When she had met Sam, Genevieve had been secretly desperate for a man to swoop in and take care of everything. Now, Genevieve was getting used to the idea of doing things without a man. She read as many books and articles that she could get her hands on about being a single parent and handling pregnancy without a romantic partner. It wasn’t just her own struggle she was worried about. People judged her everywhere she went for being pregnant without a husband. Before, Genevieve had been one of these judgmental folks. Now, she understood that there were some situations you just didn’t understand until we were in them. People had no right to judge her and she had no right to judge others in the past. Genevieve was starting to realize that having a man in her life didn’t determine whether she was going to be a capable mother and it didn’t determine her value or morals as a woman.
Genevieve was starting to grow up in a completely different way. At work, she tried to remain kind and cordial with Greta even if their friendship had certainly cooled down. If Greta weren’t so narcissistic she probably would have noticed. As far as she was concerned, Genevieve was just be strange and she would come back to reality eventually. Greta had very little use for Genevieve anymore so she didn’t try as hard as before to get Genevieve to go out with her. Greta’s focus was now entirely on Sam. She was trying to figure out a way to get closer to him. Since Genevieve provided no interesting new drama, Greta was pretty much through with her.
All on her own, Genevieve had started going to a different obstetrician than the one Sam had paid for in full. This doctor was a lot more affordable and included some homeopathic remedies for pregnancy symptoms as well. Genevieve never thought she would see the day where she would need to make her own doctor’s appointment or form a relationship with an obstetrician. Genevieve was proud that she was doing these sorts of things on her own and she was actually doing them quite well. She sometimes didn’t feel 28 at all, but now she was starting to feel more like an adult.
Genevieve had also been working up to her new ultimate goal: quitting her job. Although her job provided a lot of stability, there were still some negative aspects that Genevieve couldn’t shake. Her work was unfulfilling. Her boss was demanding. And when it came time for her to have the baby, she would have no paid maternity leave and no one to rely on financially. So before she quit her job, Genevieve started her own business. It wasn’t simple, but luckily she had a couple old connections who helped her out.
Genevieve started her own freelance copywriting business. After writing click bait articles for so long she knew exactly what consumers wanted and she knew how to get them to click the buy button without hesitation. It was a skill in high demand. At first, Genevieve wrote for her clients into the dead of the night after work. She barely got any sleep. By the time she was ready to quit her job, she was pulling about $4-$5000 per writing piece. She reached her goal with more ease than she’d expected.
So Genevieve quit her job. Yup. She left those click bait bastards behind and she didn’t look back once. Her boss begged her to stay, but Genevieve had no reason to anymore. She had been through too much there. Not to mention she was absolutely sick of having to see Greta every day. Genevieve knew that it wasn’t Greta’s fault, but she couldn’t help but be reminded of her heartbreak every time she saw the woman. Genevieve was not only mourning the loss of a lover, she was mourning the loss of a friend too. Work made both of these things too difficult.
After Genevieve quit her job, she took a moment to reflect on how far things had come for her. She couldn’t believe that all of this had happened in such a short time. Her entire life had changed completely ever since her heartbreak. Genevieve felt like she didn’t even have time to think about men or dating. If she did have the time her heartbreak might have consumed her. A part of Genevieve wanted everything to go back to the way it was before but Genevieve couldn’t ignore what Sam had done. That was unforgivable.
***
Six weeks of pain had changed Sam. He barely had the energy to get out of bed much less make use of the information his assistant had scrounged up about the mysterious redhead who had messed with his relationship. Sam tried to throw himself into his work, but his passion was clearly lost. He couldn’t stop thinking about Genevieve and the baby she was carrying. I should be there for them. Sam thought.
Despite his malaise, Sam was doing better than ever at work. Fate could be so ironic and twisted like that. He was about to take over the company as the CEO but even that major life victory was tainted by Sam’s grief. He didn’t want this promotion as much as he wanted a family. Sure, he had only known Genevieve a short time but she was the one person he’d met in this city full of denizens who had actually inspired him. She was beyond a pretty face; Genevieve had depth and aspirations. More than that, she knew what it was like to come from nothing. Sam wished he could appreciate his promotion, but it all felt so meaningless without someone to share it with. All that money would do nothing for him if he didn’t have a family of sorts to share it with.
Before, Sam would have considered himself a suave playboy, but he had been thrown completely off course. Sam hadn’t had a date since Genevieve had dumped him. Sam had tried to maintain all his hobbies, but he didn’t even have the energy needed for salsa. He had gone to the club, but every woman paled in comparison to Genevieve. The model like fair skinned Colombian girls seemed completely plastic. Even the thick accented Cubanas didn’t appeal to Sam anymore. No woman was as beautiful, bodacious and dark skinned as Genevieve. Not only had Sam lost his interest in most women, he lost his confidence in approaching them. Sam would try to force himself to approach a beautiful woman but the moment he got close enough to greet her a lump would form in his throat. His body was rejecting the idea of anyone but her.
