Page 44 of Forbidden Fiancé

“You don’t need to do that,” I said.

“I won’t, as long as you stay away from my father.”

“You know this isn’t going to win me back. We’re done,” I said.

“I don’t care about that. I only care about making my father and you pay for all the damage you caused me.”

“It’s understandable that you would feel that way, but we didn’t do this to hurt you.”

“Too late, Now tell me you’re going to stay away from my father.”

Chapter 24

Luke

The sun was setting as I sat at my desk and tried to read the report. The words were a jumbled mess. Nothing made sense, I couldn’t concentrate, nor did I even want to. I threw the paper down and turned and looked out at the view and the setting sun. I wondered where Natalie was, what she was doing, and if she thought about me half as much as I thought about her.

It had been two weeks since she had walked out of my house and my life. Two weeks of not seeing her, talking to her, holding her, being with her. I thought I knew what loneliness, sadness, and isolation were. It was nothing compared to how it had been without Natalie in my life.

The day after she left, I had flown home. I knew she and Ethan had come back to Miami and I wanted to be closer to her. I wanted to believe her when she said that everything was okay, that she was going to figure out a way to get us back together.

I had tried to contact Ethan, to get some news, but he wasn’t returning my phone calls or texts. His mother was no help. She refused to talk to me, not that I expected anything less. She wouldn’t see my side; she wouldn’t want to. She had and always would protect and support Ethan, no matter what. I thought about going over to Ethan’s place and confronting him, but I was worried what I would find if I got there.

What if I showed up and Natalie was there? What if she and Ethan had reconciled? What if she had fallen back in love with him?

I didn’t want to believe any of that was possible. What Natalie and I felt was too real, too incredible to be a fling. She did what she had to do to protect me and while I loved her for doing it; I wished she hadn’t. I would give up all my money, everything. I had to just be able to see her again.

When I got to Miami, I tried to throw myself into my work. I might not be running the company and practically retired but there were still things I could do. I had wanted to do them to keep from thinking about Natalie. But I hadn’t been able to concentrate or make any decisions. I had gone to the board and asked to officially resign sooner than they planned, they had agreed. My package was to be delivered the next day. To me, it couldn’t come soon enough. I couldn’t muster enough interest to sign the last documents.

I had to find a way to get Natalie back and I needed to dedicate all my time and energy to doing that. I was going to start by getting up the courage to see if she was with Ethan. I didn’t think she was, but hopefully it would give me a place to start. I couldn’t believe I had never gotten any contact information from her. I had always assumed she would be right by my side, why did I need to have a way to get a hold of her?

Frustrated at myself and the situation, I stormed out of my house and went for a drive. I didn’t have any destination in mind. I just needed to get away from the house, out of my head if I could. I hoped the fresh air would give me a new perspective and a way to get myself out of the mess I was in.

The fact that I hadn’t seen Ethan post anything on social media with Natalie made me think they were no longer together. That didn’t mean that he had forgiven me or deleted the video he said he had. With me officially retiring, he didn’t have a hold over me. I still wasn’t convinced he ever did. The only thing he still had control over was Natalie trying to sacrifice herself and our happiness for me. Something I would never let her do again when I got her back.

And I would get her back, I just hadn’t figured out how to do it.

My mind wandered as I tried to formulate a plan. I could hire a private investigator. They could find Natalie and help me deal with Ethan. I hated to think that I had to resort to blackmailing my own son but I was willing to do whatever I had to if it meant Natalie could be mine.

I hardly noticed the streets or where I was driving but when I got in front of Havana Nights, the place I had first met Natalie, I wasn’t surprised. It was as if my body and soul had needed to be there. I didn’t think, I just parked and went inside. I tried not to get too hopeful that Natalie was there.

The place looked the same. It had only been three weeks since I had been there but I had changed so much I’d expected the place too as well. There was a different band playing but it had the same vibe and I could have sworn I saw the same couples dancing near the stage.

I stood and watched them dance, thinking about how wonderful it would be to do that with Natalie. Once we were together again, would she want to come back here? Could we make this our local place? I wanted to look over in the corner to see if she was there but was afraid to. I felt like she should be there, but if she wasn’t there, I had no idea how I was going to find her.

Slowly, I took a deep breath and turned my head. My heart jumped when I saw Natalie sitting in the same chair. I thought for a second she might be wearing the same outfit but she wasn’t. I took a moment to just stare at her, to revel in the thought that she was there, that I had found her. I wanted to run up to her and pull her into my arms. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was that we had ever been apart and it would never happen again.

I moved towards her, as if she sensed me, she turned and looked at me. Her blue eyes held mine and the look stopped me in my tracks. She gave me the slightest shake of her head and my heart dropped. She didn’t want to see me; I had lost her. Her eyes then moved to the chair next to her and I saw that there was something in front of the chair. She looked at me and then at whatever was by the chair once more, as if to make sure I understood what she was telling me.

When I gave her the slightest nod of understanding, she got up and walked to the back of the restaurant. I hardly saw her go; I was so intent on what she had left for me. I walked to the bar and saw there was a piece of paper sitting there. I opened it and read the note inside.

“GO TO THE BATHROOM”

I looked around, half expecting to see someone watching me. I wasn’t sure why Natalie felt the need for the subterfuge but I would do whatever I had to in order to see her. I shook my head at the bartender as he approached me and headed towards the back and where the bathrooms were.

The area was poorly lit and it took me a few steps for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the hallway. When I did, I could see Natalie standing there as if she was waiting for me. I smiled and walked towards her. She didn’t say anything but walked into the women’s restroom, leaving the door open.

I immediately followed her, closing the door behind me. It was a single stall with a toilet on one side and a countertop next to it. I stood and pressed my back up against the doorway, just staring at her.

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