Page 31 of Flirting with my Billionaire Boss

“Yes.”

“I wish you’d just told me. We could have figured something out. You scared me half to death when you ran away like that. Have you ever stopped to think how I felt that day?”

I really hadn’t. All I’d cared about was protecting my baby. “No.”

“It was horrible. You put me through a lot. But I forgive you. I’ve worked through all this in therapy. There’s no need to bring up the past again.”

I hang up the call with Markus and curl up on my side in bed, pulling the covers over me. It was strange to talk to him again. We’ve had a few calls since I left. He tried to talk me out of it at first, but then he gave in pretty easily. I was surprised by how quick our divorce was. He’d already owned the house for a long time before we were married, so I wasn’t really entitled to much of it. I agreed to give up my payout so we could have a speedy divorce. I just wanted to be done with him and the entire process.

So why am I thinking about going back to stay now? I’ve come so far. It makes little sense to put myself back in that situation. But I’m not sure I can face being without a home. Then again, Markus isn’t married to me anymore. He can’t force me to get an abortion. No one can really force a woman to get an abortion, but he could have made life awfully miserable for me until I agreed to listen to what he wanted. I know this because he’s done awful things to me in the past to get me to bend to his will.

I shudder. I can’t revisit any of that. It’s too dark, and it’s not part of my life anymore.

My phone rings again once I have most everything packed up.

“Hey, Mom,” I say after I answer.

“Hey, what are you up to tonight?”

“I just got fired.” A plan forms in my mind. Maybe I could stay with them. It would be better than crawling back to Markus.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that,” Mom says. “Where are you going to live?”

“Do you think I could come back and stay with you and Dad for a while until I get another job?”

“Of course, you can,” she says.

A lump forms in my throat. “I really wanted to prove that I could do it on my own, but I’ve completely failed. I’m having this baby soon, and I need a stable home for her.”

“We don’t want our grandbaby out on the street. Come home. We’ll let you have your old room back, and we’ll turn my sewing room into a nursery.”

Relief washes over me. “Thank you, Mom. I promise it won’t be for long. I’m planning to find a job and a place of my own.”

“And that’s fine. But in the meantime, you have a place here with us.”

We talk for another few minutes as we figure out all the details. I end the call and lie back on my pillows. My heart aches. How could Weston believe I really stole that ring?

His face swims before me, and I can see his angry expression in my mind again. It’s hard to lose my job, my home and my security, but I’ll survive that. But I’m not sure how I’ll survive never seeing Weston again.

14

WESTON

Itoss and turn in my bed, the Egyptian cotton sheets tangling around my legs. Finally, I get up and head out to the living room of my condo in Atlanta. I sit on the couch and flip the switch that lights the fireplace. It crackles to life and brings warmth to the room.

Callie is gone, and my stomach is twisted in knots over how things ended up playing out. I sure have bad luck with personal assistants. I’d called Jenni yesterday to see if her friend was still available to work. It was a slim chance, but her friend had come through, even though it had been several months since Jenni had told me about her.

I need to get some rest. Tomorrow, I’m meeting with a new client, and I hope to make a good impression. My stomach growls. Why am I hungry at three in the morning? I get up from the couch and go into the massive pantry next to the kitchen. I grab a box of Lucky Charms and pour a bowl. One can never go wrong with cereal in the middle of the night. I have all the money I could ever want for the fanciest food in the store, and all I really want is cheap, sugary cereal. My family mocks me for it, and I don’t care one bit.

Because I can never eat a bowl of cereal without staring at my phone, I pull it out. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through my social media like I usually do, I hover my finger over the search button. Oh man. How have I stooped this low? Now I feel like stalking the girl I fired on social media. Because that’s all she is to me, right? Some girl I caught stealing and, therefore, fired?

It’s embarrassing, but no one’s around to know about. Okay, who am I kidding? I’m embarrassed to be doing this in front of myself right now. But I don’t care. The pull to see her face again is too strong.

Why did she have to turn out to be a thief? I can’t help but feel angry all over again. Because she destroyed what we had. She disrupted her own stability. I’d wanted to give her a home. But I can’t do that if she’s going to steal from me. I have plenty of money, but my grandma’s ring is precious to me.

I pull up her profile, and I scroll through her photos. Yes, it’s embarrassing, but it’s worth it to see her face again. I find old pictures from when she was with Markus. There’s one where they’re on a beach together, and she’s in a bikini. His abs are clearly cut and lean in the picture. I peer at his face. He looks like he’s full of himself, and I don’t like the way he has his arm around her like she’s his personal property.

Okay, so maybe he has his arm around her like a normal husband, but since I know he’s a controlling abuser, it looks sinister to me. And I don’t like the fact that he’s touching her at all. I put my phone down. This is making me too upset. I need to finish my cereal and go back to bed. But how can I sleep now with the image of Markus putting his hands on Callie?

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