She opened her mouth, but I didn’t let her speak.
“You should’ve been the one to die,” I whispered.
Candice flinched.
Matteo stepped between us. “That’s enough.”
I let out a breathless laugh. “Of course, you’d defend her. You always have.”
His hands curled into fists at his sides. “I was trying to save a child, Cassandra.”
“So was I!” I screamed. “But you didn’t care, did you? You just—” My voice broke. “You just let her go.”
Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.
Then, a sharp cry pierced the air.
Candice’s son.
Matteo’s body tensed immediately. He turned away from me like I wasn’t even there, moving toward the crib.
He scooped the boy up in his arms, cradling him gently, whispering soothing words as he rocked him back and forth.
The way he used to hold Amber.
I felt the breath get knocked out of my lungs.
For a split second, it was like she was still here. Like he was holding our daughter. But no—Amber was gone.
And this child, his son, had taken her place.
Something inside me shattered.
“I want a divorce,” I whispered.
Matteo didn’t even flinch.
Didn’t look at me.
Didn’t care.
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “Did you hear me?”
Still, nothing.
That was my answer.