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Something was pushing at the back of his mind. A memory or realisation, something demanding his concentration, but it was like trying to grab soap in the bath; he couldn’t quite grasp it.

He rewatched the video, her words breathing through him.

In the small hours of the morning, he woke with a start.

Holy hell.

He pressed a hand to his forehead, replaying his conversation with Nico, remembering the frustration he’d felt at having been accosted by every member of his family throughout the day and asked to define his relationship with Isabella. He’d become impatient. Some things were impossible to describe; the invasiveness of demanding he discuss intimate details of his life had made him snap.

She’s been a welcome distraction. A beautiful, pleasing distraction.

She means nothing to me.

I would have thrown her out if I could have.

I’ll be glad when she’s gone.

I felt sorry for her.

She means nothing to me.

He didn’t need to wonder if she’d heard. Even as she’d left he’d known something had happened. She’d been completely different with him, as though a switch had been flicked and she was no longer herself. She’d looked at him as though they were strangers.

Could he blame her? The words that had come out of his mouth had betrayed everything – everything – they’d shared.

He swore into the room as he stood, his body ramrod straight, his expression haunted.

She had nowhere else to go, what was I meant to do?

He’d made it sound like she’d tagged along to their family Christmas, as though he hadn’t wanted her there at all, when having her with him at Villa Fortune had meant somethin

g to him. Just because he hadn’t wanted to share his feelings with his cousins and brothers didn’t invalidate the sentiment. He’d wanted her with him.

She’d heard what he’d said though. He’d hurt her. Just like he’d known he would.

I hope you have someone in your life to love – it really is the greatest gift.

His blood was running hot and cold, a fever taking over his bloodstream. Hell. Everything was falling apart.

In the kitchen, he made a strong black coffee. She was all over his machine. He touched it and felt her touch. He caressed the coffee cup and imagined her hands on it.

He needed to see her, that much was obvious. He had to apologise for what he’d said, and to explain that he’d been wanting to close down his family’s questions, nothing more. He’d said things that weren’t true simply to get them off his back, simply because he didn’t want anyone else interfering in what they shared.

He dragged a hand over his stubbled jaw, staring out of the window.

He pulled his phone from his pocket, loaded up an email and then stared blankly at the screen. For God’s sake. He made multi-million dollar deals for breakfast, was he actually afraid to email this woman?

Apparently so. He put his phone away, threw back his coffee then stalked towards the front door. Pausing just long enough to slip on a coat and boots and grab the keys she’d left, he crossed the snow-covered forest until he reached the embankment. Her car was visible now, though the front-half was still partially covered in snow. Something like anger cut through him – how could she possibly have attempted to traverse these roads in this tiny, narrow-tyred vehicle? Anger with the hire company and anyone who’d seen her driving and not told her to steer clear of the mountains filled his eyes with a red mist. His shoulders squared resolutely, he clicked the button on the keys, unlocking the car, then popping the boot.

Her suitcase was bright pink with stickers all over it – daisies and pictures of the sun. He pulled it out, placing it on the snow before methodically going through the vehicle and removing anything else of hers. She was with him the whole time, her presence like a whisper in his ears.

Now, he knew what to write.

To: [email protected]

Date: 29 December

Subject: Your suitcase

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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