“I’m sorry.” I keep it simple, wishing more than anything I could tell him that staying with me is the only thing standing between him securing Nolan’s company.
“Let me worry about that.”
He deserves the truth. But my hands are tied.
Trey captures my wrists, pulling me against his warm skin. His heart beats in my ear, frenzied. He doesn’t want to lose me. But everything will work out for him once he does.
“I know how you get when your mind is made up, Sophie,” he says. “But you changed it for me once. You can change it again.”
I say nothing because there’s nothing that can be said to soothe the pain of this breakup.
“We’re two sides of the same coin,” he adds. “I realize we never saw this coming, but it doesn’t make it meaningless. It doesn’t mean less to me. We belong together.”
I kiss him long, hard, pressing this moment into my memory like a flower between the pages of a book. And then I slide the trillion-cut diamond from my finger, placing it into his palm.
“Goodbye, Trey,” I say.
And then I walk out of his life.
Forever.
Fifty-One
Trey
Present
“I’m so sorry to hear about you and Sophie,” Anabelle pouts from across the table at The Black Lotus. For some reason, Ames decided he wanted to close the deal in person, over lunch, opting to come to Chicago for some unknown reason. “Nolan and I just feel terrible for you. I can’t say we saw it coming. You two seemed too perfect together. Anyway, I’m sure there’s someone else out there for you.”
There isn’t. But I nod. “Yes, I’m sure there is.”
I haven’t heard nor seen Sophie in over a week. She’s called into work every day. And she refuses to take my calls. I thought giving her time to cool off was the right protocol, but now I’m not sure.
Nolan clears his throat. “Shall we sign? I’m not getting any younger over here.”
Anabelle taps his hand, head cocked yet offering a gentle smile. “Nolan, the poor man just got his heart broken. Let’s show a little sympathy, yes?”
“It’s fine,” I say, retrieving a pen from the inside of my suit coat. “I think we’re all ready to move on with this.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.” Anabelle lifts her champagne. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this man to retire.”
Nolan doesn’t smile or acknowledge his wife’s teasing tone. His lips press flat as he readies his fountain pen. He hasn’t touched his two fingers of whiskey and he’s hardly touched his salmon plate.
He claimed he was moving forward with this deal because the board—and his wife—were pressuring him. And after spending a couple of days with me, he decided he could trust that Ames Oil and Steel would be in good hands. That and he was impressed with the way I’ve been running my parents’ company for the past fifteen years, claiming my growth was unparalleled (as if I didn’t know). He’d decided he wanted his legacy to be a part of that after all, family man or no.
I sign on my line.
He signs on his.
Broderick, who has been sitting here in utter silence, watching our exchange, notarizes the document.
“So you think you and Sophie might make amends?” Nolan asks out of the blue.
“I’m still holding out, yes,” I say.
He draws in a breath that expands his chest, and he releases it slow, gaze fixed on me. “I have to confess. That morning you found us sitting by the pool … she’d confided in me that she was having some doubts, that things were moving too fast, and she was scared.”
I sit straight, jaw tight. There’s no reason Sophie would confide in Ames. No reason at all. And she knew what was at stake with this deal, that we were to put on our best faces at all times in order to sell Nolan on the authenticity of our relationship—not that it was hard to do. The last thing she’d do is share concerns with him that things were moving too fast.
“Is that right?” I ask, pretending I believe him.
“She said she’d read one of my books,” he says, referring to his pseudo-science books on the “art” of marriage. “Made her think about a few things she hadn’t thought about before.”
Bull-fucking-shit.
I’ve been with her enough the last few months—I’d have known if she were reading his books.
“I guess I can’t help but feel partly responsible for her decision,” Nolan says. “So for that, you have my sincerest apologies.”
“Everything happens for a reason,” Anabelle adds. “And I mean everything. Sometimes the worst moments of our lives happen because there’s something better in store.” Leaning in, she continues, “You know, for the longest time I wanted children. But the doctors said it wasn’t possible. Then Nolan found this young girl, eighteen I believe. Still in high school. Poor as a mouse. She waited tables to help pay her mother’s rent. Anyway, she was pregnant and wanted to find a good home for the baby. He offered and thank the good Lord above, she accepted. That’s how we got our Sasha.”
Anabelle rests her hand over Nolan’s forearm, lips pulling up at the sides as her eyes turn a deep shade of warm coffee. “And then we found ourselves pregnant with Enzo two years later—and it was completely unexpected since we didn’t think it was possible. Sometimes I think having Sasha sort of took pressure off trying to conceive and that’s what allowed Enzo to happen. Sorry if I’m giving you too much information.” She laughs, fingers splayed across her diamond necklace. “But my point is, everything has a domino effect and it’s always darkest before the dawn.”
“Ana, my love, I don’t think Trey wants to be bothered by our family’s journey …” He offers a nervous chuckle.
“No, no,” I say, piecing together their story.
