by Holly Rayner
When the doors opened, she took a breath and let it out gustily before stepping into the hallway. Kadeen’s office door was open, and when she walked by, peeking in, she saw him sitting at his desk, his hands folded in front of him.
“Nicole. A word, please.”
His eyes were darker than midnight, his posture rigid. He looked furious.
Suddenly anxious, Nicole stepped inside. How could she talk to him when he looked like this? Had she done something wrong?
Taking a seat across from him, she glanced down, unwilling to meet his cold stare. Her eyes caught sight of something on his desk, and on second glance she realized that it was the printout of her sonogram image.
What?
Noticing the direction of Nicole’s gaze, Kadeen slid a piece of paper across his desk to her before replacing his hands before him, all business, as usual.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself before I begin?”
Nicole lifted the paper with shaking hands and began to read. As she did, her stomach filled with icy hot dread.
It was a letter to a tabloid newspaper, from her, with the sonogram attached, offering them the story for an exorbitant sum. All at once, Nicole thought back to her collapse in the studio the day before. Her sonogram must have fallen from her purse when she fell, and Imogen, seeing an opportunity, must have taken it, all while appearing the shining example of support.
Nicole should have known better.
”This…this is nonsense. I was coming in today to tell you about the pregnancy—”
Kadeen cut her off. “I’m sure you were, Nicole. Fortunately for you, my lawyers have already quashed the story, with an exorbitant payout from me. You have no idea the level of scandal this would have caused in Al Qazar had the story gotten out. Of course, I understand why you would do something like this. We’re not in a relationship, I wasn’t completely honest with you before we spent the night together, and of course you’ll need cash if you’re going to provide for five children on your own.”
Nicole gestured to the paper frantically. “Kadeen, I didn’t write this! You have to believe me. I may have been upset after the way you treated me, but I would never stoop this low. This has Imogen all over it. She was the only other person who had access to these images, and the only one with a motive to drive me out.”
The Sheikh watched her carefully, assessing her. Nicole didn’t hide any of her surprise, her hurt, or her anger.
Seeing this, Kadeen nodded. “I imagine you are correct; while an excellent curator, Imogen has always been jealous, possessive, and vindictive. I’ll deal with her later, but that doesn’t change the fact that even after everything that has happened between us, we can never be together.”
“What, because I’m beneath you? Is that it? Or is it because you’re incapable of committing to one woman?”
Kadeen lifted a haughty eyebrow. “The reason we can’t be together, Nicole, is because in my country a man must be wed by the age of thirty. My bride was selected for me many years ago. I’ve never even seen her face. If I want to bring shame to my parents and my family name, I will call off the wedding and reject everything my culture values. That’s not something I’m willing to do.”
Nicole stared at him with wide eyes. She had always assumed that he was simply playing the game, unwilling or unable to settle down. Had he really just been biding his time until he was married off to a woman he didn’t know?
“Why didn’t you try and meet her when we were there, when your parents called?”
Kadeen’s eyes darkened further, if that was possible. “What, leave you in my bed to go do some wedding planning with my future wife?”
“You managed to drive me out of your bed fairly easily, if you remember,” Nicole spat.
Kadeen actually winced at the venom in her words. He sat back in his chair, his shoulders lowering as the anger seemed to rush out of him. He glanced up at her, and Nicole saw deep conflict in his gaze.
“You’re right,” he said softly. “I was cruel, and I shouldn’t have treated you that way. There was a time I thought that maybe…well, never mind that. You know the truth now. If I am to appease my family and keep them from shame and national scandal, there is no future for us. That doesn’t mean, however, that I plan on shirking my responsibilities towards our children. I will provide for all of you financially, so you will never have to worry about their care.”
“Kadeen—” Nicole began, but he held up a hand to stop her.
“It’s the very least I can do. I will provide for you. I understand what really happened with all of this,” he said, waving a hand at the sonogram and letter on his desk, “and I will take appropriate action. If you’d like to take the rest of the day off, I understand. I don’t want you overly stressed in the coming months, for obvious reasons.”
Nicole stared blankly across the desk. All of the nerves, anger and frustration melted into resigned sadness, and she sighed before standing.
“I’ll be fine. Please don’t worry yourself on my account.”
Before Kadeen could respond, Nicole made her exit and headed straight to the studio, where she sat down at her desk and stared into space, taking it all in.
She had been wrong about Kadeen. Sure, he had acted like a jerk, but a rational part of her wondered if that didn’t have a little to do with him protecting himself, knowing that he could never love a woman of his choosing. Was that why he had such a reputation?
And what had he said? He’d thought that maybe…something? Perhaps there was a part of him that had wanted her, too, as something more than a conquest, though Nicole didn’t dare to hope for such a thing. How could she, when he had finally told her the truth; that he was expected to marry a woman he had never met.
Nicole heard the elevator ding, and her eyes narrowed at the sound of heels clicking down the hallway. Imogen walked past, looking smug as she glanced through the doorway. Her expression fell when she saw Nicole sitting at her desk, but still she stepped inside, unable to resist seeing if her handiwork had had its desired effect.
