Page 302 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
I leave a message on his voicemail, pleading for forgiveness. I tell him that I love him and that I didn’t mean any of the words I said.
When another thirty minutes pass without a return call, I crawl into bed. New tears prick my already tear-drenched eyes when I smell his captivating scent in the sheets. I swaddle myself in them, trying in vain to pretend I didn’t just ruin everything.
That I didn’t just break us.
My eyes blink, unable to register why blinding rays are streaming through the window. It’s only when my gaze shifts to my phone I’m clutching do I realize I must have fallen asleep. I’m lying in Isaac’s king-size bed with the bedsheets wrapped around my naked body. Isaac hasn’t returned all night. I don’t need to open my eyes to know that. A man with his aura is felt more than he's seen.
Eager to fix my mistakes, I scamper off the bed, then rush into the walk-in closet to get dressed, my toes gripping the plush carpet. Once dressed in low-riding jeans and a designer long-sleeve shirt, I throw my hair into a high ponytail, then saunter out of the room. I don’t bother checking my reflection in the mirror. I can tell how horrid I look without needing to witness it.
The pain in my chest increases with every step I take down the long hallway. I can hear Isaac’s deep, stern voice roaring down the hall he carried me down many times, but I’m also panicked, hating that he came home but didn’t come to me.
My hand trembles when I imprudently swing open his office door. He's standing behind his desk facing the arched window. He's dressed in a dark blue three-piece suit and polished dress shoes. He continues with his conversation on his cell like he hasn’t detected my presence, but I know he’s noticed me as the instant I opened the door, he took in a quick breath.
“Friday night will be fine,” he says into his phone, stepping closer to the window, placing more distance between us. “I don’t need time to prepare, Henry. That’s fine. It will. I’ll have Cormack contact you with the details of the foundation later today.”
He disconnects the call and places his cell phone into his trouser pocket. Keeping both hands in his pockets, he pivots around to face me. My pulse races when my eyes roam over his face. His neatly trimmed beard is gone, exchanged for a clean-shaven face that doesn’t have a chance in hell of hiding the furious tick of his jaw.
“Isaac, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—”
His livid glare stops any further words seeping from my lips. His eyes thin into tiny slits before they flick to the corner of the room. Following his gaze, I'm shocked to see Hugo standing firm. He's wearing his standard work attire of a black suit with a white business shirt underneath. Unlike the last time I saw him, his shoulder is no longer held in place with a sling. His face is neutral, absent of its normal cheekiness, but it’s the anxiousness plaguing his eyes that causes my greatest concern.
“Hey, Hugo,” I greet him, my voice cracking since my emotions are so rattled.
“Isabelle.”
His lips curl in an uneasy smile before his gaze returns to Isaac. His composure exposes that he isn’t here in the capacity of a friend. He's here on business. I can barely breathe when Isaac moves to stand behind his desk, ensuring that there's something between us, keeping us apart.
When he reaches his destination, he glances down at papers on his desk instead of me. “A chartered plane has been arranged to take you back to Tiburon this morning.”
“Thank you.”
I pad closer to him, wanting to thank him for the leeway in his usually unwavering domination. His furious gaze sears me in place, stopping my lengthy steps mid-stride. His eyes are dark and haunted, filled with pain. I lace my hands together to hide their shakiness before locking my gaze with his.
“Hugo has the charter information and documentation required. He will accompany you to Tiburon.”
My brows scrunch. “I don’t need Hugo to go with me.”
His furious glance has my pulse quickening and my knees curving inward. “You take Hugo, or you don’t go, Isabelle.” His voice is clipped and stern. “This term is non-negotiable.”
I nod. It would have taken a lot for him to agree to let me go to Tiburon without him, so I don’t want to push his boundaries even further by refusing his request to take Hugo.
He works his jaw side to side before saying, “I'm giving you a week, but I can’t give you any more than that. If you aren’t back in a week—”
“I’ll be back,” I speak through the lump in my throat, and the hurt in his beautiful eyes relodge. “I don’t need any longer than that. I’ll be back within a week.”
The cloud of pain hampering his eyes lessens, but his anger remains firmly in place. “You better go pack. Your plane leaves in an hour.”
He takes a seat in his chair before pulling it in close to his desk, dismissing me from his presence without speaking a word. That hurts. I hold in my tears until I enter the hallway, but even then, I have to fight to keep them to a bare minimum since Hugo is pacing behind me.
I pack the barest necessities, wanting Isaac to be aware I’m planning on coming back. If he looks in our closet, it’s hard to tell I packed. I’m even taking a new toothbrush, so my current one stays next to Isaac’s in the ceramic holder on the vanity in the master bathroom. I want it to be a silent reminder to him that I’m still with him, and I will be back.
“Is that it?” Hugo queries when I hand him an overstuffed carry-on luggage bag.
I nod.
His lips curl into a rueful smirk. “All right. I’ll meet you in the foyer. Roger will take us to the airport.”
Not waiting for my reply, he heads down the stairwell. I exhale a big breath to settle my nerves before ambling back to Isaac’s office. When I enter, he’s once again on his cell phone, standing near the arch window. When he notices me leaning in the doorjamb, his gaze shifts to me. His brows furrow when he spots my tear-stained face. His clipped tone advises his caller that he’ll call them back before he disconnects and puts his phone away.