A baby girl born eight years ago to a waitress still in high school …
The instant sickness in the car on the ride there the second I mentioned his name …
Sophie and Nolan talking by the pool Saturday morning …
The way she played with the kids at the beach, never leaving their side once and paying special attention to the little girl …
The hint of barely-there tears in her eyes when she said goodbye to Sasha …
Her sudden and abrupt change of heart after that weekend …
She refused to tell me the name of the man who got her pregnant all those years go, but she once mentioned he was an “older” and “prominent” businessman.
Son of a bitch. The asshole strong-armed her out of marrying me.
I thought his change of heart was peculiar … but he backed his decision up with a myriad of reasons, all of which made sense.
I take a swig of my Scotch, gripping the tumbler so hard it might break.
As soon as this takeover is final, I’m dismantling his fucking business piece by piece. Selling it for pennies on the dollar if I have to, giving every last dollar to Sophie.
God knows she’s earned it after dealing with him.
“Anyway.” Anabelle sips her champagne. “It’s so nice to be back in the Windy City. We lived here temporarily before we got Sasha. I was teaching for the pediatrics program at Northwestern. Nolan would leave every weekend for business, but we made it work. And once we welcomed our daughter, we moved east permanently to be closer to our families.”
Nolan checks his watch. “I hate to cut this meeting short, Trey, but we’ve got an appointment with our personal jeweler at Cartier in an hour and this city traffic is brutal.”
“We can reschedule, can’t we?” Anabelle asks. “I’m sure Monique will understand.”
“I’d rather not.” Nolan forces a tight smile, dabbing his lips with his white linen napkin before rising. His mind is made up.
His wife offers an apologetic smile.
“This isn’t easy for him,” she tells me. “But good luck with everything. We know the company will be in capable hands.”
I rise, extending my hand to Nolan. He gives it a tigh
t squeeze before offering one to Broderick, hardly making eye contact.
Underneath the pomp and circumstance and the annoyingly rigid negotiation tactics, he’s nothing but a goddamned coward.
Whatever he’s holding over Sophie’s head, I’m going to rip it limb from limb.
And then I’ll do the same to him.
I may be paying him for his company, but in the end, he’s the one who’ll pay—dearly—for the heartless cruelty he inflicted upon the only woman I’ve ever loved.
Fifty-Two
Sophie
Present
“What really happened, Sophie?” My mom is waiting for me when I get back from lunch with my friends. When I told them I’d broken off the engagement, they called an emergency get-together at our favorite bar for drinks and small plates, not that I could stomach anything. And they collectively agreed that they were secretly relieved.
“It’s not like you to jump into a relationship and then when you said you were getting married …” Sara said.
“Obviously you were going through something,” Carina added. “We’re just glad that whatever it is, you’re over it.”
They bought me drinks that melted before I could finish them and I offered excuse after excuse about getting caught up in the excitement of the wealthiest man in the world pining for me.
In the end, they told me it was for the best.
And I said that I agreed, even if I didn’t, even if the words cut through me like a rusted, dull switchblade.
I collapse in the corduroy chair in my mother’s living room. I’ve been staying here for the past week. A temporary escape. I’ve also been avoiding work because I know Trey will be there, ready to call me into his office in an attempt to sell me on getting back together. He’ll paint a beautiful picture, as always, and feed me the most convincing words in the universe. And I’ll want to give in.
Oh, God, will I want to give in …
But I can’t.
“You’ve always told me everything,” Mom says, sitting on the sofa. And she’s right. But she’s been there since day one, plus she was there when Nolan’s attorney handed me the NDA the day after the baby was born. There’s nothing she doesn’t know. Besides, if she knew the truth, it’s not like she’d go running to Trey to tell him. “What is it? What happened?”
“Trey’s been trying to land this business deal for the past year,” I say, opting to hand-select details. “Long story short, the man selling it wanted to spend a weekend with us. But it turns out, that man … was Nolan Ames.”
Mom gasps, fingers tracing her open mouth.
“He didn’t like seeing us together,” I continue. “And he didn’t like the idea of me marrying Trey and having access to his company.”
She rolls her eyes. “What would you possibly do with his company?”
I shrug. It’s impossible to know what’s going through the head of a liar and a con and a self-serving bastard.
“Maybe he thought I’d carry out some revenge fantasy,” I say. “But who knows?”
“He disgusts me.” She stands from the couch and paces the living room picture window. “What did he threaten you with?”
I huff, too mentally exhausted to get into my chain of logic. “Everything.”
She pinches the bridge of her nose. “Hasn’t he taken enough from you, Sophie?”
Yes. Yes he has.
“Don’t let him take Trey.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware you liked Trey.”
With a hand on her hip, she exhales. “I didn’t want to … but after that dinner … the way he talked about all the things he loved about you, the way his eyes lit when he looked at you … this one’s different.”
It takes a lot for my mom to like anyone. The fact that she likes Trey is nothing shy of a miracle. But now he’s the one person I can never be with … and the point is moot.