Sam couldn’t take this separation any longer. Six weeks of grieving had led him no closer to salvation or resolution. He knew grieving wouldn’t help. He needed to act. What happened with Genevieve was wrong and Sam finally felt like work and his ability to think straight had aligned. He called his assistant and asked her to mail the files on the redhead who he was certain had torn his relationship apart. Sam knew he should have done this much earlier but he just couldn’t bring himself to handle this. What if somehow Genevieve was right? What if his entire memory about being drugged was false?
When Sam read his assistant’s file on Greta Hansson his blood ran cold. The picture of the woman attached let him know exactly who she was. This was “Kate”. Sam managed to peruse the entire file within the course of an hour and a half. His assistant had dragged up information about Greta from before she moved into the city. For a woman who looked like an actress, she had an arrest record of a local crackhead. Her arrests were for all kinds of crimes, but Greta was never convicted. How deep did this rabbit hole go?
Greta’s parents seemed to be European moguls; they had bailed her out of jail for every single arrest and caused all the charges to be dropped on technicalities. The power of a good lawyer on retainer couldn’t be underestimated. Sam was starting to find out more about Greta than what anyone else in the city knew and it didn’t look pretty. She had even been arrested for murder once. That was what made Sam really stop and take pause. You weren’t just arrested for murder for no reason.
Sam looked even deeper into the incident. Greta and some girl had been smoking pot on the top of a high school building when the other girl “fell” off the roof by accident. It had been in the news and everything. Sam was starting to think that Greta was a sociopath who was particularly lucky to be born wealthy. If she was a sociopath with a vendetta for him or Genevieve, there’s no telling what she would do if she got her hands on either of them. Sam knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He needed to show this file to Genevieve immediately and he needed to make sure that she was safe. Genevieve might have been duped by this woman, but once she saw the truth for herself, Sam was certain he could convince Genevieve to see his point.
Sam got into his car and zoomed over to Genevieve’s apartment. Aga
in, Sam had underestimated Greta. Yes, Greta had lost most of her interest in Sam and Genevieve, but she had her little dweeb Erwin keeping an eye on Sam. Plus, ever since Genevieve had quit her job without telling Greta, she was on high alert. Greta still hoped to have Genevieve under her thumb at some point, even if she realized that Genevieve was starting to pull away a bit. Greta knew as long as Genevieve worked with her, she could have her back as a friend. Now that chance was gone and Greta was preoccupied with the absence of her “best friend”. She needed to make sure that nothing happened to get Sam and Genevieve back together. She might have been bored with Genevieve, but she wasn’t finished with Sam. Erwin didn’t have to do much to satisfy Greta, just hack Sam’s computer every once in awhile and track his activity. When Sam delved into his research about Greta, Erwin saw the links Sam had searched; he put two and two together fast.
Erwin called Greta the moment he figured out what was happening. Perhaps he would have done well to look into Greta’s shady past too, but he didn’t even care. He was just hopeful this would get him a chance with Greta.
“Greta… He’s been looking you up. I think you should keep an eye on Genevieve,” he said.
Greta was astounded by Erwin’s competence. She really didn’t expect much from him. If Sam knew everything about her past, Greta knew she would have to take action. If Sam brought this information to Genevieve, she would lose her chance to have both of them in her life forever. Greta couldn’t have sped over to Genevieve’s apartment any faster. She just hoped she could beat Sam.
And she did.
Greta parked her car two buildings down and warmed up with a grande caramel macchiato from Starbucks. Yum. She sat there for a full hour before she saw Sam’s car pull up. Greta got out of her car and waited behind another one until Sam started walking up the sidewalk towards Genevieve’s apartment.
Greta popped out and scared Sam half to death. The element of surprise gave her the immediate upper hand. The days were getting shorter and shorter; it wasn’t too late in the evening and it was already pitch black. Without the glow of the street lamps, Greta would have been completely invisible.
Sam inhaled sharply. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he muttered.
“Good evening, Sam,” Greta said. Her voice was icy and devoid of emotion. The hairs on Sam’s neck stood up. He realized that Greta must have followed him there; if she was following him, there was no telling what she had planned. There was no telling how closely she had been watching him. Sam was shaken, but he knew he had to play things cool. From years of boardroom meetings, his poker face was damned good.
“Hello Greta,” Sam said, using her real name and letting “Kate” know that the jig was up.
Sam knew at least vaguely what she had been up to and he knew definitively who she really was.
Greta smiled; that empty look in her eye remained, “Very nice Sam. I take it you’re about to ‘blow my cover’ and show Genevieve some pretty nasty stuff. Well… I can’t stop you. But I can let you know that telling Genevieve a word of this would end very badly for her. And her baby.”
“How did you know…” Sam asked.
Greta replied, “Well she didn’t tell me… But it doesn’t take an idiot to figure out that the stupid hoe is pregnant with your child. I mean, why else would you be so hung up on her?”
“Greta… You can’t do this. I’ll call the police,” Sam pleaded.
“Try me. You know that historically the police have never been very good at their job,” Greta replied.
