Page 131 of Bitter Secrets

“Yes.” She gestured to the suitcases. “What’s going on?”

He typed something on his phone as he said, “We’re flying out.”

“What?”

Her tone brought his gaze to her for a moment before he said, “There’s been a delay, so we’ll have to come back.”

When his phone flashed, he glared at the screen before he pocketed it.

“Come, the jet’s waiting.”

“I want to stay.”

He didn’t even look at her as he shouldered his workbag. “No.”

The smile she’d worn all day evaporated, but he didn’t notice. Roth cursed as he pulled his phone out again. He read whatever was on the screen before he started toward her.

“Roth.”

He didn’t even acknowledge her as he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door.

“Roth,wait!”

She dug her heels in, but that didn’t slow him one bit.

“I can’t leave! I made plans!”

“They’re canceled.”

Her eyes stung with tears of desperation. She needed more time with Johnny. He was helping her mold a vision for her future that would sustain her when her strength faltered. Her mind raced as he reached for the door handle. She didn’t know what else to do, so she wrapped arms around him from behind. Instantly, he stilled.

“Please let me stay,” she begged.

When he said nothing, she buried her face against his spine.

“I need more time.”

When he turned to face her, her arms fell away. She tried to step back, but he grabbed her to keep her before him.

“Why do you want to stay?”

“There’s something about this city. It’s…” She waved her hand as she tried to find the words to describe what she experienced. “There’s something here. Something special. Something I need to explore.”

She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but as the silence stretched, her cheeks began to burn. Men like him didn’t let fanciful emotions get in their way. He wouldn’t care that this city felt more like home to her than Manhattan ever had, or understand the appeal of the simple life Johnny led. She spent most of her life being buffeted on the stormy seas of life, feeling trapped, unworthy, and lost. Johnny gave her a glimpse of what lay beyond the world she knew and offered a gateway to happiness she needed to believe in because this couldn’t be all life had to offer. She couldn’t be doomed to wonder if the only man she’d ever loved had ever felt anything genuine for her. Johnny showed her a life stripped of riches, politics, and greed. It was so fulfilling and beautiful and… She needed a reprieve from her relentless reality, even if it was only for one more day.

When Roth showed no sign of softening, she switched tactics. There was only one way to deal with Roth, and it wasn’t sympathy. She had to go with logic.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Weare going to Berlin.”

Even as her heart sank, she asked, “How many days will you be there?”

The narrowing of his eyes told her he’d caught her deliberate slip of the tongue.

“It’s hard to say.”

“Which means you’ll be there for a day or two and then be on the go again. All this hopping from place to place is exhausting. Let me stay in Lisbon.”

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