Til Debt Do Us Part (Married At Midnight #4)

Chapter 29

Twenty-Nine

Talia

O livia and I walk outside in the bright autumn sunshine, enjoying a stroll down Madison Avenue. I grin at her.

“Can you believe how beautiful it is right now?”

She gives an astonished laugh. “No. It's such a perfect spring day to be in New York City. Thank you for flying me down here.”

I take a deep breath and fling my arms wide. “I'm so happy that we escaped Harwicke for the morning! I desperately needed a girls’ trip.”

“I can’t believe that you chartered a freaking helicopter to fly us here!”

I slide her a grin. “Would you believe that it’s a company helicopter? It is always available at a moment’s notice.”

Olivia gives an exaggerated sigh and an eye roll.

“Must be nice to be so well taken care of.”

I consider that. “Yes, it is.”

"Everything smells better here than back home. New York City smells like freedom ," Olivia remarks with a wide grin.

I smile back at her, enjoying her childlike enthusiasm. "And money," I add with a laugh.

We stop at the first store we come to, a designer French luxury brand that sells clothes and luggage. A tall man with salt and pepper hair approaches us from inside the store. He smiles graciously as he greets us both in a deep voice.

"Good afternoon ladies," he says warmly as he opens the door for us to enter the shop. "Welcome. Is there anything I can help you find today?"

We both glance up at him uncertainly before Olivia begins to stammer out an answer. "Um... Well, actually... We were just looking around."

The man nods understandingly before adding: "Perhaps I can show you some of our newest arrivals? Or if you're looking for something specific--"

"No, thank you," I quickly reply before Olivia can get drawn into any sales pitches. “We want to look around for a few minutes first.”

The man gives us a tiny bow. “Of course. Please make yourselves comfortable and browse at your leisure. I will be right here if you need me.”

"Oh, wow!" Olivia exclaims as we step inside the store. She practically runs to the first rack of dresses and begins rifling through it. “These are beautiful.”

The salesperson comes along with us, obviously ready to provide his best service. While we look through the racks, he refolds a stack of sweaters and tidies a display table full of sunglasses and valises.

“We should get dresses for tonight.”

Olivia looks up at me from where she is draping a pair of cashmere slacks against her leg, comparing the length. “What’s tonight again?”

“That silly party that Dare is throwing to announce my pregnancy.”

I hold up a pink taffeta dress, considering it for a moment before putting it back on the rack.

“I thought that Remy just blathered the truth out to everybody at that party you told me about.”

She decides against the pants and moves on.

“He did. But Dare still wants to ‘control the narrative of my pregnancy’, whatever that word soup is supposed to mean.”

“Hah!” Olivia gives me a sympathetic look.

"What can I help you lovely ladies with?" he asks.

"We're looking for cocktail dresses for a party tonight," I reply, looking over at Olivia who is still going through the rack of clothes.

The salesperson quickly gets to work, finding exactly what we are looking for. He also brings complementary accessories that could pull our looks together and hangs them outside our dressing rooms.

Olivia can’t contain her excitement, already pointing out several items she liked. "This one! And this one too!"

As we are changing in the elegant changing rooms, Olivia can't seem to keep her curiosity contained any longer.

"Where did you say Dare is again?" she asks me suddenly after trying on several dresses without success.

I know Olivia; she's been thinking about her question for a while.

I try to brush off the question, but I can feel my face heating up with embarrassment. "He's... busy," I mutter, not wanting to go into any more detail.

But Olivia doesn't let it go. "Busy with what, Talia?" she presses, a mischievous glint in her eye.

I sigh, knowing that there's no way I can avoid answering her. "He was called away for work," I say finally, trying to keep my tone neutral.

Olivia narrows her eyes at me, clearly sensing that I'm not being entirely truthful. "Working or not, he should be here with his pregnant wife," she says pointedly, and I can feel myself getting defensive.

