On One Condition

And what about the children and the charity? If she left he’d lose all his money, and no one would benefit from this mess. Well, no one except the distant cousin in France.

But how could she stay? Could she bear being near him, yet unable to have his love? Could she handle his scorn?

She had to. The children needed that money worse than she needed her freedom. But being with him just might end up killing her. She loved the bastard. And he’d walked away. Had he left because of their fight, or had he given up on her? Did she even want to know?

She grabbed her phone, running her thumb lightly over the keypad. Her eyes burned as she sat up. She glanced down at the unopened box on the bed, toying with it. Maybe she should go to the bathroom first. Then call. No, call first.

Then bathroom. Maybe. Damn it. She liked her world neatly ordered, but there was nothing neat about this.

A knock sounded at the door, and she stood up. Her stomach growled. Room service, she hoped. She could already taste the cheeseburger she’d ordered.

“Come in, I’ll grab my wallet,” she said, smiling at the man in the hallway—until she realized it wasn’t room service at all.

It was Damon.

Stumbling back, she pressed a shaky hand to her mouth.

He took advantage of the opportunity to enter the room, shutting the door behind him.

“Hello, wife.” He held a yellow manila envelope in his hand, which he chucked onto the bed. In his other hand he held her dinner, which he set down on the table. “Did you miss me?”

“H-how did you find me?” Swallowing past the huge lump in her throat, she took a step closer to him. Her arms ached with the need to wrap around him. “Why are you here?”

“Do you know how many bloody hotels there are in this city? Jesus, I thought I would never find you.”

She shook her head and searched his face, greedily drinking in the sight of him. “How did you find me here?”

“A lot of driving, calling, begging, pleading, and a little bit of bribery.” He gave her a half smile and ran his hand over his face. He gave her a weary smile, and her legs threatened to crumble beneath her. God, she’d missed him. His gaze moved over her, taking in every detail.

She suddenly wished she’d worn something sexier than shorts and a tank top.

“I brought papers for you,” he said. His face closed off.

“You look tired.”

She smoothed her free hand over her hair, grimacing. “I am.”

“I missed you,” he whispered, and her stomach clenched.

“A lot.”

“I missed you, too.” Tears ran down her cheeks, but she ignored them. They didn’t matter. Not now. “What’s in the envelope?”

He strode to the bed, opening the manila folder. “Divorce papers.”

She gasped. “B-but…” Her mind raced. “Your money.

You’ll lose it all.”

“I know. And I don’t care.” His eyes never left hers.

“What?”

“All I want is you. I love you, and I’m sorry I left.”

Her vision blurred. “But you left me when I needed you.

How could you do that? My father—the note—”

“I didn’t know about the note until after I came back.

Cecile sent it to hurt you. To separate us.” He flinched. “I suppose she didn’t need to. I didn’t think it through when I left. I just wanted some space to think. I wasn’t leaving you.

Not really.”

“You could have called. Something. God, if I’d known Cecile had—” She broke off.

He leaned closer. “What? What if you’d known?”

Something in his eyes compelled her to be honest. “…I would have waited for you.”

“Why didn’t you wait for me? Call me? Even a letter.” He touched her cheek. “Johanna, haven’t I earned even a sliver of your trust?”

“You have.” Her throat ached. “It’s not your fault. I just…I assumed you were done with me. Done with us.”

He gripped her shoulders, stroking the bare skin with his thumbs. “I wasn’t abandoning you. I panicked and ran. It was stupid, but I don’t want to lose you.”

“Then why are you divorcing me?”

“Because I love you. You’re right,” he said. “We never should have gotten married like we did. I thought I needed the money to survive. I thought I needed it to keep Lilly safe.

But I know now there are worse things in life than being poor.”

She frowned. “Hold up, right now. If we’re going to be a real couple, you will tell me once and for all. Who the hell is Lilly? I thought you were going to see Cecile on Sundays.”

“Cecile? Hell no. Why would I visit her?” He threw a frustrated glance at the ceiling. “I’m trying to pour out my love to you, and all you care about is my sister and my ex?”

“Sister?” she squeaked. “You have a sister?”

“Yes,” he answered slowly. “I thought you knew. You told Tim that you knew where I went every Sunday.”

Relief washed over her. “Oh. So that’s where you were?

Not with a lover?”

“A lover? Are you insane?” he ground out. “When did I ever give you the impression that I had a lover? Or wanted one, besides you?”

“Well, you left every Sunday, not telling me where you went. What else was I supposed to think?”

“Bloody hell.” He slapped his forehead. “I didn’t think of it like that. I just didn’t want you to meet her if—if you weren’t staying in my life. She gets attached to people.”

“Why?” she asked.

“She has special needs. And when she meets someone she likes, she won’t let him or her out of her sight. If she meets you, she’ll love you. How could she not?”

Johanna melted, and her face went hot. Just when she thought he couldn’t be any sweeter, he went and proved her wrong. “Where does she live?”

“About ten minutes from us. She likes to live on her own, so I have her set up in a house with servants. She always wanted to see America…so I brought her.” He shrugged.

His lips curled into a smile. “I’ve tried to get her to live with me endless times, but she refuses. She says she enjoys her freedom far too much to live with a man.”

Johanna laughed. “Smart woman. I like her already.”

Damon sobered. “Sign these, and you’re free. Sign these, and we can start over again. I already signed on the dotted line. It only waits for you.”