Page 71 of Sugar Pie
For one second, the gleam in his eyes burned through to my soul, but I turned and faced the window. I hadn’t always been a fool.
As the plane took off, I dialed his brother. “Jeff, my ex just showed up and said he had me declared mentally unfit. There was a van. I think he wanted to have me committed.”
“I’ll file immediately on your behalf to attest to your state of mind. The divorce decree should absolve you, but for now, do not go to Connecticut until this is cleared.”
I would never again go near Romeo’s house. I saw the clouds underneath us as we took off. “We’re heading to New York now.”
“Warren’s home in Manhattan is state of the art. I’ll need twenty-four hours to ensure all three states understand that you are mentally sound. Just stay put, and I’ll straighten this out as soon as possible.”
Go to Warren’s home.I’d seen the money he had, and a voice in my head reminded me that rich people don’t get treated the same as the rest of us.
Last time I was angry in a car, I’d jumped out at a gas station and walked away.
But I wasn’t ready to do that with Warren. For once, I’d felt excitement in my chest and had said I loved him. It had been true.
This time, my sit and do nothing lasted only a day, not a lifetime, but I would handle it. I closed my eyes and imagined what I would do next. “Fair enough.”
He gave me a few directions, including signing documents and being on my phone when needed.
Then we hung up, and my skin buzzed.
“What did he say?” Warren asked.
I swallowed and realized we needed to talk, though my ears burned with emotion. I lifted my chin. “He said to stay in your place in Manhattan for a day.”
He nodded. “We can do that.”
I pivoted so that I wasn’t facing him anymore.
Soon, we were descending into the big city. I had never stayed in Manhattan for long, so this was no different.
My heartbeat slowed to normal after some deep breaths, and I switched positions so I could see Warren as we landed. I crossed my arms as I said, “You’re a trillionaire. The bank account you showed to the accountant wasn’t that much, which meant you were hiding.”
“No. That account was just what I earned myself. I wasn’t hiding my inheritance. My adopted parents were immigrants, and my father made money on Wall Street that he invested into tech-company ownership. I left because I wanted to prove myself worthy, and I planned on telling you tonight.”
Every liar’s attitude is to tell the truth only after being caught.I didn’t even blink as I said, “You had every second of every day for weeks now.”
He flinched as if I’d hit him, though words weren’t weapons I wielded. He kept his voice low, almost inviting me into a secret as he said, “I should have trusted you.”
But he didn’t. We weren’t real. We never were. Or maybe we were, and I was wrong. As we deplaned, I shrugged and said, “Look, if I could take a few days to myself, I would. I don’t want to talk for the rest of this trip.” I looked away from him.
His voice cracked as he said, “I’m sorry.”
The sound broke through me and reverberated in my heart. I wished I believed him, but the moon started coming up, and darkness took over the sky.
Tears formed in my eyes as I wondered if I’d overreacted. But I kept my lips sealed and soon realized we were heading toward Central Park.
On my few trips to New York, I’d always enjoyed a stroll in the park, but he pulled into a West End high-rise then tossed the keys to the valet.
We stepped out, and I realized I didn’t have my backpack. My stuff was still in Greenville, but I walked beside him as we went through a white marble lobby and into a smaller elevator.
My arm brushed against Warren, and my body lit up, but I refused to bend. He was no better than Romeo, and it was best that I’d found out sooner rather than later. At least I wasn’t married to him.
The doors opened to the top floor, and he led me into his penthouse apartment. I stepped through and glanced around. It was four times the size of the apartment we’d been sharing. The floors were shiny hardwood, not linoleum squares.
He closed the door behind us. “This is it.”
I walked into an open-concept great room that overlooked a white galley kitchen that a chef might envy. I stayed still, though. “I’m ready to hear you now.”
