Page 34 of The Nicolaides Baby

Mara’s room?

He took off at a sprint down the hall and stopped with his hands braced on the door frame. “What…” His mother turned toward him—her features stricken. He rushed to her and took her by the shoulders. “What’s happened?”

“She’s gone.”

“She’s… Who’s gone?” He glanced at the bed to find it empty and then let out a relieved sigh. His mother was worrying for nothing. “It’s fine. Rowan must have taken Mara back to thedéfterosvilla.” A slight flush heated his cheeks. He was thirty-four and about the be married, but he still didn’t find discussing his sex life with his mother the most comfortable of topics. “She was here a few hours ago.”

“You don’t understand,” his mother said, a few tears gathering on her lashes as she focused on the chest of drawers alongside the wall at the end of the bed. “She’s left.”

Leo followed her gaze to a tented card and the flash of light bouncing off something in front of it. It couldn’t be.

He took the few steps needed to the chest of drawers as everything in him rejected what couldn’t be denied—the card with his name written across the front and Rowan’s engagement ring. He unwillingly reached out for the ring and then slipped it onto his pinky finger before taking the card and opening it up, pieces of his heart shattering with each word.

Leo,

Telling you yes was a mistake, and one I realized almost right away but couldn’t find a way to tell you. I didn’t take the time to consider how my quick, unthinking decision would affect my child and how much of an upheaval it would cause in both Mara’s life and my own.

And then there’s you. You deserve someone who can be a proper wife to you and a good mother to Lukas. And I know one day you will find that woman.

I won’t say I hope you’ll understand, because I know as you’re reading this you’re probably growing more and more furious with me. And you have every right to be. You have been wonderful to me and Mara, as have your family, and I will forever hold a special place in my heart for all of you.

But right now, my focus has to be on what is best for me and Mara. And what is best is for us is to return home and resume our lives.

Maybe at some point in the future, you’ll be able to see your way free to allow me to perhaps see or talk to Lukas. But until then, I wish you all the best and offer my deepest regrets at having led you to believe we had a future together.

Regards,

Rowan

“But… She loves me,” he murmured. Her words hadn’t been a dream. He pivoted toward his mother who hadn’t moved as tears streaked down her cheeks. “She told me so.”

But he hadn’t said the words back. If that was the problem, he would rectify that right now.

“It’s going to be fine, Mother,” he said as he swiftly passed by her and her outreached hand, and then ran out of the room and back to his own with Rowan’s note still clutched in his hard grip. He threw it on the bed before grabbing his cellphone from the bedside table and speed-dialing Rowan’s number. It picked up on the first ring. “Row—”

“The number you dialed is not in service.”

“No.” He tried the speed-dial again, and then manually dialed it—each time with the same prerecorded answer.

Think, Leo.

She couldn’t have gotten off the island—not in the middle of the night. Maybe she was still at the second villa. He dashed back out of his room and didn’t stop—not even when hit the back doors and went across the terrace to the stairs that he took two at a time to the lawn. He didn’t even take the time to use a golf cart but raced barefoot across the expanse of lawn and then down the pathway leading to the other villa. He stopped at the front door and heaved great breaths until he managed to call out on a winded, “Rowan,” as he banged on the door.

The door creaked open and he stilled. He didn’t allow himself to accept the implications of the door not being properly shut. So he pushed it open wider and then hesitantly stepped inside.

All was quiet.

“Rowan?” He searched the downstairs to find nothing out of place and then went to the bottom of the steps and looked up. He didn’t want to climb them. He didn’t want to know what he would find—or wouldn’t find. But he took the first step anyhow, and then the next, and the next until he reached the second floor. He stopped first at Mara’s door and peered inside the empty room. All of the toys she usually had out were nowhere to be seen and the bed was neatly made.

Maybe they’re in the master suite.

He strained to hear any presence in the home as he slowly made his way down to the last door and pushed it open to go inside. Again, the bed was made, but the items Rowan usually had scattered across the dressing table were missing. He forced himself to go to the open dressing room door and grabbed hold of the doorframe as a final acceptance of the truth rose up inside him.

Nothing was left. All her clothes were gone except for the green dress she’d worn the previous week and a pale gray dress inside a clear garment bag.

Rowan’s wedding dress.

He turned and went over to the bed, sitting down hard as the constriction in his chest nearly suffocated him. He closed his eyes at the unexpected burn of tears.

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