Chapter 34

Grace

I have to get out of here. Rushing through the hallway, I spy my shoes. They’re several feet apart and at odd angles, left where I’d kicked them off last night in our eagerness to get naked.

And now this.

Leo planned the baby? He must not have put a condom on that day. I thought I saw him do it. Over the past several weeks my mind has replayed an image of him rolling it down his shaft. But I guess it was wishful thinking.

He intentionally got me pregnant.

I slip my foot into the first shoe. As I scoop up the second, I sense that Leo is behind me. Refusing to look around, I instead scan the entrance for my purse.

“It was a lie,” Leo says, his voice unsure.

All I can think about is getting my purse and leaving. I’ll figure out what to do after that, but there’s no way I can stay here. Not with him. Not after what he did.

With my left shoe in my hand, I yank on the strap of the well-worn purse, propelling it into my body. I’m three steps to the door and cover the distance as fast as I can.

Holding the purse and shoe in one hand, I reached for the door handle with the other. My hand wraps around the chrome fitting with a slight tremor. I try to pull it open, but Leo’s rugged hand flattens itself on the door just above the handle.

“Let me open the door,” I say, my voice is robotic but inside I’m struggling to hold myself together.

Last night was the most perfect night of my entire life. I never expected to wake up to this. Although it’s better I found out sooner rather later.

“Talk to me,” he says.

His eyes burn into my cheek, but I refuse to look at him. Instead I study the grain of the maple door.

“Please, Gracie, come and sit down.”

“No.”

His hand inches lower and I brace for contact with his skin, but he stops just above the handle.

Part of me longs for his touch, but it’s too risky. His touch electrifies me, and I’d crumble.

The things he said on the phone play through my mind. The baby was planned. This was all a scheme to make his brother sell. He doesn’t care about me or the baby, all he is is a spoiled billionaire who found a way to force his brother to sell.

I am so stupid.

Flicking open my eyes, I grit my teeth and say, “Open the door.”

“You can’t go like this. Hear me out.”

“I heard everything I need to hear.”

“No, you didn’t, you heard a stupid fool who lied to his brother in order to win an argument.”

“Is everything about you winning an argument with your brother?”

“Look at me.” His eyes bore into the side of my face, but I refuse to meet his gaze.

“Open. The. Door.”

“We can’t stand here all day like this.”

“Exactly, now open the door.”

“My brother got me so riled up that I said things that I didn’t mean and that weren’t true. I don’t know how much you heard but believe me none of it was true. I was talking bullshit.”

“It’s funny how it’s only bullshit because I overheard it. You thought I was sleeping, and the truth came out.” I release my grip on the handle.

“It wasn’t the truth. The truth is I love you. I love this baby, even though it wasn’t planned. And I know you’re not after my money.” He strokes down the outside of my arm as he speaks, gingerly, holding himself back from embracing me.

My skin sparks at the contact and I focus on my anger to stop myself from melting against him. The baby was planned. He didn’t wear a condom. He lied.

“It doesn’t matter if you love me, you can’t found a relationship on a lie. Hell, it’s worse than a lie. You intentionally made me pregnant without my consent. Now open the fucking door.” My voice rises as I speak until I sound hysterical. I tried to calm myself by breathing deeply through my nose, instead it makes me feel lightheaded.

This whole situation is making me feel lightheaded. All I want to do is sit by myself and cry. I’m doing my best to contain my emotions until I’m somewhere that I can deal with them but a tear escapes and trickles down my cheek.

“I can’t let you go. Not like this. You’re angry and upset, but you’ll understand, I know you will.”

“Don’t tell me how I feel.”

“I’ll tell you how I feel then. Stupid. Idiotic. Desperate to keep the only woman I’ve ever really loved from walking out this door on me.”

His arm moves around my shoulder. Somehow, I find it within me to shrug it off.

“I’ll tell you how I feel — stupid for ever trusting you. I kept asking you how I got pregnant. I think I knew the truth all along, but I was in denial. This is too big to overcome, Leo. There is no way I can forget what you did.”

“I didn’t do anything. I swear, Grace, I wore a condom. I had no intention of getting you pregnant. That would be an awful thing to do. Trust me, if I’d wanted to get someone pregnant I would have just paid them.”

“And I’m supposed to believe it was all just some miraculous coincidence that the baby would allow you to sell the company you are so desperate to get rid of,” I say, sarcasm dripping through my words.

“Yes! It was a pure fluke.”

“Open the door.”

“I can’t let you walk out of my life.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll put your name on the birth certificate and you will be able to sell your precious company.”

“I don’t care about any of that, I want to be a father to my child.”

“We’ll work out some sort of shared custody.”

“Don’t talk like that, Grace. I need you.”

“And I need to sort through my thoughts. Now let me go.” I slam my hand against the door. I can barely make out the wood grain, my eyes are so full of tears. I try to blink them away, but the action only causes them to escape and fall down my cheeks.

I start slamming my hand over and over against the door. My hand stings but I keep hitting it. All I want to be is on the other side, the side away from Leo. Leo the liar.

“Fine,” he says, and pulls his hand from the door. “Go, clear your head and come back when you realize that I’m telling you the truth.”

I grab the handle and fling open the door. As I stick my bare foot over the threshold, Leo says, “I’m telling you the truth. Remember that.” His voice is strained, lost. The tone is almost enough to draw me back inside.

The words the baby was planned are drawn to the front of my mind and I march down the hall to the elevator. Thankfully the elevator is waiting, and I step in it without hesitating.

The second the door shuts the tears roll faster down my cheeks. I wipe them with the back of my hand, trying at the same time to put on my other shoe.

It dings, and the door opens into the lobby. In a futile attempt to look composed, I wipe my cheeks one more time. I half jog to the exit, rush through it and get straight into a waiting cab.

I slump into the seat, feeling as though I weigh a million pounds. I have no idea what to do or where to go.

“Just drive,” I tell the cabbie.

“Sure thing,” he says.

My eyes struggle to focus on the passing buildings as I try to deal with my immediate situation and figure out where to go. I don’t know anyone in New York, and then one person pops into my head.

Anna.