TWENTY-FOUR

Fireworks at Night…and Not the Good Kind

Libby

I'm lying awake in bed, listening to Richard snore. He's on a cot I had brought in. By the time I got back from my walk, I didn't feel like I could very well kick him out into the night, but I certainly did not want him in my bed either. He seemed to accept the fact that I wasn't ready to kiss and make up, and although he’s made it very obvious he's disappointed, he's really not in any position to do anything other than wait.

My heart is aching, and I feel hot and sweaty, like I have a horrible fever, but it’s one I’ve caused myself. I’ve never been so torn up in my life. There's no way I'm going to fall asleep, not until I've seen Harrison.

I get up quietly and pull on a pair of shorts and a sweater over my T-shirt, not because it’s cold out, but because I have a horrible feeling I’ll need an extra buffer to protect myself from whatever is about to happen.

Picking up my flip-flops, I pocket the key to my room and sneak out. When I step outside, I’m met by a cool breeze and the sound of sprinklers watering the grass outside the building. The combination somehow holds a hint of the relief and hope I need right now.

I hurry down the path, praying Harrison will be home this time. When I round the corner, I see the light is on in his villa, and I practically sprint the last few hundred yards (except without actually sprinting because, eww, sprinting).

I knock loudly and wait. It takes a minute before the door opens and he stands before me, shirtless, with a very serious expression that hardens his features.

Between my rush to get here and the sight of him, I’m nearly breathless. “Hi. I came to find you earlier, but you weren't home.”

“Yeah, I got busy.”

“Can I come in? I think we should talk.”

“Well, I don't.” He shrugs, seeming completely indifferent to me.

I stare into his eyes, trying to figure out what exactly is going on. “Why not?”

“I met Dick earlier.”

My heart drops to my toes, and I cringe, wondering what Richard said to him.

“Harrison, I didn't know he was coming, and I didn't—”

“Is he still in your room?”

“What?”

He’s gruff in a way that shocks me.

“Is he still in your room?” he asks, over-pronouncing each word. “Because if he is, it means you want him there, which means we don't have anything to talk about.”

“Yes, he’s there, but—”

“—then I guess we're through.”

Tears prick my eyes, and I blink them back, my mind racing for what to say but coming up blank.

“Don’t overthink this, Libby. We were just having some fun, but the fun’s over now, which, believe me, is for the best. I was starting to feel guilty about using you to try to get some extra zeros.”

My eyes scan his face, desperate to see some trace of the gentle man who takes care of everyone he meets and who held me in his arms last night while I cried about my mother, but he’s not there. In his place is someone I don’t know. Someone harsh and hateful.

“You're lying.”

“Not this time,” he says, his voice clipped.

Feeling a deep sense of betrayal and pain bubble up from my stomach, I say, “You let me see who you really are — not the superhero you pretend to be, but the real Harrison who’s so worried about everyone else that he can’t sleep at night. The guy who’d do anything for the people he loves.”

His face is so cold, he doesn’t even look like the same man. “You’re right. I would do anything for them. But you’re not part of that group, so you should just…go home.”

My head snaps back in shock.

He sets his jaw, then says, “The truth is, there’s another investor interested in the property, and I’ve been using you to drive up the price on him. I went to see him today, and it turns out my plan worked. I’m going to be very rich, so thanks for that.”

“Why are you saying this?” I ask, my voice catching. “Why are you lying to me?”

“Libby, listen to me, this is the first time I’ve told you the truth. It’s just business. Everything else I’ve said to you was…strategic.”

I shake my head. “No, it wasn’t.”

“Yes, it was. But try not to let it get to you. You’re still going to get your happy ending. Dick flew all the way around the world to sweep you off your feet,” he says. “And he’s still in your room, so there’s really nothing more for us to say to each other.”

Tears threaten to make an appearance, but I blink them back. “Wow. I’m glad I could see your cruel side before I did something stupid like fall in love with you.”

“Yeah, I’m the cruel one,” he answers, letting out a frustrated laugh. Grabbing the door, he looks at me with such disdain, it nearly takes my breath away. “Have a good life, Ms. Dewitt. I'm sure you and Dick will have a long, happy future together of corporate domination.”

***

I wait until I'm halfway back to my room before I allow a sob to escape my chest.

Spotting a bench along the path, I sit down and curl my legs into my chest, tucking my head to my knees and wishing I could just disappear from this place and from this moment. I feel dirty and used and stupid. Oh, so very stupid.

I played right into his hands and completely killed my career for him. The thought makes me sick to my stomach.

Oh my God. I quit my job.

I sit, trying to catch my breath for a minute but only managing to let out more sobs. I was willing to give up my entire future for him, but it turns out he couldn't care less about me. He's nothing but a liar — a horribly good, incredibly ripped, amazing-in-bed liar who uses women and throws them away.

And I’m the spectacular idiot who fell for it.