by Ali Parker
The doorman quickly jumped to pull the door open for me as I passed through. I walked out into the bright sunny day and wished like hell I had my sunglasses. I allowed myself one last look behind me to see if Grayson was following. He wasn’t. He felt nothing for me. I couldn’t believe I had been so silly to believe he actually felt something for me.
I stared at the street, willing Amber to appear out of thin air. When I saw her black BMW coming down the street, I rushed to the edge of the sidewalk, eager to make my escape. She pulled up to the curb. I reached for the door handle to find it locked. I slapped my hand against the window.
“Unlock it!” I cried out desperate for refuge inside her car.
She hit the locks and I jumped in.
“Hannah?” she asked.
“Just go, please,” I said, feeling the tears streaming down my face.
I held back for as long as I possibly could. I began to sob in earnest.
“Hannah, what happened?” she asked, pulling back into traffic.
I shook my head. “I hate him,” I managed to get out between sobs.
“I have your purse,” she said as a way to comfort me.
“Thank God. I left my bag at his place. I had nothing to wear!” I wailed.
She reached over and patted my leg. “I’ll take you home. You can tell me all about what happened.”
I nodded, wiping my eyes before digging in my purse and finding a pack of tissues. I wiped my nose, trying my hardest to stop the tears from flowing. It had been a long time since I’d felt so miserable. I would never forgive him for hurting me so badly. There was nothing he could say or do to right his wrong. This time, he had crossed a line.
Chapter 48
Grayson
I was in a worse mood than I had been yesterday. I blamed Jack for it all. My wife had stormed out on me and refused to take my calls. I went to her apartment and she didn’t answer the door. I called her at the office and was told she wasn’t in. I, as usual, didn’t believe the excuse and went to the office to see for myself. She wasn’t there. She hadn’t gone in and Amber was mysteriously absent as well. Hannah was following through with what she said. She wasn’t coming back to the company. Every time my cell phone rang, I expected it to be my lawyer telling me Hannah had started the proceedings for an annulment. So far, it had been crickets.
I couldn’t stop thinking Jack had somehow put her up to everything. He was the one who had caused all this. I was going to make him pay. I’d nearly fired three people at work today, which told me I needed to do something to get my head straight. I couldn’t go on like this. I was about ready to eat a human. My job required me to keep a level head. I had maintained power by keeping a cool head and never letting my heart get in the way of my business decisions. That wasn’t the case for this day.
I parked my car and took a deep breath. I was not looking forward to the confrontation and that’s exactly what this was going to be. After counting to ten, I got out of my car and made my way around the huge front drive of my mother’s house. I rang the doorbell. When the butler answered, I stomped past him, heading straight for the den at my mother’s house. It was one of her mandatory dinners. I knew Jack had tattled to her and now I was being summoned because I was in trouble. No one knew about what happened yesterday—at least I didn’t think anyone knew. I wasn’t sure how I was going to deal with the blowback from that disaster. When it hit the papers that we were separated, the rumors were going to be flying.
I walked into the den and found Colt and James already imbibing.
“Give me one of those,” I growled.
“Damn, you’re in a shitty mood for a guy who just married one of the most beautiful women in the world,” James joked.
“Just pour me a damn drink!”
Colt burst into laughter. “Relax, big brother. There’s plenty of liquor here. Rumor has it, you’re going to need it when Mom gets through with you.”
“Whatever,” I snarled, taking the full glass of scotch.
I gulped down a long, healthy drink, feeling the fire burn through my veins. It did nothing to calm me down, but it tasted damn good. I sat down in one of the chairs facing away from the door.
“Uh-oh,” Colt said in a low voice.
“Grayson, we need to talk,” Jack’s voice rang out from behind me.
I shot up out of the chair and spun around to face him. “You’re damn right we do.”
“James, Colt,” Jack said, politely asking them to leave the room.
“I’m out,” Colt said, taking the bottle of scotch with him.
James shook his head. “Do not break anything in here. Mom will be pissed and I’m the one who has to live with her.”
“You actually don’t have to live with her,” Colt said as they walked out.
Jack turned to look at me. I set my drink down on the small table.
“Well?” I snarled. “You have something you want to say to me?”
He nodded. “I do. I’m tired of your constant accusations. You’ve got this idea in your head and you won’t let up. You’re like a dog with a bone. Let it go.”
“I can’t let it go. I know you asked her about our marriage,” I said, dropping my little bombshell.
He shrugged a shoulder. “I knew it was fake. I know you too well. There was no way you met a woman and fell in love. And I know damn well you wouldn’t marry a woman for love. You love no one. You’re a selfish prick who can’t see past money and power.”
“Fuck you,” I snarled.
He shook his head. “No. I’ve put up with your shit long enough. You managed to ruin the one good thing you had in your life. You let your love of power and wealth destroy you. I can’t imagine what Hannah is going through right now. And for your information, I did call her. I wanted to see if she was okay after that shit you pulled yesterday,” he said, taking a few steps closer to me.
I stepped out from behind the chair, ready to face him head-on. “Don’t call her,” I growled in a low voice.
