Page 122 of The Billionaire's Demand

‘It’s for the best.’

When she opened her eyes, Raul was gone.

Raul had intentionally kept his personal possessions sparse. He’d always known in the back of his mind that he would need to be ready to run at any point. If life had taught him one lesson consistently, it was the importance of that. And so he’d run.

Not far.

Just two floors down, to an apartment that was comparatively small but still boasted all of the hallmarks of opulence the building was renowned for. And here, he told himself, he’d find peace and salvation. Here, he’d start to feel like himself again, because Libby was finally away from him.

Except she wasn’t.

Libby wasn’t just a presence...she was an absence. He felt her even when she wasn’t there.

He ached for her. Not just physically, but even the sight of her.

He’d become used to having her in his space. To knowing she was in the kitchen or the nursery, or even her bedroom. He’d found himself staring into space and imagining her reading or watching a movie, curled up on the sofa. Even when he’d stuck to his guns and remained locked away in his office, she’d been a part of his day.

And she still was.

It drove him crazy, and Raul became even more determined to conquer her control over him. To run away not just physically, but mentally too. He’d come dangerously close to forgetting how he lived his life—and why—but he’d escaped in time. He’d run before it got real, hadn’t he?

Libby found it was far easier to give paid nursing staff the slip than it had been Raul. For all that Raul had clearly given instructions that Libby was to be shadowed, there was no medical need for her to have a constant companion and she found it simple enough to step out when necessary. The solitude was her godsend.

She had found a small park a few blocks away and she enjoyed sitting on one of the benches with a coffee each morning, watching the parents and nannies playing with the young children, a hand on her belly as she thought of her little one. Libby could easily imagine how nice it would be in summer to come here with her baby, stretch a picnic blanket out beneath a tree and enjoy the sounds of children laughing and playing and all the good things in life.

Except in those fantasies Libby and the baby weren’t alone.

Raul was always there, relaxing, smiling, close, doting.

A lump formed easily in Libby’s throat these days; tears were never far away. It had been two weeks since she’d seen Raul, though he’d texted each morning to check on her and she knew he spoke to the nurse regularly, to keep tabs on her physical health.

He was making it obvious that he cared for the baby, the pregnancy, that he was willing to look after Libby’s medical needs, but that was where he drew the line.

Perhaps she’d been wrong about him?

Or maybe she’d been right, and he did love her, but he just couldn’t overcome the damage wrought by his childhood and fight for what they shared. If that were the case, she had to accept it. She could love him with all her heart, but it wasn’t enough for Raul. It never would be.

After an hour or so, Libby began to make her way home, pausing at a newsstand on the corner to buy a paper, then heading to the building.

‘Good morning, Mrs Ortega,’ the doorman, John, greeted her deferentially as she entered.

‘Hello.’ She smiled back.

‘Must be getting close now?’ He grinned, nodding towards her stomach.

She patted her round belly. ‘Yes.’ Even while discussing the baby, she couldn’t dredge up a smile. Misery saturated Libby.

‘Such lovely news.’

She nodded awkwardly, then moved inside, pressed the button and waited for the lift. When the doors opened, Raul was staring right back at her. Her heart accelerated dangerously, thudding into her throat. She simply stood and stared. The whole world seemed wonky and uneven. Everything inside Libby froze.

Two weeks.

For two weeks she had been striving to make her peace with this, to accept how much she loved and missed him and find a way to coexist with those feelings, to exist in a state of happiness regardless, but just the sight of Raul was like a punch right in her gut.

She stared at him and took a step backwards. The lift doors began to close. Raul’s hand came out, keeping them open for her.

‘Going up?’ he asked, his voice strained even to Libby’s ears.

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