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Shakily he ran his hand over his face, panic swelling inside him. Only with shock he realised that he wasn’t panicking about losing his parents.
But about losing Addie.
It hurt. Just thinking about her not being there.
Hurt because he loved her.
His heart gave a jerk as finally he faced the truth.
He loved her.
His face was impassive but his whole body was shaking. Why hadn’t he realised?
He’d spent his entire life reading people. Spotting their weaknesses, their deceits and delusions. Yet he’d failed to notice that he was in love.
Worse, he had bullied and manipulated the woman he loved into being his mistress, using her loyalty to her charity to get his own way.
For a moment he stood frozen and then he turned.
He needed to explain, to apologise, to tell her how he felt. Now. Before it was too late.
Heart pounding, he started to walk, then run towards the staircase.
But where was she?
Downstairs, Malachi stared uneasily around the empty suite. He had imagined Addie to be hurtling around the room, tossing clothes into her suitcase. Only the bedroom felt still and lifeless. Slowly he checked the other rooms, his pulse racing. But she wasn’t there.
She couldn’t have actually left—
Feeling sick on the inside, he checked the rooms again. And then his heart jerked as he pulled open the wardrobe door. Her suitcase was still there—and all her clothes and shoes. He felt almost numb with relief. She would hardly abandon all her stuff if she was leaving him. At the very least she would take her handbag.
Glancing round, his heart missed a beat. It was gone and so was Addie. His breath felt suddenly tight and panicky in his chest and, crossing the room in three quick strides, he picked up the phone and rang Reception.
‘Mr King. How may I help?’
‘Miss Farrell—’ he began.
‘Yes, sir. The limousine has already left.’
He went cold.
‘Left? When? Where?’ The stunned silence at the end of the phone echoed inside his head. ‘Where has she gone?’ he demanded hoarsely, not caring that he sounded nothing like his cool public persona.
‘To the airport. She left ten minutes ago.’
He barely heard the receptionist’s trembling reply. Inside his head one question was repeating itself over and over again.
What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?
More importantly, what was he going to do now?
* * *
Gazing up out of the window of the limousine, Addie watched the lights of an aeroplane move slowly through the night sky, growing smaller and smaller until finally they disappeared altogether. She sighed. Soon she would be on a plane just like that one and all this—this misery and mess—would be left far behind. In another country. In another life.
She glanced slowly around the luxurious cream leather interior of the limousine. All this luxury would be gone soon too.
But she didn’t care. None of it mattered. She would have traded all of it to make Malachi love her. To make her marriage work. Her heart squeezed inside her chest. She loved him so much. But it hadn’t been enough.
