Calliope heard Gideon''s words, but she didn''t even acknowledge him. It was like he hadn''t spoken at all.


    Gideon hadn''t expected her to ignore him. He frowned and hurried after her. "Callie, I just wanted to say I''m sorry. I know I messed up. I know there''s no fixing things between us, but I still want to apologize. I''m not asking for forgiveness.”


    Calliope shot him a look like he''d just sprouted a second head.


    Did he really have the nerve to say something like that now?


    Did he honestly think she was still the same Calliope she''d been before?


    Did he think a few sweet words would be enough to win her over?


    Calliope knew Gideon all too well. This was ssic him-trying to worm his way back in, ying the same old game.


    He''d always been quick to admit he was wrong, quick to charm her back. If she hadn''t learned the hard way—if she hadn''t seen right through him after everything that happened—she might have fallen for it again.


    But things had changed. Calliope had changed. She wasn''t that Calliope anymore.


    She gave him a littleugh, almost pitying.


    "Maybe you should save those lines for Yvette," she said. "You don''t need to apologize to me, Gideon. Truth is, I don''t care anymore. Whatever you did-it doesn''t matter to me now."


    Gideon gazed at Calliope with a look of wounded sincerity. "No matter what you say, I still need to apologize."


    He gave a bitter, self-deprecatingugh. "I really didn''t get it before. I know I was wrong, but it''s toote for all that now."


    He''d spent time hating her, resenting her, but once it all fell apart he realized toote what he''d lost. He realized she was the one who''d truly cared for him.


    He couldn''t even figure out how things had gotten so bad.


    One wrong step, and everything unraveled.


    He''d lost his job at the Baker family''spany. Gone was the golden boy, the heir apparent. Now he was scraping by at some small business a friend had thrown his way, barely making ends meet.


    Even having Yvette-the woman he once thought was an angel-by his side brought him nothing but disgust now.


    The more time he spent with Yvette, the more he saw through her act. She was always performing, always wearing a mask. Lately, she''d be impossible to live


    with meaner, more dentat


    And ever since the money dried up, Yvette had started looking at him with pure contempt.  s<fne197> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? ?ovelFind</fne197>


    She''d call him useless, say he used to be someone, and now he was just a loser.


    He hated it. Hated her words. But there wasn''t much he could do.


    And the worse things got, the more she tore him down.


    She''d spit out that if she''d known he''d end up like this, she never would have married him.


    She''d say she made a huge mistake, that if he didn''t have the Baker name, he''d be nobody.


    She crushed his pride, stomped on his dignity.


    Deep down, Gideon wantedfort from Calliope. He remembered how she used


    to forgive him, how she''d always made things better.


    But now, she just looked at him like he was some sad clown.


    "Callie, I know I''ve been wrong from the start," he said, voice cracking. "I was blind."


    "Now Yvette looks down on me. Everyone does."


    He looked up at her, pain etched on his face. "Maybe I am a loser. Maybe I won''t


    even be able to feed my own kid someday."


    His whole expression was bleak, hopeless.


    Calliope waited for him to finish his


    you


    little speech, then said, "Why are telling me all this? Do you really think l''itfort you, like used to  s


    Gideon''s face fell, as if something inside him cracked.


    Calliope continued, "To me, you''re basically a stranger now. Sure, I used to love you, used to care. Butz that was a lifetime ago. Now, I love Ss. De and are happy together ang cant wait to start a family with him. You? You''re just someone who passed through my life. Nothing more."  s