By the time I reached the apartment, I had come to a conclusion. I couldn’t live like this for the next eighteen years. Axel was somehow blinded by that woman and her manipulative ways, and he had chosen her over me ever since she made her evil way into our lives.

Yes, if she truly was in early labor, I felt for her, as much as I disliked her, but I had the feeling from listening to her on the phone that her water hadn’t actually broken tonight. And I totally understood that Axel had to leave tonight to go to the hospital with her. It was only right, but, and this was a big but, what wasn’t right was him assuming I was the bad guy here and speaking to me the way he had.

Vincent’s eyes widened when he saw me step out of the cab. “Dr. Cavanaugh, is everything okay?” I knew I looked a hot mess, my hair disheveled from our brief time in bed, and my dress wrinkled. “Do you need help with your bag?”

I looked down at the overnight bag that Axel and I had packed with such hope earlier tonight and shook my head. “No, thank you. I can handle it.” I walked with my messy head held high to the elevator and went up to our apartment. I walked in and looked around at the place I had called home for the past few weeks. I really loved it here. Loved being here with Ax and Carrie. My daughter’s pudgy arms around my neck and Axel’s warm lips on my ear when I walked in the door. I would miss that. I would miss him.

I walked by the counter and saw Axel’s phone sitting there, picking it up and noticing twenty-seven missed calls and even more text messages from Milan. The woman is fucking insane. I put the phone back down and gave it the middle finger just because it made me feel better.

“You can have him, bitch,” I whispered. I trudged up the stairs, feeling more tired than I had in years, and entered our bedroom. No. Axel’s bedroom.

I grabbed a larger suitcase from the closet and unpacked the overnight case, transferring the clothes I had brought for work tomorrow into the suitcase. I pulled out as many clothes as I could from the closet and added them to the case before getting my toiletries from the bathroom.

I sat on the bed and took off my dress and heels, lying down and pulling Axel’s pillow to my face, inhaling the scent of him. God, I loved waking up to the smell of him and the feel of his strong arm banded around my waist. His leg hair scratching softly against me as I awoke with his thigh wedged between my own. It was comfortable. It was home.