Chapter 19
GRANT
G rant drummed his fingers on the desk as he stared at the wedding photo on his desk. The afternoon’s sunlight caught the silver frame, painting it with a rose-gold aura.
He traced the outline of Julia’s jaw as she smiled up at him in the frozen moment. He’d stared at this picture so many times, wishing the moment would have been real. Now, it was.
The smiles she gave him weren’t scripted, they weren’t for show. They belonged together, and they finally were.
And for the first time in the last two years, they may finally have some peace.
His mind turned to his first wife. Her death seemed freeing. When he’d heard the news, he couldn’t deny that it felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulder. The war had ended. No more attacks on his company, no more threats against his and his family’s lives.
And he couldn’t have felt better about that. The scare with Julia in the fire on the heels of Kyle’s near death had been enough fear for a lifetime.
His mind shifted to the note he’d received from her last night. He settled back in his chair with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. “Couldn’t resist one last strike, could you, Lydia?” he murmured.
“Talking to yourself, sir?” Worthington asked from the doorway as he hovered in it.
Grant shifted his gaze to the man as he waved him in. “No, talking to Lydia.”
“Oh, please do not tell me the former Mrs. Harrington has taken up residence in spectral form?” Worthington delivered the coffee to Grant.
“No. At least…not that I know of. That would be…” Grant shivered at the thought. “I’d move out.”
“Of Harrington House?”
“No. You’re right. I wouldn’t just move out. I’d demolish the place after I have a religious leader from every denomination banish her spirit to the great beyond.”
“An excellent idea, sir,” Worthington answered.
Grant took a sip of his second cup of coffee. “You got rid of that box and note, right?”
“Yes, sir. I threw it in the trash last evening before I retired.”
“Good,” Grant said. “I don’t want to see anything from her ever again. I don’t even want to go to the funeral.”
Worthington nodded as he clasped his hands in front of him. “I understand, sir. And I may say that you would not be welcome, perhaps.”
Grant sucked in a breath. “Well, I thought I may need to go to support Sierra, but I doubt she’s going to go either. Apparently, she went to Lydia’s last night, too.”
Worthington’s eyebrows shot up.
“Yeah,” Grant said as he nodded at the man’s silent response. “She went after you, so you’re off the hook, technically.”
Worthington pressed his lips together. “I would never breathe a word of that to anyone, sir. I went to the police station to protect the family. And I would very much like to thank you for the support you gave me last night.”
“Julia was right,” Grant answered. “You’re a member of this family. And we protect our own.”
“Thank you, sir. I am honored.”
“Anyway, Sierra went there to kill her, but didn’t do it. Apparently, they got into it again, and she left upset. So, I doubt she’ll be going to the funeral.”
“Probably not.”
“And…don’t worry about protecting the family. Last night, Alex Stone found that the video footage of Lydia’s door had been tampered with. That means someone else could have been there after you and Sierra. Her killer covered his tracks very well.”
“Interesting. Do you plan to go to the police with the information?”
“No. It’s so subtle, they’ll probably miss it because they’ll be so hellbent on pinning it on Sierra.” Grant heaved a sigh as he shook his head, hoping they could find some proof to clear all of their names.
A knock interrupted their conversation.
“Yeah?” Grant yelled as he cradled his coffee close to his chest.
The door swung open, and Julia popped her head in.
The pensive expression on his features faded into a smile, and he rose from his seat. “Hey, there you are.”
“Good morning. I…fell asleep in my office last night,” she said with a wince.
He studied her features, wondering why they looked taut. Was it just a bad night’s sleep or was there something else?
“May I bring you anything, Mrs. Harrington?” Worthington asked.
She shifted her weight, offering their butler a fleeting smile. “No, thank you.”
He studied her face as he sipped his coffee. She seemed nervous. Why?
“I will leave you to talk,” Worthington said, skirting past them and easing the doors closed behind him,
Julia licked her lips, refusing to meet his gaze. This was unlike her, especially now that the threat of Lydia no longer loomed over them.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
She blew out a long breath, her eyes still downcast.
“What were you doing in your office last night? Did Alex have more footage to check after you saw Kyle?”
She finally raised her eyes to his. “No. But…can we talk about that later?”
“Sure.” He furrowed his brows, setting his coffee on the desk and wrapping his hands around her shoulders. “Something bothering you?”
She nodded at him, her eyes turning glassy.
His stomach dropped at the nonverbal response and the disconcerted expression. “Julia, what’s wrong? What is it?”
