Page 108 of Secrets, Lies and Love

I feel my blood run cold, distrust spreading through my blood like poison. “Continue.”

“So when I saw that you were engaged, I was suspicious. I don’t believe in coincidences, sir. I remember the conversation I had with her that day. I advised her against trying to find you. I told her to go back to the small town she came from. She thanked me and left. I felt sorry for her. The image of the red-haired girl pulling the suitcase made me sleepless that night because I thought I should have offered help. She looked alone.”

“Summarize, Allen.”

“I’ve carried this feeling of injustice with me ever since, but...” He scratches his head, clearly uncomfortable. “There was the report today with the stepsister saying that Miss Bradley came from Kansas to get a rich husband. You can fire me if you want, Mr. Kostanidis, but I needed to warn you that you might be walking into a trap.”

I tighten my jaw so hard that my teeth grind together. “Thanks.”

I walk towards my car, without seeing or hearing the people around me, but when I arrive at the vehicle, before getting in, my head bodyguard says, “Anderson has just arrived with Miss Bradley. They entered through the garage. She’s in your office waiting for you, sir. Do you still want us to take you home?”

“No. I’m going to find her.”

My office is on the twelfth floor. I could take the private elevator, but this time, I choose to take the stairs.

I need to calm down. I must keep in mind that no matter what she has done, Cecily is pregnant with my child.

As I slowly climb up, I mentally review what we’ve experienced since the day Anderson ran her over.

Afterwards, she offered to be Joseph’s nanny. It was a way to insert herself into my home.

I remember our conversations, and I remember the day she asked me not to hate her.

“Swear you’ll never hate me.”

“Why not ask me to love you?”

“Because love can’t be requested. Hatred can be negotiated because it is a choice. Don’t hate me, Dionysus. It would break my heart.”

The feeling of being betrayed is not something I can deal with, especially from the woman I am completely in love with. The one I chose to be my life partner, to form a family with, to grow old by my side.

I arrive at my destination, and for a moment, I want to go back in time. Not listen to what Allen said.

And continue to let her deceive you forever?

I feel contempt for myself for even considering such a hypothesis. If what Allen said is true, Cecily lied the whole time.

I open the door that leads to the reception and dismiss the secretary. My expression must be shit because she doesn’t argue. She doesn’t open her mouth to say she let Cecily in. She just takes her bag and leaves.

I grip the door handle, feeling myself bleed inside. I have the certainty that my entire future will change as soon as we are face-to-face.

Her back is turned, and she’s looking out the window, but when she hears me enter, she turns around.

Her face is pale, and she gives me a weak, unsure smile.

I watch her from afar, and the love I feel is so great that a kind of physical pain hits me, preventing me from going to her.

“Dionysus . . .”

“Who are you, Harper Cecily Bradley?”

She rocks on her legs, as if she’s going to lose her balance, but then straightens up again. “You know who I am. You couldn’t have believed Peyton’s lies.”

“And your lies? Should I believe those?” I cross my arms in front of my chest, pretending to be calm, that I’m far from feeling anything. “I’m only going to ask you once, so be careful what you answer: when you were run over by Anderson . . . was it by chance?”

I see her eyes fill with tears, and it’s like someone has stuck a knife in my chest. Before she even opens her mouth, I already have my answer.

Still, I wait until she says, “No, it wasn’t by chance.”

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