Page 99 of Masked in Deception
“Men are idiots. Take your time but hear him out. If I’m being honest with you, I’m not sure I wouldn’t do the same thing just to have a piece of you again. I’ve half a mind to whisk you away right now.”
I turn in his arms, slapping his arm lightly as my tears dry. “Stop it, you would not!” I say, laughing for the first time tonight. “But seriously, how do I ever trust him again?”
“You will just have to learn, mon cheri, but you have to forgive him. There’s no reason to live a half life when you can grow old with the man picked out for you by the stars. Believe me, few are so lucky.”
Michel lays my head gently against his chest and snuggles me in his arms, and I let him, soaking in the night together, both of us knowing it’ll be the last time. When a tear leaves my eye this time, it’s not for Jack. It seems the heavens not only gifted me a man crafted for my very soul but also sent a guardian angel to guide me back to him when I lost my way. And I’m going to miss my angel greatly.
I wake up the following morning and wiggle out of the wrong arms to look at my phone that’s been dinging like crazy. Well, it’s midafternoon, but regardless...
Sinclair Fam:
LJ IS COMING
“Ohmygod! Michel, wake up! LJ is coming. I have to go!”
Michel gets up immediately, helping grab my things and throwing them in a bag as I rush to get ready. I quickly get dressed in a sweat set before combing through my hair andthrowing it up into a clip, all the while trying to text Mom, Sloane, Ledger, and Henry individually as well as the family group chat to get a gauge of how much time we have and coordinate travel. Which unfortunately involves me sharing a private jet back to the States with Jack.You can do this, Margot. This is for LJ. You don’t have to talk to him, you don’t even have to look at him.
By the time all the details are ironed out, the car Michel called for me waits by the street, and the bag he packed for me sits by the door.
“Come on, cheri,” he says, throwing an arm around my shoulders, the other carrying my things, and leading me down the stairs.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” he asks when we reach the car, putting my luggage in the trunk before coming to open the door for me.
“No, no, that won’t be necessary. Just lock up here before you go?”
We both freeze, knowing this is our final goodbye. Finally, I jump into his arms, tears falling down my face. “I’m going to miss you, Michel. So, so much.”
His arms are still wrapped tight around my waist where he caught me, and when he looks into my eyes, I see tears in his as well. “I’ll miss you more, mon amour. Promise me, Margot. Promise me you’ll forgive him. Promise me you won’t waste any more time. It’s the only way I can let you go. The only way I can say goodbye is knowing that you’re happy.”
“I promise.” With one last hug, I let him go, allowing him to help me into the back seat before closing the door.
“Pinky promise,” I whisper to myself as the car takes me home.
Chapter sixty-seven
“If I hear one more announcement about that damn gift basket raffle fundraiser, I’m going to lose it! Come on, Henry. Maybe if we go buy all of the damn things, they’ll shut up about it!” Blanche storms off, dragging Henry behind her. The atmosphere since we all arrived at the hospital has been tense, to say the least. We’re all so excited, and Ledger is ecstatic, but the Sinclair family isn’t exactly known for their patience, so the wait is killing us all. We’re lucky to be in a semi-private wing with a large suite, so at least our tense exchanges haven’t been observed by anyone other than the medical staff.
With their departure, and Ledger only coming out to give sporadic updates of how Sloane is feeling, Margot and I continue our standoff. After we both got the same “LJ is coming” text in the family group chat, she didn’t even seem surprised to see that I was already at the airport waiting when her car arrived. She may not have been happy about sharing the jet with me on the way home, but she didn’t speak to me to say no. Now that we’re back in the States, confined to this hospital for who knows howlong, it’s much easier to keep an eye on her and make sure she has what she needs.
As mad as she is, she didn’t refuse her chocolate croissant and iced coffee for breakfast, or the fashion magazines I picked up at the gift shop, or the fluffy blanket I had delivered when I realized how cold she was. Her feet are warm in her slippers as she sips her tea, and I think I have about two hours before she gets hungry enough for lunch. There’s gummy candy in my bag for any hint of hanger I see. She’s a fast reader and the magazines probably won’t last much longer, but I know she’s got the Kindle app on her phone, so as long as she has a charger, she should be okay…
“Do you fucking mind?”
Her voice, as acerbic as it is, is music to my ears. It’s the first time she’s addressed me since our encounter when I arrived in Paris, and it’s completely fucked how amazing it feels to be the focus of her attention, even if it’s her wrath.
“What?” I ask, knowing exactly what.
“Stop staring at me like a psychopath and stop trying to ply me with treats and creature comforts. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. You’re being such a creep,” she huffs, and I swear I see a crack in her anger armor.
Slowly moving closer, I take what I think is my chance to plead my case again.
“Margot, please. I am begging you. I’ll stay on my knees forever if you want. You were right, in the hallway, everything you said. I was so much worse than I had realized, and I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But please, Princess. I can’t stop fighting for you. It doesn’t matter what you do, if you want the man from your apartment, I’ll still be in your life in any way you’ll let me. I won’t let you go.” Every time I think I’ve cried all my tears, I surprise myself and more form in my eyes.
“Michel,” she says primly, eyes drifting back to her magazine.
“What?”
“The man from my apartment. He has a name. It’s Michel.”
