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“Ugh.” That was actually helpful, even though it was awful. “I’m so sorry.”
He sank down onto the bed. “You don’t have to be sorry… But can you explain yourself to me? That wasn’t like you. That dress wasn’t like you, the drinking… You don’t drink, Chloe. And you certainly don’t fight. You weren’t yourself tonight.”
“I think… I don’t know, Bryce. I think it was something I had to do.”
“Okay.” His brow furrowed. “But why now?”
“I don’t… I don’t know.”
His phone rang, and he cursed. “Fuck, it’s Regina Hernandez from the board. This isn’t going to go over well. I’ll be back.” He put the phone to his ear and marched out of the room.
I lay there, feeling dead inside. This was it. This was the last act of the crappy play Gene had cast me in. My starring role was about to come to an end…
I had to act fast. Gene Windsor had told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was to leave as soon as the wedding was over. Otherwise, he would make good on his promises. He would cut Bryce out of the company and do God-only-knew-what to my brother.
I needed to leave, but I needed help getting off the island. I had waited until the last second to organize my exit because I couldn’t risk anyone knowing what I was up to. I crept from the room, then hurtled down the back staircase to the staff’s living quarters. I knocked on each door, waking more than a few employees up until I found who I was looking for.
“Hazel—hey.”
She tightened her bathrobe against her. “Yes, Mrs. Windsor?”
I took a deep breath. “I know how much you care about Mr. Windsor. You’re the only person I can turn to. I need your help.Now.”
I explained what I needed—my brother woken up and packed lightly, his things brought immediately to the boat, a promise from Captain Johnny to get us to Northeast Harbor. Money for two bus tickets and a hotel room, enough to last us until tomorrow, when I could call Akira Zhang. Gene Windsor hadn’t given me anything, and I hadn’t asked: I’d been too afraid.
Hazel listened to everything and didn’t say one word. But just as I turned to run back upstairs, she cleared her throat. “Mrs. Windsor—wait.”
I stopped dead in my tracks.
“May I ask you something?”
“Sure.” My heart was pounding; I needed to get going. “What is it, Hazel?”
“Why are you doing this?”
I took a deep breath, and then I told her the truth—at least, a part of it. “Because I love him. I love him very much. And I’m not good enough for him, Hazel. I’ve never been good enough.” That was as much as I dared to tell her.
She nodded, and I knew she’d help me.
I ran back to the bedroom and ransacked it, throwing on clothes and stuffing some toiletries into an overnight bag.
Bryce came back in. His face turned ashen as he watched me scrambling. “Chloe? What the hell are you doing?”
“Bryce… I don’t know how to tell you this.” I could still smell the tequila on my own breath.
Crazy.I had to seem crazy, which felt pretty fucking close to true at the moment. That was the angle Gene wanted. He wanted me to act jealous and crazy. He wanted me to make myself a liability to Bryce so my husband would understand why I had to leave.
My devotion had to be so great, Gene posited, that it was driving me to do crazy things. I was no good for Bryce—I couldn’t be trusted. He had to let me go.
It was going to kill me. Leaving him was going to kill me—but if I stayed, I would destroyhim. And I loved him too much.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said before—when you ended things with me.”
“Okay…?” Bryce raked a hand through his hair, making it stand up. “I thought we’d gotten past that. I thought we’d moved on.”
I nodded slowly. “We had. We did… But with everything that’s happened, I’m starting to see what you meant. You said I made you vulnerable, exposed. You said having me in your life made you lose control.”
“Why are you throwing this back in my face? I told you I was sorry. I had you come back, Chloe.” Pain crept into his eyes, making me hate myself.
