Sexting My Ex’s Dad (Forbidden Silver Foxes)

47. Stella

47

STELLA

T he warmth of Elio’s hand lingers against my skin as we stand outside my apartment, reluctant to part ways. “Do you really have to go?” I ask, my voice lower than I intend. “Couldn’t you stay the night?”

Elio’s blue eyes search mine, and I can sense the conflict within him. But he shakes his head gently, a hint of regret shadowing his features. “I wish I could, Stella. But there are things I need to take care of. I do run a business, you know?”

“Don’t remind me. You’re so busy.”

He laughs. “I’ll be back.”

“You’d better,” I sigh, trying to hide my disappointment.

He kisses me one more time before rubbing his thumb down my cheek. “Goodnight, Elio.”

“Goodnight, Stella,” he says, his gaze lingering on me until he disappears down the hallway.

As I close the door behind him, I lean against it, my heart still fluttering. The silence of my apartment is suddenly overpowering, and I find myself missing his presence already.

A part of me hates it. I shouldn’t be this attached to him already, but after the day we’ve had, it feels impossible not to be. He’s so different from any other man I’ve ever met. I thought that I’d loved Owen, but this thing between Elio and I…it’s so different.

Just as I take a step, there’s a knock at the door. A small laugh escapes me. “Are you knowing now? You usually just invite yourself in,” I call out, expecting Elio to be standing there with that magnetic smile of his.

But when I swing the door open, my laughter dies, replaced by shock. It’s not Elio’s charming face that greets me, but his son’s green eyes, looking more haunted than I’ve ever seen them.

“Owen,” I manage to choke out, my heart pounding for entirely different reasons now. A storm of anger surges inside me, and I grip the door, intending to slam it in Owen’s face. But his hand shoots out, stopping it with a resounding thud at the last minute.

What could he possibly want?

“Stella, please,” he pleads, desperation lacing his voice. “Just hear me out!”

“Get away from me, Owen!” I growl.

“I deserve a chance to talk.” I don’t owe him crap.

“Not a chance.”

“I won’t leave until you do.”

It doesn’t matter how hard I push against the door, he’s stronger than me. The quicker I hear him out, the quicker he’ll leave. I step away from the door, and we’re face to face. “You’ve got thirty seconds, Owen, so make it count. If you’re not gone after that, I’m going to call the cops.”

His gaze locks onto mine, and I see genuine regret swimming in those green eyes I once adored. “Stella, I’m so sorry for leaving you like that,” he begins, his voice trembling. “I know I hurt you, and I can’t express how much I regret it.”

As he speaks, I cross my arms over my chest, biting back the words threatening to spill out. Instead, I focus on the weight of the emotions pressing down on me, the lingering taste of Elio’s kiss still fresh on my lips.

“Please, forgive me,” Owen continues, his eyes pleading. “Give me a chance to make amends. I promise I’ve changed.”

Changed? There’s no way that he thought he’d come back and offer me that lame apology and expect everything to go back to normal? He’s a bigger idiot than I thought.

I watch him closely, searching for any trace of insincerity. But all I see is sorrow – a far cry from the selfish, dismissive man who had left me broken-hearted. And yet, it’s not enough. With Elio in my life, I’ve finally begun to heal, to learn what it means to be truly cared for, and I refuse to let Owen jeopardize that.

“Time’s up, Owen,” I say quietly, my voice firm despite the turmoil within. “Goodbye.”

“You were supposed to hear me out,” he says.

“Trust me, I did. Now leave.” Looking at his face is starting to make me sick, and if he doesn’t leave soon when the police come, it’ll be me that they’re taking away.

“Stella,” he pleads, “I know I don’t deserve it, but please, give me a chance to make things right. I promise things will be different this time.”

“There’s no way that you’re asking me to be your girlfriend,” I scoff, shaking my head. “Owen, let me say this so that even you understand. There is absolutely nothing left between us. Even if I hadn’t found someone else…”

He cuts me off. “You’ve found someone else?” Why did I say that?

“Yes.” He doesn’t need to know who. I can only imagine the look on his face if he knew it was his dad.

“Didn’t I mean anything to you?”

He can’t be serious?

“Owen, do you have any idea what I went through?” I spit out, my voice shaking with anger and pain. “I worked two jobs, put my dreams on hold, just to support you. And then you left me without a second thought! You didn’t care about me or Leo. You left me high and dry with his bills by the way. And now you want to come crawling back? It’s too late! You’re too late.”

His jaw clenches, and I can see the regret in his eyes, but it’s too little, too late. “I’ll never stop fighting for you, Stella. I’m better than the other man, and I’ll prove it to you.”

Yeah I doubt that. “

I muster all my strength and slam the door in his face, cutting off his words, his apologies, and whatever else he might have said. The sound echoes through the apartment, resonating with the finality of my decision.

Leaning against the closed door, I try to steady my racing heart. A storm of emotions rages within me: anger, sadness, and perhaps a small trace of guilt. But there’s also relief.

How did he even find out where I lived? I guess it can’t be that hard when the billionaire bully is his dad.

“Time to move the heck out of here,” I whisper to myself.

I don’t need anymore surprise visits from my ex – who also happens to be my new boyfriend’s son.

What a mess.