Page 114 of Mr. Monroe

The truth was that he hadn’t been surprised by anything Heidi had said, not about my mother, the brake fluid in her car, or the implication that my father had something to do with it.

“Did you know?” The words fought their way out of my throat. “Is she right, Spencer? Did you know any of this about my parents?”

“Nat—”

“It’s a yes-or-no question, Spencer.” I could barely withstand the tension, waiting for an answer I knew would break me.

“Yes, but Nat,” he said, reaching out to grab hold of my arm. I pulled away from him before he could touch me, holding up a hand as if to ward him off. “I know it sounds incredibly awful, but hear me out. I wasn’t keeping anything—”

“Bullshit!” I yelled at him. “Bullshit, you weren’t, Spencer! You had my family investigated, my parents, and you never told me? Because you knew that I’d say no!” I turned away from him, holding my hands up to my face. I had no idea what to think as I processed the layers of betrayal. I’d never felt this way before, and it was the loneliest feeling I’d ever known.

“I fucking knew it,” I said, turning back to him. “I knew I couldn’t trust you. All your words were just empty, weren’t they? All of it was just empty promises.”

“Nat—”

“Spencer. Stop,” Bree said, her voice firm. “Give me some time with her. And if you care to regain a modicum of trust after going behind Nat’s back and hiring a fucking PI, you need to remove that woman from this yacht.”

It was all fucking burning to the ground around me as I heard voices in the distance, and I struggled to get out to the deck for fresh air. If anything, I wanted the fuck off this ship and away from everyone. I’d never felt more betrayed, used, and played in all of my life.

He’d hired a private investigator to investigate my family without my permission or knowledge? What kind of arrogant, disgusting, wealthy fucking pig does that?

I know, Spencer Monroe. Fucking bastard.

Chapter Thirty-Six

SPENCER

The room was so quiet that I could hear the waves splashing against the haul of the yacht as it moved through the sea.

I should’ve told Nat what I learned from the PI when I called him back, but she had been so unnerved by my mother’s presence that I didn’t want to add one more bombshell to make her head explode. I wanted to tell her at a time when she felt safe, far away from my vulture of a mother. But because of my hesitation, Heidi landed a death blow to whatever trust Nat might have had in me and probably our entire relationship.

As much as I wanted to blame my mother for this, I was responsible. I’d hired a private investigator without telling Nat, and from the look on her face, that hurt worse than the delivery of the news of her parents. It was painfully clear to me that I’d crossed a sacred boundary, and there was no safe place I could’ve delivered this information which would’ve made things okay. Heidi or not, I was the one who’d hurt her.

“I’ll need you to notify the helicopter pilots that I will pay them double for a flight to LAX departing within the hour,” I said to Jake while staring at the woman I’d never hated more than I did at this moment. “Heidi, you will wait in your room until the flight is ready to depart.”

“Spencer,” Heidi said crossly, “this is for your own good.”

“I do not need or desire to hear your opinions. Get the fuck up and follow me.”

“Apologies if anyone has been offended today,” she said, standing.

“I don’t speak for myself when I say the only person you should be apologizing to is no longer in our presence,” Jim said while Jake returned to the room and looked at me.

“The pilots will have the chopper ready for departure in ten minutes,” he said while I nodded in return.

God only knew what everyone at this table thought of my sorry ass. There was no fucking explanation, as far as anyone could see, for why I would think to hire a private investigator to look into Natalia’s family because of how Heidi laid it out.

I felt like the worst person on the planet. Luckily, my friends were understanding, and we could talk about what had happened. We were all a bunch of screw-offs, but we were friends—all of us. And that included their friend I’d hurt, Natalia.

I guess when they all wagered that I would fuck up this relationship, they didn’t put their money on this being the way it happened.

“You are making this a much bigger issue than need be,” Heidi said while I walked alongside her silently and full of blistering rage. “I understand that embarrassing you in front of your friends has most likely upset you—”

“Not another word, Heidi,” I said, stiff and unable to diffuse my rising anger. “You will board this helicopter, and it will take you to the airport. If you want to call Marco, Vincenzo, or whomever your assistant is these days to arrange a private jet, you should get busy doing that. Or you can take the redeye to Milan or sleep in the fucking airport for all I care. What happens to you now is of no interest to me. I wish never to see you or hear your voice for the remainder of my life.”

“Don’t you want to know how I learned you weren’t actually married?” she continued, ignoring everything I’d said.

“I don’t give two fucks how you figured that out,” I said. “It was merely a way to distract you so I could enjoy Stephen’s wedding without your incessant bullshit. I honestly do not care that you learned I deceived you. The only person I care about is the woman you hurt for reasons I am not diabolical enough to understand.”

---