The subtext of what Greta was saying was clear: she had gotten away with murder before, and she considered herself untouchable.
Sam didn’t have the presence of mind to know how to act. Perhaps if he hadn’t been so surprised he would have taken Greta down to the ground where she stood. But he couldn’t really “prove” anything and Greta had a point. She had gotten away with far worse before; if he attacked her, Sam was sure he was the one who would end up in jail. Then he would be separated from Genevieve forever. There was no winning in a fist fight with Greta.
“Greta…” Sam begged one last time. She didn’t budge. Greta meant business. He couldn’t believe it but he was actually starting to tear up. The universe was conspiring to keep him away from Genevieve and his frustration was growing beyond what he was capable of managing. Sam knew what this woman was capable of so he figured it was better to just leave. He would figure something else out. He would take a chance to get the jump on Greta. This attempt to contact Genevieve was a failure.
Sam said nothing else. He turned away from Greta and got back into his car. He floored the gas and drove around the city for three hours before he arrived home. When Sam climbed into bed, he felt smaller than ever.
How could a man who was so powerful become so weak when it came to the woman he loved? Love could bring paupers and princes alike to their knees. Sam felt truly helpless for the first time in a long time. It was as if he were a child again, listening to his father beat his mother over and over. Now, like then, there was no salvation.
Chapter 13
Loneliness set in for both Sam and Genevieve. Nathalie’s trip north had been postponed, so Genevieve was forced to face even more time on her own. Her hormones were raging and she had no one to sympathize with her. Genevieve would spend hours and hours crying over nothing only to feel manic all night with no one to go out with. Sam was troubled by the fact that he wanted desperately to care for Genevieve, to hear her voice, to feel her touch, but there was nothing he could do until he figured out how to avoid Greta and her threats. She was clearly watching him closely; Sam was too scared to even call Genevieve.
Sam was redoubling his efforts to find out how exactly he could get in touch with Genevieve. There had to be some way to distract Greta. Sam wondered about a bait and switch. What if he could get his assistant to get in touch with Genevieve… Then switch cars with her. He could have his assistant lead Greta on a wild goose chase throughout the city. By the time Greta caught up with his assistant, he would have hopefully gotten through to Genevieve and he could help her understand what the hell had been going on between them.
Sam knew this idea would work. What’s more, he knew this was one shot to get to Genevieve. If he failed, her entire life was at risk. He needed to act fast; more importantly he needed to be methodical and precise. Sam called up his assistant told her the plan. Sam figured that his penthouse wasn’t being watched directly. Perhaps he was solely being tracked through his phone or computer. Perhaps whoever she had stalking him had taken a little break. In that time, his assistant sped over and joined Sam upstairs. She didn’t ask too many questions about what exactly her boss wanted. She knew that it would be dangerous and she knew that she would be more than compensated for her loyalty.
Sam set the trap. He baited Greta to think that he was leaving the house. After his assistant sped off in his car, she called him three minutes later to let him know that she was being followed. So far, this was all a success. Sam’s heart was thumping through his chest. He couldn’t believe this was actually working and he couldn’t believe that he would get a chance to see Genevieve. He hopped into his assistants far less fancy car and drove as fast as he could to Genevieve’s apartment. When Sam exited the car to go to Genevieve’s stoop he couldn’t help but feel his heart beating through his chest. He was reminded of the last time he had tried to see Genevieve when Greta had threatened her. Defying Greta still felt scary even if Sam knew that there was no way she could sink her teeth into him now.
Sam slammed his finger down on the doorbell. He was lucky to find out that Genevieve was home. When Genevieve saw Sam standing on her doorstep with a fiery look in his eye, she had to admit she was curious as to why he had come. She knew she should have ignored him but she just couldn’t. It had been so long since they had spoken to each other that she couldn’t imagine what would cause him to come here. She hated to admit that she felt glad to see him. She shouldn’t have felt like that. She had dumped him. He had done so
mething unforgivable. But something about the way Sam was looking at the door so desperately told Genevieve that she should let him up.
Genevieve buzzed him up and Sam entered her apartment. When he’s came in, he closed the door and locked it behind him. Genevieve felt her heart racing. Why had he locked the door? Did he have something planned for her? Was he going to hurt her?
“I’m not going to hurt you Genevieve. I have something serious to show you. Please… I think you’re in danger,” Sam huffed. He tried to catch his breath.
He pulled the file containing the truth about Greta and slammed it on Genevieve’s coffee table.
“What is this?” Genevieve asked.
Sam pushed his hair out of his face. “Please… Just read it,” he said. Genevieve saw from the look in his green eyes that he was earnest about this.
Genevieve had to admit that she was concerned about Sam’s tone. He obviously had found something serious in this file or he wouldn’t have bothered show up here. It had been so long since they had last seen each other, Genevieve presumed that seeing Sam again would be awkward. But it wasn’t. It felt natural as if he were just coming home from work or something. Genevieve could almost forget that they’d gone without talking far less seen each other’s face.
Love Over Envy: BWWM Pregnancy Romance Novel Page 10