"He has a lot of responsibilities, Olivia," I say, suddenly feeling defensive. "He can't just drop everything because I want him to."

Olivia sticks her head out of her booth and holds her hands up in a gesture of defeat.

"I’m not trying to start any shit," she claims. She offers me a smile. "I just worry about you, you know? You're going through a lot right now."

I feel a lump forming in my throat at her words. They're true, of course. I'm pregnant with another man's baby, and I'm married to Dare - a man who, despite my best efforts to make him trust me, still clearly thinks I'm a gold-digging con artist. And that's not even to mention the fact that his twin brother, Burn, was my first one-night stand... and now he's the father of the baby growing inside.

Thinking of Burn in that context is actually super gross. I straight up don't like the guy. So maybe I should think of him as my sperm donor.

I sigh. "Money is the only thing that Dare understands. So if I rack up a huge bill, maybe it will give him pause. Maybe make him think twice about calling me a bastard."

Olivia looks at me, her eyes wide. "He called you that?"

I shrug. "He implied that I lacked basic manners because Igrew up not knowing who my father is. So... yeah, basically."

"Wow. I know I pushed you to accept Dare's proposal, but that's unacceptable. No one gets to talk to my best friend like that."

"Thanks." I give her a tiny smile. "Now help me find the perfect outfit for tonight."

I start picking out things that catch my eye - dresses, shoes, accessories - until my arms are full of bags. Olivia follows behind me with wide eyes as I pay with my glossy black AmEx card. Soon we hurry out of the store, giggling and excitedly gushing about our new purchases.

It feels good to splurge like this. I can finally let loose now that Dare isn't around to judge me. It's also the first time that I'm not really questioning and thinking twice about every penny I spend. For once in my life, it's nice to be able to do something without worrying about what anyone else thinks.

"So what happened last night?" Olivia asks as we walk down the street, our arms laden with shopping bags.

I ball my fists up, unable to look at her. "Dare and I had a really great day," I say softly. "He was playing with the kids and it was so... nice." My cheeks are hot as I force myself to go on. "Then, like a fool, I told him I loved him." Her eyes widen in shock. "But he couldn't say it back," I finish, my voice barely more than a whisper. "He actually got really angry and accused me of putting words in his mouth. It got ugly very quickly."

Olivia's eyes are wide, she says nothing for a moment. Her eyebrows knit together in concern.

"That's a big deal, Talia," she says seriously. "It sounds like he has some pretty deep-seated trust issues that he needs to work through before he can move forward in your relationship."

“I agree with you, sadly,” I sigh. “I thought that maybe if I said those three little words he'd finally start trusting me, but clearly I was wrong. Now what do I do? Do I keep pushing him? Or do I just let it go?”

"I honestly don't know," Olivia says. "I didn't even know that Dare had such a nasty side."

I close my eyes and take a deep, steadying breath. The thoughts of Dare, and his near-constant inability to open himself up to me flood my mind.

"He never seems to stop talking about my past. Yet his cruel words have done enough damage already. If he doesn't stop it, we will be over before we even start."

My eyes well up with tears and my throat begins to close. Dare has hit me where it hurts the most: I am an orphan, alone in this world. He has no idea how much pain his words cause me. Even though he doesn't mean to, it still cuts me a thousand times like a thousand knives.

“Oh, Talia,” Olivia whispers softly, drawing me into her embrace. She holds me while I weep, letting my tears soak her shirt as I attempt to take back control of myself.

"He says I'm smothering him," I whimper against her shoulder. "I wanted to show him that I care and want to be there for him. But he can't see that."

Olivia runs her fingers through my hair comfortingly as she rubs circles on my back. "It's okay," she murmurs, gentle yet resolute. "You didn't do anything wrong. You were trying to express your love for him in the only way you know how."

I'm still feeling jittery from our conversation earlier, but Olivia's warmth helps to steady my nerves.