“Nicole. I didn’t expect to see you in today,” Imogen said, her eyes darting around the room.
Nicole wondered if Imogen was looking for the sonogram image, which, she realized, she’d left on Kadeen’s desk. She wondered absently if he had wanted to keep it, since he hadn’t reminded her to take it on the way out.
Turning her attention back to Imogen, Nicole’s frown deepened. “No, I imagine you didn’t.”
Unsure how to read Nicole’s body language, Imogen cleared her throat, presumably trying to gauge how much she knew. “Have you been in long?”
“Long enough to meet with Kadeen, yes. I believe he’d like to speak with you next.”
Imogen blanched, her pale cheeks becoming near-translucent. “Does he now?” she asked, squaring her shoulders and stepping out of the studio. “I’ll be sure to catch him later then.”
“Imogen! I can hear you down the hall. Get in here, now!”
Her composure dissolved at the sound of Kadeen’s voice.
Nicole had done her best to never think ill of anyone. She had chalked up Imogen’s behavior to insecurity, immaturity and an overdeveloped ego, and had done her best to think nothing of it until that morning, when everything had changed.
She couldn’t resist seeing what would happen next. She scooted her chair closer to the studio door and listened to the conversation, which was easy enough since Kadeen didn’t bother closing his office door.
“Did you really think you could get away with this?” Kadeen asked, and Nicole imagined him pointing to the evidence on his desk.
“Get away with what?” Imogen asked innocently, though her voice shook.
“Don’t play games with me, Imogen. I know this was you. I’ve just checked the IP address from which the email was sent. Even though it was sent from Nicole’s account, it was done so on your computer.”
There was a stunned silence. Nicole’s stomach twisted a little, and she placed a hand on it.
“Calm down, babies. Everything’s going to be okay,” she whispered, working to stay calm herself.
“You don’t have any proof—” Imogen started weakly, but Kadeen cut her off.
“I’ve got more than enough. The fact that you impersonated your colleague, slandered my name, and sent this to the press is enough for me to sue you within an inch of your life. Instead, I’m going to fire you with no severance and no reference, and if anyone in this industry asks me if you’re worth their time, I’ll give them a resounding negative. Congratulations, Imogen. Your days working in art curation are over.”
“You can’t do that! I’m exceptional at what I do!” Imogen yelled.
“Are you seriously raising your voice to me? Get out. Now.”
“But Kadeen, what about us?” Imogen cried, her voice sickly-sweet.
“There is no ‘us.’ There never has been. You are delusional, Imogen, and I let your nonsense go on for far too long. I should have fired you at the first hint of cunning, but I thought your skills were worth the high school drama. Apparently I was wrong. Now pack your things and get out. I never want to see you in this office again.”
“You’re making a mistake, Kadeen. You’ll never find anyone who will close deals for you like I can.”
“Believe me, Imogen, you’re not as good as you think.”
“You’ll regret this,” she hissed.
“I doubt it.”
After a moment, during which Nicole imagined Imogen batting her lashes at Kadeen in one last-ditch attempt to win him back, her heels clattered from the office to the studio, where she appeared in the doorway, her bright blue eyes aflame with malice.
“You,” she hissed.
Nicole pressed her feet into the ground, her chair wheeling back to its normal position in front of her desk. “It’s been nice knowing you, Imogen. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, okay?”
“You think you’ve won today, don’t you? Well you’re wrong. All you’ve got are five babies with no father, and the promise of getting fat!”
Nicole stared at Imogen, seeing her in her true form for the first time. It was a scary sight. Her eyes were bulging out of her head, her hair askew. She may have been beautiful on the outside, but inside she was pure melted garbage. Seeing so much hatred and anger in a person should have had Nicole on the defense, but she was too tired to care.
Taking a deep breath, Nicole stood and took a step toward Imogen.
“Good luck, Imogen. I think you’re a terrible person, and you really need to develop compassion and kindness for others, but I forgive you for what you tried to do to me. I hope you find inner peace and happiness, wherever you end up next.”
Imogen stared at her in disbelief. “Why aren’t you being mean to me?”
“Why should I be? I’ve got more important things to think about than your petty jealousy. I recommend you take a good, long look in the mirror and reconsider the kind of person you want to be.”
Imogen continued to grapple with Nicole’s reaction. As she stood in the doorway, Kadeen approached from behind.
“I thought I told you to clean out your desk and get out?” he said quietly.
Imogen glanced back at him, confused. Looking back at Nicole, she nodded her head. “Yes. I suppose I’ve outgrown this place anyway. You two deserve each other. Good luck changing diapers for five kids!”
With a final glare, Imogen made her departure, grabbing a handful of things off her desk before heading to the elevator. She flipped them both the bird as the elevator doors closed, removing her from their lives forever.
Nicole was instantly aware of the fact that she was now alone in the office with Kadeen. He hadn’t made eye contact with her since coming out of his office, and when he did, she saw the conflict going on within him.
“If she bothers you again, let me know,” he said finally.
“Thank you,” Nicole whispered.
“It’s nothing, really,” Kadeen said, turning back toward his office.
And this time, he did shut the door.