She bit her lower lip as he guided her to a chair and eased her into it. He perched on the edge of the other chair as he pulled it close enough to take her hands in his.
“Julia, you can tell me anything. You know that, right?”
She tightened her hands around his, her forehead creasing.
“Well, except that you want to leave. Don’t say that, please?” He leaned forward to catch her eyes, offering a tentative smile.
“I’m not leaving, but after I tell you what I’m about to say, you may wish I had.”
The words sent a jolt through his heart. What was this about? He swallowed hard, trying to brace himself. “It can’t be that bad.”
She raised her eyes to his, her features pinched as she offered him a consoling glance. “Oh, Grant. Please know I’m very sorry about what I have to tell you, but…we said no secrets.”
“Okay, you’re scaring me here. Can you give me a hint?”
Julia flicked her gaze out the window with a long sigh before she focused on him again. “The night of the fire…”
“When Lydia trapped you there,” Grant said, his voice a low growl as he tightened his hands around hers.
She nodded. “Before she trapped me we…had a conversation.”
Heat washed over him, wondering what she’d said. Was it something about his past that had made her rethink her decision? No matter how many times she said she loved him, he still feared losing her. “Was it about me?”
“Yes,” Julia said, her voice heavy.
He slid his eyes closed. “Whatever she said, I’m happy to explain or…at least be honest about. I know you had some concerns about my past–”
She shook her head, pulling a hand free to stop him from talking. “No, it’s not…it’s nothing like that. It’s…a lot worse.”
Worse? His mind struggled to comprehend what could be worse than his ex-wife trying to ruin his relationship with his wife.
“I…was trying to stop this war. I thought if I could just get through to her, maybe we’d have some peace, finally.”
“Oh, Julia,” he said, cupping her face in his hand, “I love you for that, but there was something really wrong with Lydia. She can’t be reasoned with.”
“I know. I found that out, but not before she told me something. Something…awful.”
His eyebrow arched at the words. Was the awful thing about him?
“I…didn’t want to say anything until I made sure she wasn’t lying. So, I had it checked, and…she was telling the truth.” Her voice turned breathy as she held back a sob.
His mind went blank as he sat stunned by the words. What was she about to say, and why was it so upsetting to her? “O-Okay, that’s…a shock. Lydia telling the truth. Are you sure?”
She nodded, giving him that consoling glance again. “Yeah.”
“Well, what is it?” he asked, fearing the answer.
“Grant…” she began, her eyes sinking to the floor before she raised them to him again, “I am so sorry…she said…” Her voice hiccupped with a sob before she sucked in a breath and stiffened her posture. “Sierra isn’t yours.”
The three words crushed him, twisting his heart into a knot as his chest tightened, making breathing impossible. The room faded around him as he went numb. His ears rang, and the room spun. “What?” His voice came out a hoarse whisper as he choked out the word.
“I am so, so sorry. I was shocked when she said it. I–I thought maybe she was lying. Just…saying that to cause strife, so…I had Kyle run a DNA test.”
“Kyle?” He rose from the chair, running a trembling hand through his hair. “Kyle knows?”
She leapt from her seat and slid a hand onto his shoulder. “Yes. But I had to check first. I didn’t want to tell you this without knowing for certain.”
“Well, we don’t know for certain. Kyle…probably lied.”
She pressed her lips together as she twisted him to face her. “He wouldn’t lie about this.”
“Well, I don’t believe him…or her.” Grant struggled to keep his voice steady as his emotions raced in a thousand directions. His heart raced and disbelief coursed through him. This was one final taunt from Lydia. Kyle probably was in on it. It couldn’t be true.
“Okay, I understand. If you’d like to do another test–”
“No,” he barked out, his voice coming out sharper than he intended. He softened it before he spoke again. “No. She…lied. She probably cooked this up with Kyle before they parted ways.”
Julia rubbed his back as he leaned over the desk, his mind whirling. None of this could be true. It was all a lie. He shook his head. “It’s not true. It’s a lie.”
She didn’t answer, making the moment so much worse. He needed to hear her agree. He needed that reassurance. He was desperate for it.
“It’s not true,” he repeated. “Tell me you agree. Tell me you don’t think it’s true.”
She offered him a penitent smile, tears shining in her eyes. Her silence told him everything he needed to know.
He struggled to hold back a sob, his fingers tightening on the desk’s edge. “I can’t…”
His voice broke before he could deny it again.