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The cops who arrested me. I remembered seeing them after Montana rescued me. They were on television while I was playing with York. I was so focused on my son. I glanced at the TV, seeing them in handcuffs, arrested on charges of bribery and corruption.
Then there were the bills from the hospitals in West Virginia concerning my mother, paid in full. I didn’t have time to investigate the matter because I was dealing with Montana finding out about York.
Shaking my head, I tried to make sense of what she was insinuating. To justify his actions.
From the moment I met Montana, the rules were crystal clear.
Trust: Believe in the strength and the ability of each other.
Loyalty: Support and give full allegiance in all matters.
Honor: Respect each other at all times.
Submission: Humbly give without forethought or reason.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes as my heart started beating heavily in my chest. From the moment I met the man, he was all of those things, only I didn’t see it. I saw what I wanted to see.
I saw the criminal. The anger. The destruction.
The man he showed the world, not the man he truly was.
He gave me glimpses of his true self when he held me that night in the bathtub and when he played with York. The part of himself that he showed no one.
He was all those things and more.
And yet, I vilified him, accused him of endangering my life, blamed him for my troubles, when he was the one who stood beside me, tried to help, worked to find who was blacklisting me.
When I left the first time, I thought he would never take me back when, in reality, he would have. I know that now. All I had to do was call him and he would have come for me. He would have been there with me, by my side, when I gave birth to York and when my mom died.
I knew he didn’t blame me for what happened in the warehouse. He blamed himself because he believed he failed to protect me. Just like when he walked away from me without a fight in the hospital. He blamed himself for what happened when the fault lied with the actions of another.
Tears streamed down my face as the truth of the man I loved slapped me in the face.
“Never in my life have I ever seen a man so in love with a woman that he would forget all reason to ensure that her happiness prevailed. And you throw it all back in his face. You called me a bitch at the Gala, but honey, you are the bitch.”
“Where is he?” I whispered.
“Why do you care? You got what you wanted. You’re free to live your life as you want and he will spend the rest of his life ensuring you have that fake, imaginary world you so greatly crave.”
Getting to my feet, I left, knowing there was no way in hell Illyria Valentinetti would help me. In fact, I was pretty damn sure anyone I called would more than likely tell me to fuck off or not even answer all together.
It looked like I finally got my wish.
I was alone.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Tessa
Three days had passed since I spoke to Illyria Valentinetti and in that time, I tried everything I could think of to get ahold of Montana. I’ve called, texted, emailed him until my fingers hurt. I tried to get into the clubhouse only to be told that I was no longer welcome on the premises and to try calling him. When I told the guard that was what I had been doing, he said try harder.
When I reached out to his mother, the call went straight to voicemail before I received a text saying.
Dear Ms. Jackson,
All correspondence needs to go through my son, Montana Stone.
I wish you luck in all your endeavors.
