Chapter 108 One Hundred And Eight
Austin barely remembered the drive home, he couldn’t recall a single turn he had made. His hands were steady on the wheel. His jaw, however, remained clenched so tightly it ached.
To be closer to Kennedy.
The words replayed over and over again like a cruel echo.
By the time he pulled into his driveway, the sky had darkened fully. The house greeted him with silence. No laughter. No soft murmur of conversation. No small reminders of a life shared.
Just emptiness.
He stepped inside and shut the door harder than he intended. The sound reverberated through the hallway.
He tossed his keys onto the console table and loosened his tie, pacing once across the living room before dropping into the armchair.
Conflicted.
Lucy’s voice lingered in his mind.
His chest tightened at the thought of Antonia in some sleek high-rise apartment—windows overlooking the city, Kennedy’s presence only minutes away. Perhaps he had already visited. Perhaps he had already held their baby in that new living room.
Perhaps he had held her.
Austin’s phone buzzed on the coffee table.
He glanced at it absently, but the name on the screen made his brow furrow.
Sofia.
He stared at it for two rings, debating whether to answer. Why would Sofia be calling him?
On the third ring, he picked up.
“Sofia, what is it?” he asked flatly.
Sofia didn’t bother with pleasantries.
“I know where she is.”
His spine stiffened.
“Where who is?”
“Don’t insult my intelligence,” Sofia replied smoothly. “Antonia.”
Silence stretched.
Austin rose slowly from the chair, pacing toward the window.
“And how would you know that?” he asked carefully.
“I have my ways.”
Of course she did.
“Why are you telling me this?” he asked.
“Because,” she said lightly, “I don’t like the direction this little reunion is heading.”
Austin’s eyes narrowed.
“What reunion?”
“Oh please. Kennedy moves her into the city, pays for an apartment, plays devoted father… You think that ends with co-parenting?”
He didn’t respond.
But she had struck the nerve cleanly.
“I thought you should know,” Sofia continued, her voice silk over steel, “they’re staying in one of Kennedy’s properties downtown. Penthouse level.”
Penthouse.
The word tasted bitter.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
“Very.”
“How?”
Sofia gave a soft laugh. “Does it matter?”
It did.
But he knew better than to push too hard.
“Why do you care?” he asked instead.
There was a slight pause.
“I care because Kennedy doesn’t deserve a happy ending,” she said coolly. “And I care because you don’t deserve to be cast aside like you were convenient.”
Austin’s jaw tightened.
“I wasn’t cast aside.”
“Really?” Sofia’s tone sharpened. “She relocated without telling you.”
That landed.
He said nothing.
Sofia pressed on.
“Kennedy broke up with me. He hurt me. I won't let him get away with it.”
"What do you have in mind, Sofia?" he asked.
"I want to make sure they don't get the happiness they desire."
“It’s not that simple.”
“It is that simple.”
He exhaled slowly.
“What are you suggesting?” he asked.
“I’m suggesting,” Sofia said carefully, “that you and I have a shared interest.”
He stilled completely.
“I don’t like where this is going.”
“You should hear it before you judge.”
He walked toward the kitchen, bracing a hand against the counter.
“Say it.”
“Let’s make sure it doesn’t work.”
The words hung in the air between them.
“You want to sabotage them?” he asked quietly.
“I want my own pound of flesh.”
Austin closed his eyes briefly.
“I’m not interested in playing games,” Austin said finally.
“This isn’t a game.”
“It sounds like one.”
Sofia sighed softly.
“You’re angry. I get it. But think about this logically. Kennedy has resources. Influence. He will position himself as the stable choice. The safe choice.”
“He is the father,” Austin said.
“And you are the man who stayed, until things went south.”
That cut deeper than she probably intended.
Austin remained silent.
“You love her,” Sofia continued.
He didn’t confirm it.
He didn’t deny it either.
“And despite how he has hurt me, I still love Kennedy,” Sofia said.
“And what exactly do you plan to do?” Austin asked carefully.
“I plan to break them apart.”
The coldness in Sofia’s voice unsettled him.
“You’re assuming we can do this.”
“Yes,” she replied coolly. “And we both get what we want.”
Austin rubbed his temple, then let out a dry breath.
“And how do you see this partnership working?”
Sofia’s voice shifted, growing more deliberate.
“You reconnect with Antonia. You remind her of the stability you offered. The patience. The consistency.”
“And you?”
“I’ll handle Kennedy.”
That made him pause.
“How?”
“Leave that to me.”
He didn’t like that answer.
“Sofia—”
“You don’t have to do anything unethical,” she interrupted. “Just…come to the city.”
He stared out the window at the dark yard.
The idea tempted him more than he wanted to admit.
He had already decided he wouldn’t vanish quietly.
But actively undermining them?
That was different.
But he also knew he didn’t want to lose her.
Austin leaned back against the counter.
“And if she chooses him anyway? If this plan doesn't work.”
Sofia didn’t hesitate.
“Then at least you’ll know you didn’t surrender.”
That struck something deep inside him.
Pride.
Determination.
Fear.
“I’ll text you the address,” Sofia said after a beat. “You can decide what to do with it.”
Before he could respond, she added quietly—
“You deserve a fair fight.”
The line clicked dead.
Austin stood in the silent kitchen, phone still pressed to his ear long after the call had ended.
A few seconds later, a message notification appeared.
An address.
Downtown.
Penthouse level.
He stared at it.
This was the moment.
He could delete it.
He could step back completely.
Or he could step forward into something far messier than jealousy.
His reflection in the dark window looked different tonight.
Harder.
More resolved.
He thought of Antonia holding their baby—no, Kennedy’s baby—in that apartment.
He thought of the way she used to look at him when she believed he was her future.
He thought of Kennedy stepping back into her life with wealth and promises.
And he thought of Sofia’s final words.
You deserve a fair fight.
Austin locked his phone slowly.
He wasn’t sure he believed in sabotage.
But he did believe in not being erased.
And if Kennedy thought proximity guaranteed victory—
He was wrong.
Austin turned off the kitchen light and walked toward the stairs, mind already moving ahead of his conscience.
Tomorrow, he would decide his next move.