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David disappeared into his office on the other side of the penthouse for his virtual meeting. I needed to cool off and left the penthouse completely. There was only one way up from the ground floor, through a private elevator that required access. The security threat was low. So I went to the roof where blustery winds blew.
I paced as I devised my next move. I could easily walk away, but I wanted her to explain a lot of whys. She’d given me her virginity and she’d fucked me after thinking I was dead. Why did she think she still had to marry David? If I had those answers, then maybe I could do what she asked and walk away from her for good.
Twelve
Natalie
With my back to the door, I slid down until I sat on the floor. Liam was alive. But I hadn’t lied to him. Nothing had changed. I might have stood my ground to my father, but I believed in my heart he was still capable of murder. My guess was he had no idea Liam was alive, like he’d suggested. If he found out, he would be sure to correct his mistake immediately.
There was also my mother. As much as my heart ached for Liam, I couldn’t abandon her. She needed the resources my father could offer. Her life was priceless.
With shaky fingers, I dialed her number.
“Hello,” she said, reluctantly.
“Mom.” I exhaled a sigh of relief.
“Oh baby, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m using a friend’s phone.”
“You got away?”
“Not really. But Liam is alive.”
“What?”
I forgot I hadn’t been able to tell her. “Nothing. I’m using Liam’s phone.”
“The young man who shared his hotel room with you?”
She couldn’t see me nodding, so I said, “Yes.”
“He found you?”
“He did.”
“Sounds like he likes you as much as you like him.”
“Not that it matters,” I muttered. “I don’t have a lot of time. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. I told you, don’t worry about me.”
“But I do.”
“You shouldn’t. I got into a clinical trial for my disease. It’s actually for mine workers. But I fit the profile and I live in the area they are studying. We won’t need your father. I’ll have the best care for free.”
She hadn’t considered that even though we wouldn’t need his money, he would know where she was. I couldn’t tell her he was using her safety to control me. “That’s great, Mom. It’s really great.”
Long after we ended the call, I sat quietly sobbing, afraid to face the man that my heart longed for.
A knock startled me out of my thoughts.
“Natalie. Dinner is here.” David’s voice was calm and thoughtful. Only it wasn’t what my loneliness sought.
“Sorry. I’ll be just a minute.”
I waited to hear his retreating footsteps before I scrambled to my feet and ran into the bathroom. No time for a shower. I was left to spot clean and hoped I didn’t smell of sex and Liam’s come when I exited the room in the silver dress.
As gorgeous as it was, I didn’t feel pretty. I was a fraud in a shiny dress. I left Liam’s phone next to a beautiful metal sculpture on a table next to the door leading to the guest bathroom. I hoped he would see it, or I would find a way to tell him where it was.
David stood when I walked into the room. I purposefully didn’t search for Liam. I didn’t have the strength to continue this lie if I knew he was watching.
While I was gone, furniture had been rearranged and a table for two had been set with miles of space around it, leaving the view of the city as the focal point.
“You look lovely,” he said, taking my hand. I thought he would have led me to my chair, but first he brushed a kiss over my knuckles.
“You don’t look half bad yourself.” Okay, David was hot, but not the five-alarm blaze Liam was. “This is amazing.”
“I couldn’t take you to the Signature Room at the 95th—”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a restaurant in one of Chicago’s famous skyscrapers with panoramic views of the surrounding city and lake. They have fantastic lobster tails. Anyway, once this whole virus thing is over, I’ll take you there and to Gibson’s. They have the best steaks.”
“It’s sounds delicious, though I’m not that fussy when it comes to food.”
“Are you from Chicago?” he asked.
“Born here, but I grew up with my mom in Maryland.”
“Where?”
“A small town you probably never heard of. They don’t do fancy there. The fanciest we do is eat at the local diner and that was a big deal for me growing up.”
“No private or boarding school?”
“Sorry to disappoint, I’m a small-town girl. My father wasn’t ever a part of my life. If that’s the kind of wife you’re looking for…”
I was totally sabotaging myself. If he called things off, my father couldn’t blame me. But even I knew better than that.