“Figure out a way,” she says.
“I’ve tried.” Many times. Lying awake in bed.
“Whatever it is, Trey’s a man of means and influence. I’m sure he can strong-arm Nolan even worse than Nolan strong-armed you.”
It sounds good in theory.
But any rebellion against Nolan’s wishes would only cost him the deal he wants more than anything.
And I love him too much to take that away.
Fifty-Three
Trey
Present
I leave The Black Lotus the second the Ameses are gone, and I hightail it to Sophie’s apartment. She doesn’t answer, so I text her. When she leaves me on ‘read’ I text her again. I tell her it’s an emergency and we need to speak immediately.
No response.
I head to her mom’s house next. If she’s hiding out there, I could picture her mom lying, telling me she isn’t inside. But at this point I’m willing to take a chance.
I have to find her.
I have to tell her that I know it was Ames who did this to her.
And I need to find out exactly what he’s holding over her head.
Thirty minutes later, I fly into the driveway of the quaint yellow house I’ve only visited once before, recognizing the crooked “welcome” sign hanging on the front door. Slamming my car door, I trot up the pitted sidewalk and ring the bell.
Footsteps sound on the other side, followed by the unlatching of a deadbolt. When the door swings open a second later, I’m taken aback to see Sophie.
My thoughts scramble as she opens the door and steps outside under the stoop, arms folded in her baggy t-shirt. Despite the messy ponytail and the dark circles under her eyes suggesting she hasn’t slept in a while, she remains the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
Beautifully broken. Perfectly imperfect.
I want to tell her I love everything about her, flaws and all. That I’d take her pain if I could so she would never have to feel it ever again.
But first thing is first.
“Sophie …” I resist the urge to cup her face or pull her into my arms. “I didn’t expect you to answer. I’ve been trying to reach you for over a week.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Ames sold me the company. Signed the papers today,” I say.
“Congratulations.” There’s no emotion in her voice, only steel in her blue gaze. “I’m happy for you.”
“I know it was him,” I say, attention falling to her lower abdomen. “I know it was Nolan who did that to you.”
She doesn’t react. Doesn’t confirm—or deny.
“I also know he said something to you that weekend,” I continue. “But whatever he said, it doesn’t matter. You can come home now. You should come home.”
“Please don’t tell me what to do,” she says. “If another man tries to control my future …”
I frown. “You’re not hearing me. I’m not trying to control your future, Sophie. I want to be your future.”
She avoids my stare, chewing the inner corner of her lower lip, the one I’d give anything to taste again.
I tense my jaw, impatient, our entire life dangling on the tip of her tongue.
I’ve been called the most powerful man in the world—but suddenly, she’s the most powerful soul in mine.
If I’m the sun, she’s the whole fucking universe.
“How did you figure it out?” she asks, admitting what I already knew. “About Ames?”
“I had lunch with him and Anabelle earlier. She was telling me the story of Sasha’s adoption, and let’s just say she gave enough information that I was able to piece it together. It didn’t help that Ames was all but squirming in his seat the whole time. That coupled with a few strange reactions of yours that I noticed over the weekend and it made perfect sense.”
Her gaze narrows and she draws in a deep breath. “I knew you’d figure it out on your own eventually … there’s not much that gets by you, is there?”
“Come home, Sophie. I’m not above begging,” I say. “Tell me what it’s going to take. I’ll do it. I’ll do anyt
hing.”
“I’m sorry, but that doesn’t change anything. I wish it did, but …”
“Of course it does. It changes everything. Ames got what he wanted, but now he doesn’t have a say.”
“I’m afraid he does.”
My jaw sets. “What’s he holding over you?”
“You’re a very convincing man, Trey, but my answer is still no. I don’t want to marry you.” She tightens her folded arms. “I wish you the best though. And thank you for everything.”
I don’t ask if I’ll see her at the office—if she’s bidding me farewell, she likely doesn’t intend to return.
“So this is it?” I ask, unable to mask my incredulous tone.
“This is it,” she says.
Sophie disappears inside the house, and a second later, the tumbler clicks on the lock.
Fifty-Four
Sophie
Present
I lock the door, my heart smashed into a million shards, never to be the same after this.
If I went home with him, if we picked up where we left off, as soon as Ames caught wind of it, he’d carry out his threats on Mom and Emmeline. And it’s not like I could ask Trey for money. The millions of dollars he offered me were from before things got real. Now that he’s closed on Ames Oil and Steel, the contract I signed with him is unnecessary and void.
Plus, I could never take advantage of him.
I won’t expect him to pick up where Ames left off and provide my family with a future. Plus, what if it doesn’t work out? Even a man with all the money in the world would be stupid to throw money away on an ex-girlfriend.
And at the end of the day, if I married Trey and had his children and things took a turn for the worse, he’d be one more moneyed man with the ability to hold something over my head—my babies. I don’t know that I could go through that again.
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