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How poorly would it reflect on me if I leave early?
***
Rose stared at the phone resting in the cupholder as she drove, and the longer she watched Luke’s name remain on the screen, the more she was tempted to reach for it and tell him everything that was running through her mind. She’d told Beatrice she needed to deal with something and promised that she wouldn’t be missing any more days in the near future, and she’d left the office just after her lunch break had been scheduled to end.
She was almost back to Luke’s house, and she didn’t know how long she would have. But the comfort that had been building steadily within her over the past two weeks had been shattered by the sight of the newspaper.
Luke had spent the past four years trying to put the mishap with Calvin and Lorenzo behind him. He’d severed all ties with them, to Rose’s knowledge, and now here Calvin was, capitalizing on a situation that had nothing to do with him and taking any chance at all to drag Luke down again.
Despite Rose’s efforts to protect Luke from the heartache that came with loving her when she’d kept the pain of their child’s loss to herself and removed herself from the equation, here he was again, suffering. Because of her.
If she hadn’t been with him at the ball, he would’ve had no reason to snap. If he didn’t have to protect her, there would be nothing forcing him to make these choices to put his reputation and himself in danger.
If she disappeared again, he would be so much better off.
Chapter Nineteen
After twenty minutes had passed with no word from Rose, Luke had begun to worry. He’d expected at least a text asking why he’d called. He picked up his phone and tried again.
Five rings passed before she answered.
“I’m sorry.”
Luke’s heart plummeted. He heard the sadness in her voice, and his pulse quickened. Something was wrong.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Luke…” She paused to pull in a long breath. “I saw the paper. They’re still trying to make you the bad guy for what happened with Calvin after all this time, and—it’s my fault.”
He got to his feet and moved for his office door, starting down the hall without a second thought. He could explain to everyone at work later. Right now, he had to act.
“Please don’t be thinking what I think you are,” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry.”
The line went dead. Luke broke into a run.
***
Rose moved through the house quickly, pulling together everything she could and making several trips to her car with her clothes and toiletries and whatever else of hers that she could find. Luke’s office was closer to the house than hers, and she knew she’d made a mistake in answering the phone, but she was so torn. She wanted to protect him—she would do anything in the world to keep him safe, even if that meant losing him. She felt like she was cursed, or worse yet, that she was the curse. She was tired of everything she touched falling apart.
But no matter what she did, she was hurting him. She’d already left once before, and it had absolutely crushed him. What was worse? Taking herself out of the way and letting him live his life without people using her to get to him, or staying out of selfishness—out of her desire to be with him?
She left the master bathroom, her makeup bag under her arm, and when she reentered the bedroom, her gaze fell on her nightstand. In a slim, clear crystal vase was a white rose that Luke had brought back for her from St. Croix. She remembered everything he’d told her the flower symbolized when he’d given them to her the last time they had been together, and she remembered the one he’d given her when he’d asked her to marry him.
Rose sat down at the edge of the bed and lowered her head into her hands, hoping that if she held on tightly enough, she might be able to keep herself from shattering into pieces on the floor.
Either way, he loses. He would’ve been better off if I’d stayed gone.
“You’re still here.”
She tensed and raised her head slowly to find him standing in the doorway, watching her. His expression was calm, but there was panic in his eyes. His tone was surprised but relieved, like he hadn’t expected to catch her. Slowly, cautiously, he moved forward.
“I should’ve let the call go to voicemail,” she said.
“I’m glad you didn’t. Rose, you don’t really want this, do you? I thought we had a plan—to do this together.”
“You don’t get it.” Rose shook her head and stood. “Luke, you have this incredible life. What goes with your family name… it’s amazing. People look up to your mom, and someday, you’re going to be the top prosecutor in this state, and they’ll all be looking up to you. Don’t let a few idiots use me to ruin that for you or for her.”