Olivia and I meander down the busy New York streets, taking in all the sights and sounds of the city. We occasionally make small talk, but mostly we just soak in our surroundings.

Most of my sorrow faded until we stumbled across Tiffany's massive wedding ring section. I take one look at the wedding-themed bridal decor and lose all my composure.

My heart plummets and the tears start streaming down my cheeks in an instant. The sight of all those radiant diamond rings makes me sick to my stomach.

"My life is a stupid joke," I weep. "It's a photocopy of a love story. Dare will never love me, no matter how much I love him."

I hear Olivia's soothing voice, but I can't make out her words through the deafening roar inside my head. I'm too busy drowning in my own misery to listen or respond.

Olivia takes my arm and leads me away from the jewelry section; it takes all of her strength to tug me along, as if some invisible force is holding me back from leaving this place.

Olivia and I have been shopping for hours, but it hasn't taken away the pain. I feel an emptiness in my chest that intensifies with each passing minute. Despite all the luxurious clothes and jewelry, nothing could fill the void.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Olivia urges. "We can go to the park and talk."

I nod, my throat too tight to speak.

The sea breeze is a welcome relief after the stuffy air of the mall. We sit down on the bench and Olivia wraps her arms around me. She holds me close as I sob into her shoulder.

"It's okay," she murmurs, although I know she doesn't believe it. "Let it all out."

And so I do—all the pain, anger and grief that has been bottled up inside me since Dare told me he didn't love me. I tell Olivia about how scared I am that no one will ever love me again, no matter how much I try to be perfect or how hard I work at making everyone happy.

I tell her about my fears of living a life alone and unloved, and of never having a family of my own. As my tears dry up, an unexpected calm settles over me; in that moment, all my worries seem to drift away like smoke in the wind.

"You deserve better than this," Olivia says firmly, taking my hands in hers and squeezing them gently.

"Maybe deep down, he can tell that I'm damaged goods," I blubber. "I'll never be good enough, classy enough, tough enough. Maybe it's the same thing my mom sensed when she left me at a shelter all those years ago."

"Talia! You know that's not true."

"But what if it is? What if the baby I'm carrying realizes it, too? She'll know that I'm not a good mom."

A sob escapes me despite attempting to hold it back and Olivia looks at me sadly as she hugs me tightly.

"It's ok," she says soothingly into my hair. "You're going to be an amazing mom. You love this baby so much already. Something tells me any child would be lucky to have you as their parent."

Her words make my tears fall even faster, but they also bring comfort. For a moment, gratitude overrides fear in me and I hug Olivia back tightly while struggling to control my emotions.

After a few more minutes of composing myself, Olivia suggests we go out for lunch somewhere nice. I nod in agreement and quickly call for Frick, my bodyguard. She soon appears at my side and I ask her to find us the closest expensive restaurant.

The restaurant Olivia and I choose is an exclusive Italian eatery in the middle of downtown. While the outside of the building looks modest, the inside is decorated with exquisite art pieces and ornamentation. The tables are covered with pristine white tablecloths, and a ma?tre'd stands at the entrance to welcome us.

He leads us to a cozy corner booth where we can enjoy our meal without being seen by other guests. The waiter brings out a menu for us to peruse, but Olivia requests that he surprise us with whatever he thinks is best.

We sit in silence for a few moments before I finally pluck up the courage to speak again.

"I'm sorry," I say softly, tears stinging my eyes once more. "It's all my fault."

Olivia shakes her head. "It's not your fault, Talia," she says firmly. "Dare was just too scared to be honest with you about his feelings. You don't deserve to be treated like this."

She reaches across the table and places her hand over mine as she speaks, her words washing over me like a balm for my broken heart. I take comfort in her nurturing presence; it's been too long since anyone has cared about me in this way and I cling onto what she says like it is an anchor in turbulent waters.