“Too late. I already did. It isn’t like you care. All you care about is getting her pregnant.”
I shook my head. “Watch your step. You’re heading into dangerous territory.”
“I don’t care. You put me there. You refuse to listen to a word I say. I get that your jaded. I can’t say that I know why, but you are. I accept that. However, I’m your brother. I’m in your corner. When you’re constantly attacking me, that’s a problem. I’m not your punching bag, Grayson. I’ve been putting up with your shit for too long. It ends now,” he stated firmly, taking another step forward.
He was asking for trouble. “Back off, little brother,” I warned him.
“No. I won’t back off. You’re a dick. Someone needs to tell you. You can’t take shit from me. I’m your brother. I’m your family. You can have the fucking company. Do you actually think I need that job? You don’t think I can start my own company or take my inheritance and live a nice, comfortable life? Other people can’t stand up to you. I can. I will. I’m tired of it and I won’t stand for it another minute,” he said, taking the final step toward me.
He was asking for me to hit him. “Back off, Jack. I don’t want to start shit in Mom’s house.”
“I’m sorry for you. I pity you. I really do. Despite everything, I love you. You are my brother and I wish you could see what you had, and ultimately lost. Not lost—pushed away. She was the best damn thing to ever happen to you.”
“You love me? That’s a fucking joke. You have screwed me over every chance you could. You are always in my shadow and I guess you probably got tired of it. This was your way of getting back at me. You tried to steal Hannah away by planning to find a way to beat me to the finish line,” I said with disgust.
“You’re a fool,” he snarled, looking at me with disgust.
It was the last of my self-control. I couldn’t stand to see him look at me the way he was. I saw red. I lost the thin strand I had left of my sanity. I swung, then my fist connected with his face
in one loud crunch. The sound and the feel of my knuckles slamming into his cheek was the outlet I needed.
I didn’t get a chance to swing again. He was fast. He swung back, his own fist connecting with the right side of my jaw. I was blinded by the pain for a few seconds before I managed to swing again.
“You fucking dick!” Jack roared, shoving his entire body against me, knocking me into a small table, sending glass flying.
I bounced back, pushing against his chest and sending him flying backward before I lunged. He managed to hit me again before I could block his blows and hit him back. He dropped his shoulder in a football stance, driving me backward across the room until I fell over the back of a chair, my feet going over my head as I rolled backward.
“Piece of shit,” I roared, finding my footing and racing toward him, ready to attack.
I didn’t get the chance. James grabbed me around my waist, throwing me back several feet while Colt grabbed Jack. We were both breathing heavy as we faced off from across the room. I could feel blood dripping down my cheek. I looked at his face and felt a little better about what I could feel happening to my own. My left eye was swelling and throbbing in time with my heartbeat.
“You’re lucky they’re here,” I said, breathing heavy.
Jack shook his head. “No, you’re lucky Mom isn’t here.”
My mom showed up at that moment. “Oh, your mother is here,” she snapped.
I looked at her, suddenly embarrassed and ashamed by my behavior. “Mom—” I started.
She shook her head, holding up a hand. “I hope the two of you got this out of your systems. This has been a long time coming. You two have been circling each other like a pair of rabid dogs for years. I was wondering when this would come to a head. Quite frankly, I wish your brothers wouldn’t have broken this up. You two are so much alike you can’t even see it. You’re both headstrong, smart boys who have grown up to be powerful men. Your father would have sent you out back with gloves to work this out, but I’m fresh out of gloves. You’ll have to do it my way and buck up!”
I nodded. “I’m sorry to disrespect your house, Mom.”
“Go,” James ordered.
I looked at him. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Go. Get out of here. You’re causing problems, and no one here wants to deal with them,” he said.
I looked at my youngest brother, then Colt. Colt nodded, agreeing with James.
“Mom?” I said, asking her.
She nodded. “It’s best you go. I was hoping we could talk like adults, but I don’t think that’s going to happen, not tonight at least. You’re both too fired up to listen to reason. Go home. Think about what is really going on. We’ll all talk again once you’ve both had some time to cool down.”
I nodded. I was being thrown out of my mother’s house. That wasn’t something I ever expected. It stung. I grabbed my phone and my wallet, which had dumped out of my pocket when I flipped over the chair, and walked out the door without saying another word.
I climbed into my car, happy I drove instead of relying on a car service. I drove through the city streets, my head a mess. Actually, it was my face that was a mess. I couldn’t believe I hit him or he hit me. I drove aimlessly for an hour before finally pulling into my building. I went upstairs, doing my best to avoid the stares and looks of shock at the sight of my cut and bruised face.
I walked in and went straight to the bathroom. I took one look in the mirror and groaned. “Shit.”
My lip was cut, I had a cut above my cheek, and my eye was swollen and nearly closed. My life was out of control.
“Great job, Grayson. Now, you’ve lost your wife and your family,” I muttered to my reflection in the mirror.
I wasn’t sure what my endgame was. Everything was a mess. Nothing was going according to plan. I had been so sure everything was perfect and then it literally blew up in my face. I was man enough to admit I had a huge role in that explosion.
