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He didn’t even realise he’d been holding his breath, fervently urging her to deny it, until she offered a short, jerky nod.
Dammit, he was such a fool.
His whole life he’d looked down on people who believed in love, in others actually loving each other, caring for each other, wanting the best for each other. When he was a child, his parents had mentally knocked any such foolishly romantic notions out of him.
A few minutes ago Evie had promised him that she loved him. Yet lying to him was how she defined love? His response had been on his lips when she’d landed that kiss on his mouth and effectively silenced him. Thank goodness he hadn’t told her he loved her in return.
He’d learned to trust himself and his career. Nothing more, nothing less.
And then Evie had come along and shattered all the fortifications he’d built around himself, like a sledgehammer to a landmine.
He had trusted in her. Believed in her. He’d even begun to rewrite his future, a family life with Evie and the beautiful daughter they’d somehow managed to create in that wild week together.
Never once had he thought he could be hurt—no, wounded—as deeply as he felt in this moment.
‘Please, Max, you have to understand...’
She tailed off on a hopeless cry. He wanted to walk away. He wanted to shut down whatever apology or explanation she was about to offer, but he couldn’t. So help him, his feet refused to move.
‘All this time, I thought you kept Imogen from me because you felt you would be better off without me. I never once thought it was because you felt you were better off with my parents’ money.’
She winced as though the accusation actually hurt her physically, but Max didn’t care. He felt too raw, too angry.
‘It wasn’t like that.’
‘Then how was it, Evangeline?’ He managed to keep his voice level. He didn’t know how.
She started to speak then stopped, shaking her head. The taste of acrid disappointment filled his mouth.
‘So it was like that,’ he bit out in disgust. Though whether more with her, or with himself, he couldn’t be sure.
His legs finally began to work again and he turned for the door.
‘No. No, it wasn’t,’ she exclaimed. ‘Wait, Max, please. I’ll... I’ll explain everything.’
‘I don’t want to hear it.’
‘Then for Imogen’s sake. Please.’
He whirled around, enraged.
‘Don’t ever, ever use our daughter like that again.’
‘I’m sorry. You’re right.’ She stared at him, wild-eyed and teary. ‘I don’t know why I said that. But I can explain. Please.’
He should keep moving. Leave. Every fibre screamed at him to do so.
‘You have five minutes,’ he ground out.
She nodded, still staring at him in silence.
‘Four minutes, forty-five seconds.’
‘I wrote you a letter when I first found out I was pregnant,’ she blurted out.
‘I didn’t get it.’
‘No. Your parents turned up at Annie’s house instead.’
