Page 76 of Under Ground

“Lana …”

Anna’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I look up to meet Melanie’s eyes. She’s standing at the reception desk, her mouth hanging open.

Shit.

Did she …?

“Is Casey Gareth’s daughter?” she asks.

“I … I …”

Gareth’s door squeaks as it opens. “Melanie? I didn’t know you were coming in today.”

“Clearly not.” Her voice is so broken that it breaks my heart. I didn’t want her to find out this way. I didn’t want her to find out at all.

“We need to talk,” he says.

I grab my bag and scan my desk for any personal items. But there isn’t anything in this office I’ve worked in for more than four years.

“I’m getting out of here,” I say.

“I think that’s a good idea.” Gareth’s voice is low and surprisingly calm given what’s just happened.

“Lana?” Melanie’s voice cracks.

My throat closes up and I can barely breathe. For more than three years, I kept his secret. I had to. He lied to both Melanie and me, and I couldn’t bear to hurt her. And now I have because he provoked me and I bit.

Looking up, I meet her gaze again. Devastation is all over her face. She’s such a smiley, happy woman, but right now, she looks like someone’s sucked all the joy out of her. That’s me. That’s my fault.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. Shifting my gaze to Anna, I swallow hard. “I’ll send you a text. I’m not sure if I’ll be back.”

She nods. “Okay.”

And then I’m gone, walking away from my life of the past few years. The knowledge of what I just did sits in the pit of my stomach.

I could stop and pick up Casey, but I need to get home, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I pull into the driveway.

“You’re back early.” Alex appears in the kitchen doorway with a tea towel. God, how I love this man. His fame grows daily, but he’s in my kitchen doing the dishes. Seeing him only reassures me that I’ve made the right decision.

“I did it. I handed in my notice.”

His brows knit as he crosses the room. I take a seat and he sits beside me, dropping the tea towel on the arm of the couch and pulling me into his arms.

“It didn’t go well?” he asks.

“Not really.” I sigh. “Gareth asked what I was doing, and I told him we were moving to LA.”

“How did that go down?” Alex plants a kiss on my temple.

“He asked me why I thought I could take his daughter out of the country. Then I got a little louder than I should have been.” I pull away, biting my lip and meeting Alex’s gaze. “Melanie was out in reception.”

His eyebrows rise. “Oh.”

“Yeah. I left, but she was going into his office for a chat.”

For a moment, there’s silence, and then Alex gives my shoulders a squeeze. “You know, it’s shitty for him to be keeping that a secret from her. It’s not ideal that she found out that way, but it’s out in the open now.”

“I just feel so bad.” I lean my head against his. “She’s so nice. If I’d known about her …”

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