Chapter 16
Nicole
Following the showdown with Imogen, the rest of the day passed by with Nicole busying herself with Kadeen’s prized portrait, while the man himself didn’t come out of his office once all day. Nicole found herself insanely curious about what he was doing in there, even though she knew she shouldn’t bother herself with such thoughts.
All this time she had thought Kadeen such a cad. Seeing his pained expression, how divided he was, how at war with himself, had shed at least some light on the decisions he had made regarding her. But it didn’t make her feel any better. She was still going to have a married man’s children, be the other woman, live a separate life. Would he be ashamed of his children? Would they live as his dark secret, an enormous expense that he would hide from his wife? Only time would tell, but Nicole’s stomach hurt just thinking about it.
Outside of that probability, Nicole couldn’t help but dwell on what might have been. Had she told Kadeen about her feelings sooner, she could have saved herself a little extra heartache. What if she’d been smart enough to stay away from him, and spare herself the heartbreak she would endure for the rest of her life, raising his children without him?
Alternating between daydreaming about impossible scenarios and getting depressed when faced with undeniable truths, Nicole eventually realized that it was time for her to go home.
She took one last look at the Portrait of a Princess. She had finally put the finishing touches on it, and the restoration was complete. The Sheikha gleamed, her eyes shining, more beautiful than ever. Nicole had to give herself a small pat on the back for her work. It was one of the best restorations she had done.
She packed up her supplies and headed out the door. Kadeen’s office door was still closed, and she figured it was better that way. There was no point in trying to make conversation. She was tired enough as it was.
It didn’t take her too long to get home, but no sooner had she closed her front door and leaned her back against it, Nicole finally let herself break down and cry. Sliding down to the floor, she cried for all that she had lost, all that Kadeen could not have, everything. Never in her life had she known such deep grief and sorrow, and it hurt all the more deeply since she knew this was a time when she was meant to feel joy.
Picking up her phone, Nicole did the only thing she could think to do: she called Ellie.
“Nicole? What’s wrong?”
“Why do you always answer the phone that way?” Nicole asked through her sobs.
“Well, recently you’ve been crying pretty much every time you call me, so I guess it just saves time. Now tell me, what’s wrong?”
Nicole told her sister the story of finally coming to the decision to tell Kadeen, how Imogen had tried to frame her as going public with the pregnancy, and the unpleasant conversation that had followed.
“Bravo! Though from what you’ve told me about her, she didn’t deserve the kindness you showed her.”
“I’d hardly call it kindness, Ellie. Still, as much as I think I’ll always hate that woman, I think part of me will always feel a little bad for her, too.”
“Well, you are a much better person than me,” Ellie said gently, before raising her voice. “Hey! Put that down, now!”
Nicole waited for a few moments while Ellie fought to get her children under control. When things calmed down, Ellie picked the conversation back up.
“So what are you going to do now?” she asked.
Nicole sniffed. “I don’t know, Ellie. I’m pregnant with five babies, and I’m totally alone. Sure, Kadeen said he’d help us out financially, but that doesn’t help the desolation I feel now, does it?”
“Why don’t you come back up here?”
“What?”
“You heard me. Come back upstate. Come stay with us. We know how to handle babies, and you’ll have me for emotional support. We’ve only ever really needed each other when it comes down to it. Co
me stay with us, Nicole, until you figure out what to do next.”
Nicole thought about her sister’s offer. She would have to leave Kadeen, and the job she had wanted from the very beginning. Still, life had a way of changing things, and her life was in no way going to be the same come summertime.
“Yes,” Nicole said.
“Yes, you’ll come?” Ellie asked, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice.
Nicole smiled for the first time in ages, then. “Yes, I’ll come stay with you. But if I see any hint that I’m a burden to you or your marriage, I’m heading right back out. I can take care of myself if need be.”
“Nonsense. My marriage is solid as a rock, and Craig will be thrilled to help out with more babies. Heck, he keeps asking me if I want to get pregnant again, which you know ain’t happening, so maybe he can get his fix with you.”
Nicole laughed, wiping her tears away. Now that she had a plan, she felt a little better, even if she still felt hollow inside. “Thanks, El. I love you, and Craig and the girls, to the moon and back.”
“Likewise. Now get all your ducks in a row and come join us on the farm. We’ll be waiting for you!”
“I can’t wait to hug you all again,” Nicole said, feeling her stomach flutter with excitement.
She and Ellie made plans for her arrival before Nicole ended the call, feeling better than she had in months. That night she went to sleep easily, dreaming of her children.
Chapter 17
Nicole
The following morning, Nicole took the subway to work as usual. When she walked in, Kadeen’s door was finally open, and she stepped across the threshold without stopping to ask for permission.
Kadeen was at his desk, and he looked up at her, surprised.
Nicole took a breath, her prepared statement dangling from her lips.
“I’m afraid I have to resign from my position,” she began. “I don’t want you to think that I’m shirking my responsibilities, though. Portrait of a Princess has been completed, and she looks beautiful. You’d do well to return her to your home country and keep her somewhere where she can be on display for everyone to enjoy. I’m sure it will bring happiness to many of your people.”