Callan sat at his desk, his eyes on his laptop, his fingers moving fast on the keyboard. Papers were spread neatly on one side. His phone lay beside his hand.
Outside, he could hear his assistant speaking softly to soone.
Then the door burst open.
Callan looked up at once and groaned inwardly as Cindy walked in.
His assistant rushed in behind her. "I’m sorry. I tried to stop her—"
"It’s fine," Callan said calmly. "You can leave."
His assistant hesitated, then nodded and stepped out, closing the door behind her.
Silence filled the room for a second as they stared at each other.
Callan leaned back slightly in his chair and looked at Cindy. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
Her chest rose and fell quickly. "Why do you think I’m doing here? Did you think just because you ignored my calls I was going to let you be?"
Callan was silent for a mont as he watched her, trying to decide how to handle the situation.
He didn’t want it to escalate in a way that might affect Emily in any way.
He tried to think about how Jamal or Stefan would handle such a situation, although he doubted they’d ever be in such a situation considering they were not reckless as he was.
Those two always showed great respect for won. He did too. And had not to cause such a ss for himself.
He knew he could forcefully make her leave him alone or use threats that would work, but he didn’t think Emily would want him to handle it that way.
She’d want him to acknowledge the fact that he ssed up and try to reason with Cindy.
Seeing how he was silent, Cindy continued, "I told you already," she said. "I’m not going to let you dump so easily."
He sighed softly as he rose from his seat to face her. "Would you rather be with a man who doesn’t care about you?" he asked quietly. "Do you really want to be with a man who doesn’t love you? One who would be with you and his heart would be sowhere else? With soone else?"
She stared at him.
"I never led you on, Cindy," he continued, holding her gaze. "I told you from the start that I wasn’t emotionally available. I laid all the cards on the table and you knew what you were getting when you chose to get involved with . I didn’t promise you anything."
Her eyes filled with tears. "And I was okay with that. I never complained. I stayed by your side quietly even when you were with other girls. So why are you suddenly emotionally available for soone else?" she asked. "Why not ? Am I not good enough for you?"
Callan’s heart softened towards her and he walked around his desk and went to stand in front of her.
"This has nothing to do with you, Cindy. You’re a beautiful lady. You’re brilliant. You’re amazing," he said, brushing away her tears.
"If I am all of that, why didn’t you fall for ? Why soone else?" She cried, slapping his hand away.
Callan’s voice softened. "Because she’s not just soone else," he said. "She’s my first love. She’s soone I’ve loved all my life. Since I was a kid."
Cindy blinked.
"And despite how I’ve been hurting her for years, she still loved ." His eyes dropped for a mont, then lifted again as he added quietly. "She’s the only one I can give my heart to."
Cindy’s lips trembled. "But I love you," she said.
Callan nodded slowly. "I know," he said gently. "And I’m sorry for hurting you. If I’d known from the start that you’d feel this way about , I would never have gotten involved with you."
Her tears fell.
"You’ll find soone who loves you the way you deserve to be loved," he added. "But that person can’t be . Don’t settle for an unrequited love with a jerk like ."
She shook her head quickly. "You’re not a jerk."
Callan gave a small, sad smile. "I am," he said. "No good guy lives the way I’ve been living. A good guy wouldn’t put you in this situation."
He leaned forward slightly. "You’re kind and loving, Cindy. Save that for soone who deserves it."
That broke her and she started crying.
He pulled her into a gentle hug. "I’m sorry," he murmured. "I’m really sorry for hurting you this way. I’m sorry."
She cried against his chest for a while, and he kept murmuring his apology to her.
Slowly, her sobs softened.
She pulled back, sniffing. "You’re lucky," she said as she wiped her tears.
Callan frowned slightly. "What do you an?"
She let out a small breath. "I ca here with my smart watch on record," she said, showing his her watch.
Callan’s brows lifted.
"I wanted to record everything," she continued. "I planned to release the recording if you were rude or treated harshly."
Callan’s heart skipped a beat and he blinked in surprise.
"The breakup over the phone was cold," she added. "It hurt."
Callan nodded slowly. "I’m sorry," he said. "I’ve learned recently that I’m still quite emotionally immature. I’m learning to be a better man."
She gave a weak laugh. "Emotionally immature? I never thought the great Callan Quinn would call himself immature."
He smiled faintly. "I’m not perfect."
She wiped her face. "I guess she must be really good for you. So, who is she?" she asked. "I an the new girlfriend."
Callan hesitated, not sure it was wise to tell her.
She noticed his hesitation. "You don’t have to tell if you don’t want to. I was just curious to know the kind of lady that holds your heart. Is she a model or an actress or..."
Callan smiled a little more. "You t her the last ti," he said. "At my house."
Cindy froze, then her face went pale. "The wrestler?"
Callan laughed. "She’s not a wrestler. But that’s her."
"Oh," she said quickly and took a step back. "You should have said so. I’m leaving now."
Callan raised a brow. "What’s wrong?"
"I don’t want trouble with your wrestler girlfriend," she said quickly. "Bye."
As Callan watched her hurry out of the office, he laughed.
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