Chapter 49
Hannah
I felt like a prisoner when I was the one who was the victim. There was no safe place for me to be. I was trapped inside Amber’s apartment and was too afraid to leave. Beyond the safety of her walls was the real world. I didn’t like it out there. It was a cruel place. I wasn’t ready to deal with it just yet. Hell, I didn’t know if I would ever be ready.
I couldn’t go home. I knew Grayson was looking for me. He would try and convince me to stick with the plan. He’d apologize and do something that wore down the last bit of my defenses, and I would find myself right back in his bed. The man was slick. Worse than the best smooth politician. He would convince me his way was the best and like a dumbass, I would nod my head like a good little puppy and follow him back into his web of lies and deceit. I had managed to escape once and got pulled back in. I couldn’t make the same mistake this time around. It would only end up far worse.
I had been dodging his calls and avoiding him the best I could. My phone was turned off completely, to avoid the temptation to listen to his voice mails or read his text messages. I didn’t even know where the thing was. I was pretty sure Amber had stashed it after the first week when I had been obsessed with reading his texts and tempted to reply. She recognized I was too weak to resist and removed the temptation.
I hadn’t seen him or spoken to him since that day in the hotel. Amber had been a good friend and had managed to keep Grayson from finding me. I knew it wasn’t easy, especially when it came to him. He had a way of intimidating people and making them spill their guts. I had been one of those people. I knew Grayson was not the kind of man who would ever accept defeat. If he truly wanted to find me, he would access the employee files and find Amber’s address. He would have shown up at the door a long time ago. He hadn’t, which told me he wasn’t all that serious about finding me. He was probably already on the hunt for his next victim, bribing another woman into having his baby.
I needed to call my lawyer and get the annulment proceedings started. That was something else I had put off. It was like I could pretend it never happened if I didn’t actually try and address the problem. I knew it was silly, but I wanted to ignore it until it went away. If I got the paperwork going, it would make everything real. It would become public record and my life would become fodder for the gossip columns for weeks.
I rolled over in the bed I had been crashing in for the past three weeks and stared at the wall in Amber’s spare room. My heart was broken. I had never felt so insecure in my life. It wasn’t a feeling I was familiar with. I had always been so strong. Nothing ever bothered me. I could shrug it off and keep on chugging through life. I had experienced plenty of tough times in my life, but nothing had ever gotten me down like this situation. I didn’t feel like myself. The Hannah I knew three months ago would kick the Hannah I was today. I wasn’t a weak person. I was the woman who walked into a board meeting and kicked ass without bothering to take names.
That wasn’t the case anymore. Now I was a broken woman trying to find out what my place in the world was. I didn’t have a job, a company, or a husband. I had cried for at least the first week. I couldn’t even explain why I cried so much. My emotions had gotten the best of me and I found myself crying at stupid TV commercials and the Lifetime network had been banned after Amber found me bawling hysterically during a movie. Everything felt horrible. My stomach had been in knots for weeks as well. Nothing tasted good and everything had a bad smell. I couldn’t believe he had that much power over me to have such a profound effect on my life.
I had heard of people dying from broken hearts or truly becoming sick because their hearts were broken. I was sure that’s what I was dealing with. It wasn’t only my heart. It was knowing I had been betrayed. The betrayal was the worst. He had set me up and led me on, and I had been foolish enough to fall for it. That’s what really made me angry. I would never trust another person so explicitly again. I should have known better and if I was being honest with myself, somewhere in the back of my mind, I had known
better. I had ignored the voice of reason because I wanted to believe the fantasy.
“Idiot. That worked out really well for you didn’t it,” I scolded myself.
I had taken to talking to myself since I spent the majority of my time alone. Amber worked long hours and I never left her apartment. I thought about going out to grab some coffee and quickly scrapped the idea. After my exit from the hotel that morning, I wasn’t sure I could ever show my face again.
The humiliation I was going to have to endure, eventually, had driven me indoors and turned me into the shut-in I was today. I’d already been humiliated and embarrassed, but the worst was still to come. When the divorce or annulment hit the news, people were going to laugh their asses off. Everyone knew Grayson Bancroft couldn’t be tamed. I was the idiot who thought he could. It sucked. I was strongly considering moving. It seemed like the best way to deal with things. I was prepared to run away with my tail tucked between my legs.
I spent the rest of the day lounging on the couch, napping, and feeling like hell in general. It had become my new daily routine. Get up late, move to the couch, lie down, and watch horrible TV until it was time to go back to bed. Occasionally, I showered, but not daily. It wasn’t pretty. I hoped to God no one found me. I was not in suitable condition for company of any sort. I could hardly stand to be with myself. I hadn’t worn makeup in weeks. My hair had been in a perma-ponytail, only coming down long enough for me to wash it.
I heard the door open and knew Amber was home. I should be excited to have company, but I wasn’t.
“Hey, I brought dinner,” Amber’s voice rang out.
I peeked at the clock on the wall and realized it was close to six. Where had the time gone? “Great,” I replied unenthusiastically.
“Did you go out today?” she called from the kitchen.
I could hear her heels on the floor and realized I missed the sound of my own heels clacking across the floors in my house.