Page 55 of No Way Forward

“She what?” Novette asked, but she already knew and shook all over.

“She gave birth to you a few months later, and then depression and guilt took over. She committed suicide.”

Novette sobbed. She didn’t know the woman who gave her life, but it still hurt to lose her. Just as Richard feared, anger, resentment, and a host of other emotions rose inside her, all turned against him. Such a selfish man, he destroyed two lives and almost destroyed hers.

She shared her thoughts with Zaid. “And yet he never learned. He tried so hard to hold onto me, he was pushing my heart away. Who does that?”

“My guess is he was just as broken as she was the day they learned your biological dad died. The difference was, Richard went on living. He didn’t know he was broken.”

“But you knew he was messed up?”

“Not exactly. I knew he loved you more than he knew how to say.”

She laid her head on Zaid’s shoulder and shut her eyes. With each breath, she inhaled his familiar scent. She knew she could never send Zaid away.

“I feel all these negative emotions over him,” she admitted. “I loved him. There were a lot of great times between us. But all this and the way he treated me the last few days, he almost destroyed everything I felt for him. I mean, if he didn’t die…”

“I don’t know where we would be right now.”

She agreed. “It’s not that I wanted him dead.”

“Neither did I.”

“Zaid, you’re a good man for continuing to work for him.

”

“Don’t make me out to be more than I am.” He raised her chin and kissed her lips. “I love you. I want to be with you always. Do you think you can forgive me for not telling you about your parents?”

“There’s nothing to forgive. You’re not the one who did wrong. He did. He’s gone now. I’d rather take my time to come to terms with my feelings, and then just live my life as happily as I can. With you.”

He moaned, laying his head on her shoulder. “You don’t know how much that makes me feel better.”

“I love you, Zaid, but you better not ever keep anything from me again. I don’t need that kind of protection. You got that?”

“Loud and clear.” He grinned. “I suppose I’m working for you now. That is, if I have a job.”

“Huh?”

“Richard left you everything.”

She gasped. “How do you know?”

“It’s my job to know everything that concerns him. Rather it was my job. He fired me after he found out about us.”

The magnitude of what he just told her hadn’t hit yet. She had never had aspirations to the mansion or whatever money her dad had in the bank. Today wasn’t the day to think about it. “How about you be my bodyguard?”

He smirked. “I’ll happily guard that body.”

“Lord.”

“If you will be my wife.”

Her heart beat faster. “Do you really want to marry me?”

“I can’t believe you would think I want you for your money.”

“Not that. I’ve never worried about you using me for money, Zaid. I’m talking about me. Where I come from, my family, none of it is good. I don’t know who those people were who gave birth to me.”

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