Page 27 of Playing With Secrets
Something’s wrong with her. But before I have time to ask her about it, she bolts off the couch and locks herself in the bathroom.
This woman confuses the fuck out of me.
Should I chase her or wait?
I lean over, resting my arms on my legs. She hasn’t done this since we first got together, so I’m not sure which is best.
For about five minutes, I ruminate over what I may havesaid that upset her. It’s been long enough, so I go to the bathroom door and knock.
“I’m sorry if I upset you. Will you please come out and talk to me about it?” I rest my palm against the doorframe and lean into it, staring at the knob.
The door slowly cracks open. As she comes into view, I see her eyes are bloodred from crying. She falls into my arms, and my heart cracks for her.
I wrap my arms around her, wishing I could take away her pain. “Tell me how I can help.”
“You can’t help. There’s nothing anyone can do.” She goes limp in my arms.
She’s sick and clearly emotional, so I carry her to her bed. “You need to rest. You’re pale and weak. I think you’re pushing yourself too hard.”
I place her on the bed. She lies down and rolls to her side. “Don’t you see, Hunter? I’m single-handedly going to ruin the launch with all my missed deadlines. I can’t focus on work because I’ve been sick. Everything is falling apart.”
“We have more than enough people who can help with the things we need for the launch. I’ll do them myself if I have to, so nothing is falling apart.” I sit beside her and move her hair aside.
She swats my hand away and pushes up. “I have endometriosis and a UTI. My body is punishing me for being so selfish. I can barely eat anything. I’m exhausted and can’t work out to get rid of this anxiety.”
She leaps off the bed, crazed with something I’ve never seen in her. I’m shocked, so I remain quiet.
“My brother’s in town, taking Melanie out to hide the fact that she and Jami are dating. He isn’t satisfied with just her, so he’s dating a bunch of women on some dating app. He’s only speaking to me because he has to. He doesn’t care about our relationship, and why should he?” She spins around, fisting her hair.
“Calm down, Dorothy. This isn’t good for you.” I stand behind her and place my hands on her shoulders.
She turns to me, and her stormy green eyes scan wildly across my face. “You need to fire me. I’m not doing any good there. Rumors fly around the office, so nobody respects me anymore.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is. Jonah looks at me differently now. Not only does he think I fucked Jami in my office, but he still suspects I’m sleeping with you. I can see it in his eyes, so don’t deny it.”
In a split second, I resolve to clear up all the rumors about her. I step back because I’ve never seen this side of her, and quite frankly, it’s a little scary.
This is more than her fiery temper and childish rebellion. This is all that, mixed with deep-seated sadness. She shakes her head and spins away, facing the window.
“You asked me to marry you a while back. Am I really someone you want to marry?” She plants a hand on one of her hips and slaps the other to her chest.
She’s still facing away from me, so I don’t know what to make of all this. I’ve never been in a relationship this long, so these emotions are foreign to me.
It’s like I’m in China without an interpreter. And we’re not technically together anymore, so I don’t know how to answer any of this.
When I don’t answer, she turns to me with her brows drawn tightly together. “I’m not, am I? After all I’ve put you through, you don’t want me anymore, either.”
Either?
Now, I understand what has her so upset. Jamison must have cut ties with her, just as I requested. It doesn’t feel nearly as good as I expected.
I want her to be with me because she loves me and wants to be with me. Not because he threw her to the wayside. I’m still processing it all as I stare blankly into her eyes.
She huffs a crying laugh. “There’s no way I’m the one you want on your arm at those events. That’s why you take Ava. She’s the picture of perfection—the daughter of the world-renowned ethics advisor who happens to be your dad’s best friend.”
“I don’t want Ava.”
