Page 11 of He Doesn't Deserve You

Roman walked over to the board, flipped it over to reveal a clean side, picked up a black marker, and wrote Maggie in big letters at the top: “What is her last name?”

“Culliver.”

He printed her last name next to her first name, then said, “All right, I’ll focus on Maggie first,” Roman said as he took a seat at his desk.

Roman continued, “I know you think it is Maggie Gabriel is having an affair with, but we need proof. If there is one thing I’ve learned in all my years as a police officer is never to make assumptions.”

“I’ll be on the computer for a while.” Roman handed Emily a pad and pen. “Why don’t you use this time to write your note to Gabriel? I’ll take Ava tomorrow night when everyone’s asleep.”

“Okay,” she said, accepting the items from Roman. She got to the doorway and stopped. “Roman?”

He looked up from the computer, “Yeah?”

“Thank you,” Emily said, her voice heavy with relief that Roman was taking control.

He offered a thin smile. “You’re welcome,” he replied softly.

6

Sydney stood before the bay window, her eyes scanning the street for any sign of an approaching car, eagerly anticipating Emily’s arrival. Hours had passed since Emily had called to say she was on her way—she should have been there long ago. By nightfall, after multiple calls and messages, Sydney had no choice but to accept that Emily wasn’t coming. She figured she must have changed her mind and gone home to work things out with Gabriel.

She spent all of Sunday trying to reach her, leaving several messages but hadn’t heard back, and her concern began to grow. After bathing Kevin and tucking him into bed, her phone finally rang—it was Gabriel calling.

“Hello.”

“Hey, sorry to bother you, but Emily’s not answering her phone. She’s mad at me. I get that. I was just wondering what time you guys are coming home?”

A knot of anxiety twisted in Sydney’s stomach. “She’s not home?” her voice trembled slightly.

Gabriel’s response came quickly, laden with confusion and worry. “What do you mean? I thought she was with you?”

“Kevin got hurt. I had to leave early. I told Em to stay and enjoy the weekend,” Sydney explained. “She’s really upset with you.”

Her tone shifted dramatically as she raised her voice, anger, and disbelief spilling over. “I can’t believe you’re cheating on her with your assistant!”

“What?” Gabriel said, surprised. “She thinks I’m involved with Maggie? Why?”

“Awe, come on, Gabriel. She saw the credit card bill. She knows.”

“Look, Sydney,” Gabriel’s voice was laced with desperation. “I didn’t use the credit card. You need to trust me. I need to talk to Emily. I need to explain everything. Is she leaving me? Do you know where she is? Please, don’t cover for her.” His words came out in a rush, a frantic plea.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Sydney admitted. “I’m not covering for her. I’m just as worried about her as you are. I called her on Saturday morning to update her on Kevin. She sounded different, disoriented. She didn’t even know it was morning; she thought it was still nighttime. I was worried about her. I thought it was because of you. When I asked if she was okay, she mentioned something had happened but was reluctant to discuss it over the phone. She insisted on coming over to talk in person. When she didn’t show up, I assumed she had changed her mind and decided to go home.”

“Did you call her?”

“My calls are going straight to voicemail. Her phone must be turned off or dead. I can’t even track her location. What are we going to do?” Sydney asked.

“I’m going to call the hotel. Maybe she extended her stay, and she’s still there.”

“What room number were you in?”

“4101.”

“Okay, let me know what you find out.”

Gabriel hung up and immediately googled the Ritz-Carlton and placed the call.

“Ritz-Carlton. How may I assist you?” a pleasant female voice said.

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