Chapter 168

Lake POV

“Go ahead, baby,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. “I need to talk to Uncle Troy for a bit. You play with your friends, okay?”

Ollie nodded slowly, letting Sophia take his hand and lead him toward the playroom. Julian followed, chattering about the T-Rex toy they’d gotten.

The moment they were out of sight, my knees gave out. I would have collapsed completely if Troy hadn’t caught me, his arms coming around me in support.

“I’ve got you,” Troy said, guiding me to the couch. “Lake, I’ve got you. Sit down. Breathe.”

But I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t do anything except sob—great, gasping sounds that tore from my chest with a violence that hurt. All the shock, all the betrayal, all the hurt came pouring out in waves I couldn’t control.

Troy held me through it, one hand rubbing my back, making soothing sounds that reminded me of how I comforted Ollie when he had nightmares.

“Tell me what happened,” Troy said when my sobs had