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“And then you walked straight back to her!” I shout.
“Because I was fucking in love with her! Iloveher!“ His scream vibrates off every surface in the room. The vibration carries his anger, frustration, and pain. But his face is a blank slate. “And you took her from me.”
I sit back down in my seat. “No, I didn’t.”
She was never yours.
Ray doesn’t back down. Every word seeps with treachery. “You burned my character to ashes. You assigned her to me because you didn’t plan on me falling for her. That’s why you won’t assign her to anyone else in case they, too, fall for her. It’s why she’s still living in your house and raising your kid.”
I straighten my tie. “Don’t throw a temper tantrum in my office. She ended things with you, which had nothing to do with me. I didn’t intervene in your relationship with her, so extend that courtesy to me. You’re my COO, but more importantly, you’re my friend. I don’t want to lose that over a woman.”
He rubs his temple as he laughs. “No worries, my friend. You can have her. When she returns to work, I’ll treat her as I would any other employee.”
“Ray,” I call as he goes to walk away.
He stops and shakes his head. “Let it go. You won.”
40
Istareatthewall ahead of me. The house is silent and suspended in darkness as I wait for Savannah to return home. It’s nearly 11 p.m., and she still isn’t back. She left the house at 10:31 a.m. with no phone and in Ray’s Audi. There is no way for me to track her down. She and Elise could be dead for all I know.
Three months of trying to teach her has been futile. Savannah still runs by her own rules. She lives with no routine. She eats and leaves behind a mess. She doesn’t make her bed. She still hasn’t fully unpacked. There’s no order in the home, nor does she followmyorders.
And tonight, I’ve had enough.
The security alarm sends a notification to my phone when the front gates open. I don’t move from my spot, even when I hear her kill the engine and talk to Elise as if the baby understands. I hide in the shadows as the front door opens, and she pushes the pushchair through the hallway to the kitchen. She doesn’t notice me sitting seething as she walks past the living room.
She lets out a sigh of relief. “There’s my phone! At least I didn’t lose it. Let’s go and find your daddy.”
Her shadow follows her up the stairs. “Xavier? Where are you? Ellie bought you a present!” Her footsteps disappear as she walks to the other side of the house to look for me. Minutes tick by before my phone rings, displaying her name. Her footsteps stop at the top of the stairs. “Xavier? Are you downstairs?”
I don’t answer her. Her shadow follows her down the stairs until she stops in the living room doorway. My silence and blank expression intensify her curious gaze until I can feel it without looking at her.
“What are you doing in the dark?”
“Where have you been?” My query comes out cold and detached.
In my house, I know everything that goes on. I know who goes where, with whom, for how long, and why. Savannah has been gone for over twelve hours, and I can’t answer any of those questions.
She walks into the room and sits on the coffee table in front of me. The smile on her face is bright and beautiful, even in the dark. “I took Elise to see my mum, and on the way home, there was a winter fair.”
“Where’s my daughter?”
Her smile falters as she realises I’m angry. “I put her down.” Her hand rests on my knee. “Is everything okay?”
When I look at her, it hurts how beautiful she is. Even when I’m angry at her, I can’t deny how perfect she is. “No. You went missing with my daughter for an entire day. I was calling—“
“I left my phone.”
“Don’t interrupt me,” I snap. “Do you know how worried I was? I thought something had happened. After Emery, you can’t disappear on me like that! Do you understand?”
Guilt floods her eyes, and she bows her head slightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realise I left my phone until I got there. I figured you could see from the cameras that we were okay.”
“You have to beinthe house for me to see that.”
The fire-filled Savannah I’ve become used to comes out at that statement. She pushes off the coffee table, crosses her arms over her chest and stares down at me. “Do you expect me to stay within these walls and never leave the house?”
“If you’re going to vanish for an entire fucking day, then yes!”