Soon after, our food arrives. Freshly made gnocchi reclining on beds of tomato sauce and topped off with generous shavings of parmesan cheese. We enjoy our lunch slowly, chatting away lightly between bites as if Dare never existed or mattered at all. By the end of our meal, I feel lighter somehow; my burden lifted somewhat by Olivia's kind words and understanding smile.

The food is delightful, although I'm not very hungry. I’m more interested in my own thoughts than gnocchi. My phone buzzes in my purse. I make a face at Olivia.

"Who the hell is texting me? You're the only one that I talk to."

Olivia has a full mouth of pasta so she shrugs comically.

I pick it up and read the text message. Then my heart starts to pound. An icy shiver slides down my spine. The message just shows up as UNKNOWN . The same thing happened when an unknown number sent me photos as evidence that Dare and his friend Tristen tricked me into agreeing to this marriage.

My mouth goes dry. I open the text and my eyes go wide with horror.

My heart begins to race as I stare at the photos on my phone in disbelief. The photos are of Dare and I, in some car I don't recognize. The pictures are taken from an odd angle, making them seem extra seedy and illicit. There are several of me, looking extremely disheveled.

In one photo, I'm sitting on Dare's lap and kissing him, sticking my tongue down his throat and burying my hands in his hair. My brain seizes. When did Dare and I make out in a car?

Then I scroll to the next photo and gasp. It's a picture of me riding Dare's cock, my head tossed back, a shout leaving my lips.

My brain is clearly shorting out. I can't remember ever having sex with Dare in a car that looked like that. Wouldn't I remember a moment like that?

I'm so shocked that I don't even know how to feel. All I can do is stare at the photos in stunned silence while Olivia looks on with concern etched into her features.

"Talia, what is this?" she asks gently, her voice full of worry.

I shake my head, my mouth opening. But I can't answer her question, because I don't understand what's happening. Before I can answer, my phone buzzes again, this time with a message from the same unknown number that sent me the photos. The message reads:

"I know your secret. If you don't want the whole world to find out, you'll do as I say. Instructions will follow in forty eight hours."

I choke on my bite of food as I gape at the pictures in disbelief. Then I look at the pictures more closely. My hair is longer and more unkempt than I keep it. My clothes are dowdy and wrinkled. My fingernails are not manicured.

My eyes widen. "Oh my god."

There is no doubt that this picture was taken by someone who had deliberately tried to make me look bad. But the photos don't show me and Dare...

These pictures were taken when I had sex with Dare's twin brother, Burn.

"Oh god!"

Olivia puts her fork down and touches my hand.

"Tell me what is going on, Talia. Clearly you're having a visceral reaction to whatever is on your phone."

My fingers shake as I shove the phone towards her. Olivia gasps and pulls the phone closer.

"Photos of you and Dare together?" She trails off, her eyes narrowing. "Why are they taken like they are from some hidden camera or something? And why would anybody even take them? You guys are married, for god's sake."

I shake my head. "That's not Dare."

"What?" she squeaks. She leans down, staring at the photos. "Oh! Oh shit! That's what you were wearing that night..." She stops, looking up at me. Then she lowers her voice to a whisper. "These are photos of you and Burn?"

I nod. "Look at the text that came along with the photos. It's some kind of blackmail."

"What? From who?" Olivia demands.

"I don't know!" I cry, throwing my hands up. "I didn't do anything illegal. Maybe morally gray at best. But... the blackmailer must know that these photos could be shown to Remy. It seems clear to me that they know the fortune that is at risk here."

"What are you going to do?" Olivia asks me.

"I wish I knew," I reply. I feel overwhelmed, not sure what to do or who is behind the text messages. Whoever it is has gone to great lengths to hurt me.

I want to get to the bottom of it.

And I want to find Dare. To warn him, yes. But also because I want him to comfort me.

I want him to swear to me that he's going to make this blackmailer pay.

"We have to get back to Harwicke," I tell Olivia. "Dare will know what to do."

At least I hope so.