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I kiss him long, hard, pressing this moment into my memory like a flower between the pages of a book. And then I slide the trillion-cut diamond from my finger, placing it into his palm.
“Goodbye, Trey,” I say.
And then I walk out of his life.
Forever.
Fifty-One
Trey
Present
“I’m so sorry to hear about you and Sophie,” Anabelle pouts from across the table at The Black Lotus. For some reason, Ames decided he wanted to close the deal in person, over lunch, opting to come to Chicago for some unknown reason. “Nolan and I just feel terrible for you. I can’t say we saw it coming. You two seemed too perfect together. Anyway, I’m sure there’s someone else out there for you.”
There isn’t. But I nod. “Yes, I’m sure there is.”
I haven’t heard nor seen Sophie in over a week. She’s called into work every day. And she refuses to take my calls. I thought giving her time to cool off was the right protocol, but now I’m not sure.
Nolan clears his throat. “Shall we sign? I’m not getting any younger over here.”
Anabelle taps his hand, head cocked yet offering a gentle smile. “Nolan, the poor man just got his heart broken. Let’s show a little sympathy, yes?”
“It’s fine,” I say, retrieving a pen from the inside of my suit coat. “I think we’re all ready to move on with this.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.” Anabelle lifts her champagne. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this man to retire.”
Nolan doesn’t smile or acknowledge his wife’s teasing tone. His lips press flat as he readies his fountain pen. He hasn’t touched his two fingers of whiskey and he’s hardly touched his salmon plate.
He claimed he was moving forward with this deal because the board—and his wife—were pressuring him. And after spending a couple of days with me, he decided he could trust that Ames Oil and Steel would be in good hands. That and he was impressed with the way I’ve been running my parents’ company for the past fifteen years, claiming my growth was unparalleled (as if I didn’t know). He’d decided he wanted his legacy to be a part of that after all, family man or no.
I sign on my line.
He signs on his.
Broderick, who has been sitting here in utter silence, watching our exchange, notarizes the document.
“So you think you and Sophie might make amends?” Nolan asks out of the blue.
“I’m still holding out, yes,” I say.
He draws in a breath that expands his chest, and he releases it slow, gaze fixed on me. “I have to confess. That morning you found us sitting by the pool … she’d confided in me that she was having some doubts, that things were moving too fast, and she was scared.”
I sit straight, jaw tight. There’s no reason Sophie would confide in Ames. No reason at all. And she knew what was at stake with this deal, that we were to put on our best faces at all times in order to sell Nolan on the authenticity of our relationship—not that it was hard to do. The last thing she’d do is share concerns with him that things were moving too fast.
“Is that right?” I ask, pretending I believe him.
“She said she’d read one of my books,” he says, referring to his pseudo-science books on the “art” of marriage. “Made her think about a few things she hadn’t thought about before.”
Bull-fucking-shit.
I’ve been with her enough the last few months—I’d have known if she were reading his books.
“I guess I can’t help but feel partly responsible for her decision,” Nolan says. “So for that, you have my sincerest apologies.”
“Everything happens for a reason,” Anabelle adds. “And I mean everything. Sometimes the worst moments of our lives happen because there’s something better in store.” Leaning in, she continues, “You know, for the longest time I wanted children. But the doctors said it wasn’t possible. Then Nolan found this young girl, eighteen I believe. Still in high school. Poor as a mouse. She waited tables to help pay her mother’s rent. Anyway, she was pregnant and wanted to find a good home for the baby. He offered and thank the good Lord above, she accepted. That’s how we got our Sasha.”
Anabelle rests her hand over Nolan’s forearm, lips pulling up at the sides as her eyes turn a deep shade of warm coffee. “And then we found ourselves pregnant with Enzo two years later—and it was completely unexpected since we didn’t think it was possible. Sometimes I think having Sasha sort of took pressure off trying to conceive and that’s what allowed Enzo to happen. Sorry if I’m giving you too much information.” She laughs, fingers splayed across her diamond necklace. “But my point is, everything has a domino effect and it’s always darkest before the dawn.”
