between us. He stands and his chair collapses to the floor. Leaning over the table, darkness swirls in his eyes. “Too bad I’m not dead, Catherine. And I’m so sorry for your loss but wishing me dead won’t change a thing. It’s not my fault, you know?” 
I snort. “Yeah, it’s mine.” 
Something darker takes over him. He sits back down and crosses his arms on his chest.
“So you received one email from someone who claims to be me and you gave up?”
His words slam into me like a bag of bricks. I open my mouth but the only thing that comes out is, “I gave...” My words catch. I can’t get a sentence out without needing to take a deep breath. My eyes water. “I gave up? I was pregnant with your son, you twat. And running after a man who wanted nothing to do with me was the last thing on my mind.” 
“You had no right to keep my son away from me,” he says in a dangerously calm voice. We are both upset and spitting fire at each other. I should back down but I can’t. “That’s the most cruel thing you could have ever done to me. It was wicked.” 
“I had every right. And if I had my way, you wouldn’t be here right now, talking to me.”
Holding a finger up, he slowly lowers it and shakes his head. “Enough out of you, Catherine. Just zip it. You’re not the only one affected. I lost my memory because of your dad. I missed out on my son’s birth because of him. I didn’t even get to name him. So, give me a break. Shut it for once.” 
“Cal—”
“I lost my memory but what’s your excuse, superstar?” Calum mutters and the pieces of my heart clinging together shatter into tinier bits. “You had the money, you had the tickets? Why didn’t you show up?” 
My mind blanks. There doesn’t seem to be a good enough answer to that. Tears spill from my eyes to the table. It’s easy for him to say now, but how could I have known? 
“I was scared and heartbroken,” I whisper.
If Calum hears that, he doesn’t act like it. But there’s no trace of warmth in his eyes when he tells me, “I don’t care if you think I should be in my son’s life, but I’m not going anywhere. And if you try to stop me, we will have to battle it out in court. You kept him away from me, remember? I won’t let that happen again, Catherine. Never.” 
“You don’t have to threaten me each time to make your point,” I mutter to the table.
“You don’t seem to understand any other language.” His chair scrapes the floor as he jumps to his feet. He snatches my plate and walks out. 
My chest sags. It aches everywhere. I join our son on the floor. He’s trying to stick his foot into his mouth. Drawing him close to hug him from behind, I say, “Papa Mace is upset. What are we going to do, Macey?” 
Calum returns to the dining room. He spots us on the floor, stares for a while, and sighs. I don’t know what I expect from him but when he walks out of the front door without a word, my chest closes in on me. 
It’s me. I’m the problem. I’m the reason everyone always leaves me.
 Hours pass with me and Mace hanging out. I don’t remember half of what we do. Dad calls to check in. Even that is a blur. It’s a little past 5 pm when Calum shows up. I’m seated in the living room, with one hand on Mace’s rocking chair. The TV is on but I have no idea what’s going on. Calum steps in with a bag full of groceries held to his chest. 

I look away before his eyes meet mine. We don’t say a word to each other but he stops by Mace’s rocking chair to steal a peek at his son. I think I should say something but my tongue is tied and I doubt he wants to speak to me.

For the second time today, he makes food for me. I’m compliant, already eating before he tells me to. Awkwardness hovers over us like a wet veil. He’s not eating. I should ask about that but my throat is dry and I can’t find the right words to start a conversation.

“Is Mace allowed to eat other things?” I nod. I still can’t meet his gaze. “Like what?” 

“Oats.”

“Good thing I got some.”

To that, I have nothing to say. My stomach protests when I’ve had enough but I shovel food down my throat while Calum chats away on his phone. I push the plate away from me.

“I can’t eat anymore,” I say. 

Silence follows my statement but he clears the table. It’s my house but I’m not allowed to do anything. I return to the living room to continue the show. Calum sits back in the dining room. He wants nothing to do with me and he’s making that clear. 

I doze off on the couch, waking up to the sound of my phone going off. It’s 11: 15 pm. Calum walks past the couch, and my heart crawls to my throat.

“Are you leaving?” 

He stops and spins on his heels to face me. “What do you care, Catherine? You’ve decided to make me pay for the sins of our parents. Your dad hit me but he gets to play the role of a grandfather, yet I didn’t get a say in the whole thing. And yes, I’m leaving. I’ll be back again tomorrow by 7 am.” 

“It’s late.”

Rubbing the back of his palm over his eyes, a yawn escapes him. “I’m well aware.”

“You can stay.” He yawns again. If that’s not an indication that he’s too tired to drive, I don’t know what else is. But the way he’s scowling at me makes it hard to be nice to him. “We wouldn’t want you getting mugged or dying on your way back to your hotel.” 

“Both options sound better than spending the night with someone who threatened me with a shotgun. Like father, like daughter.”

My mouth opens and closes. “Suit yourself.” 

The door slams shut after him. He must have sucked the air out of the room because I can’t breathe. I slump down to the floor and draw my knees to my chest. I’m okay. I’m fine.