Page 6 of Under A Sicilian Sky
She swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around her body. ‘What?’
He grinned, but the expression was rage-filled. ‘Did they want to talk about my movies? Hmm? Did they want to know the details of the fundraiser? Erm… nope! All they cared about was you!’ He jabbed a finger in her direction, and she flinched. She’d never seen him like this before. ‘Oh yes, questions like, was I shocked at your behaviour? Were you usually hideous and bigoted, or was this new? What caused you to rant on social media? Had you done it to sabotage your own career or mine too?’ He sighed heavily, a whooshing sound from his mouth. ‘God, I have never felt so humiliated. The way people were looking at me. Me! Tyler Harrison, philanthropist goddamit. The chairman of the charity asked if I wanted to step down! I was asked if I would still be featuring in the next Spielberg movie or had I been dropped in light of this incident? How do you think that made me feel? Huh?’ She could smell alcohol on his breath and there was a distinct red mark on his collar that looked remarkably like a lip print.
She stepped back. ‘Oh Tyler, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think—’
‘No! That’s the issue here, isn’t it? Youdidn’t thinkto use passwords that were difficult to guess. Youdidn’t thinkto not leave your goddam phone lying around where someone could glean your information. You. Didn’t. Think.’ He punctuated his words by hitting his head with his index finger as his wide, unblinking eyes focused on her. ‘And now, you’re dragging me down with you! Jesus, Ruby, I didn’t work this hard for this long to have my career trawled through the shit by my so-called girlfriend,’ he shouted and ran both hands through his tousled auburn hair before staring at the ceiling.
She glanced down at the ring on her engagement finger. It glinted in the artificial light as if mocking her. Not one to give in easily, she stood her ground. Keeping her tone firm, she said, ‘I did have strong passwords, Tyler, and you know I never leave things lying around. It’s unfair for you to say that. I’m not an idiot, so don’t make me out to be some brainless bimbo. And I never wanted any of this to affect you; it’s not as if I asked for any of it. Oh, and for the record, last time I knew it, this ring meant I was your fiancée not your girlfriend.’ She held up her hand.
His nostrils flared as he lowered his head to glare at her once more. ‘Yeah? Well, whether you wanted it to affect me or not, it certainly damn well has. And I can’t have that happening, Ruby.’
‘What did you say to them? Did you tell them it wasn’t me?’
He scowled in incredulity as if her suggestion was preposterous. ‘What? No. No, I was too busy trying to salvage the event. I had more important things on my mind, Ruby. My career is way more important than…’ He clenched his jaw as he pointed at her.
She widened her eyes. ‘Way more important thanme? Is that what you were going to say?’
He rolled his eyes. ‘I can’t have this conversation with you. I think…’ He hadn’t addressed the engagement issue and that, above everything else, really got to her. He closed his eyes and rested his hands on his hips but didn’t look at her. ‘I think maybe you should go and stay somewhere else. I’ve called Valerie’s driver, the French guy.’ He waved his hand. ‘Francoise or Pierre, or whatever the hell his name is.’
Annoyed at his random calling out of French names when he knew the driver, she pointed out, ‘Philippe. His name is Philippe.’
‘Whatever. Anyway, he’s outside waiting for you. I tried Valerie, but she’s not answering. So… just go to another hotel or whatever. But just… maybe don’t contact me until things calm down, okay?’
Her lip trembled and she placed her hand over her hammering heart. ‘Are you breaking up with me?’
He exhaled through his nose and shook his head. ‘I’m not… It’s not… Ugh! I can’t answer that question just now. I care about you; of course I do, but this… It’s just too much. It’s… it’s too damning.’
Heat rose in her cheeks and her blood pressure seemed to increase until there was a swooshing noise in her ears. Hecaredabout her? But where was the mention of love? ‘So much for the wholefor better or worsecrap. The first sign of trouble and you dump me. And it’s not even something I perpetuated. I did nothing wrong.’
He gazed up at the ceiling once again but made no move towards her. ‘I’m not dumping you… I’m just… I need some space, that’s all.’
She nodded as her eyes blurred with tears. ‘Just admit it, Tyler. We’re over.’ She shrugged. ‘Let’s face it, if you need space from the person you proposed marriage to, then it’s pretty clear what your intentions are. Why bother skirting around it?’ At this point, she knew she was pretty much pushing him to break up with her, but anger got the better of her. And she wanted some kind of reaction from him that would show his true feelings.
He snapped his head towards her. ‘Okay. Fine. We’re over. Is that what you want to hear?’
Tears spilled over, but on the inside, it wasn’t sadness she was filled with, it was disappointment. The man she thought she could count on, the one she thought loved her, the one who said he wanted to grow old with her, had just betrayed her. She had done nothing wrong, yet he couldn’t stand by her. And all because he was worried abouthisreputation. He hadn’t defended her. He hadn’t held up his hand and said, ‘My fiancée is completely innocent, and we will fight this together because I love her, and I believe in her.’ He hadn’t given her any time to prove her innocence. Like everyone that had protested in ignorance outside her apartment and the people who had scrawled the graffiti, he had been judge, jury and executioner.
And she was done.
Without responding to his stupid question, she walked, calmly, back to the bedroom and gathered her bag and coat, picked her phone up from the coffee table and slipped her feet into her snow boots. She paused before him, where he still stood in the arched hallway of the suite.
‘Thanks for showing me your true colours, Tyler Harrison. I wish you all the very best with your future endeavours.’
And with those harsh, emotionless words, she left, closing the door softly, her dignity hanging by a thread.
But at least there was a thread.
5
‘Mademoiselle,’ Philippe said with a sad smile as he held open the rear door of the car.
Shivering both from anger and the cold, she placed her hand on his arm. ‘Thank you so much for rescuing me again. I’m so grateful and I’m sorry for the late hour.’
He shook his head. ‘Please, no apology, it is my pleasure. Now, where can I take you?’
She frowned and glanced at the asphalt beneath her feet. ‘I… I actually have no idea.’
Philippe’s brow crumpled. ‘He did not book you a hotel?’
