Chapter 20 #2
“I graduated at the top of my class,” I say evenly. “I interned at an investment bank while I was still in college. I accompanied Colin to meetings and assisted Margaret several times before her accident.”
I shouldn’t have to justify myself, but I want her to understand one thing very clearly: I am not disposable. I am not incompetent. And I am certainly not beneath her.
“Of course,” she replies smoothly. “That makes sense. I hope you’re enjoying your time at the company. Colin must really appreciate your work.”
I smile back, polite, while my mind catalogs everything Colin truly appreciates.
My work.
My mouth.
My body.
“Well,” she adds, already disengaging, “I won’t keep you any longer. I’ll see if the other guests need anything.”
As she walks away, her father stops her, slips an arm around her shoulders, kisses her cheek. They laugh together. I look away, lifting my glass to my lips once more.
I search for Colin and spot him heading toward the house. I scan the pool area, waiting until no one seems to be paying attention—then I follow.
He’s in the kitchen, leaning against the fridge, eyes fixed on his phone. Hidden from the windows. Alone.
Perfect.
“You don’t need to text me,” I say softly. “I’m here.”
He startles, straightening. “Maya—you shouldn’t be in here.”
“I was invited.” I shrug, stepping closer. I stop in front of him and lower myself to my knees, my purse sliding from my shoulder to the floor. “You asked me to come.”
His hand closes around my arm, intending to pull me up, but I slide my palm over the front of his pants instead. He’s already hardening beneath my touch. With my other hand, I reach for his belt.
“Let me taste you,” I murmur, looking up at him through my lashes. “Yesterday was rushed. Once wasn’t enough.”
His thumb brushes my lower lip. His breathing turns shallow. For a moment, I see it—the hesitation, the fracture. The second where he’s about to let go, about to give in.
Then his gaze flicks past me.
He stiffens.
I turn, expecting to find someone behind me, but the living room is empty. He’s staring at it like he’s seen a ghost. When his eyes return to mine, something has sealed shut.
His expression hardens.
He jerks away abruptly. I stumble, catching myself with one hand on the floor as he fixes his pants.
His voice is cold. Laced with contempt.
“You’re going to wait five minutes. Then you’ll go back outside. Say your goodbyes. Say you had an emergency and need to leave. Don’t ever pull that kind of shit again. This is my home.”
I freeze.
The rejection slices cleanly through me. He said no… even as his body betrayed him. And then he walks out, leaving me kneeling on the cold kitchen floor without a single backward glance.
When I finally stand, I sling my purse back over my shoulder.
I leave the house without a word, every step heavy with the sting of his refusal.
Cecily
Colin texted to say he had no idea when he’d be home tonight, something about a complication with a proposal. Just another ordinary Tuesday in the Montgomery household.
I was already at the restaurant with the kids when the message came through. Cooking felt like too much, and with Colin’s schedule so erratic lately, I didn’t want to be sitting at home if he happened to come back early again, like he did yesterday.
On Sunday, when I let myself get distracted talking to my father, I realized too late that Maya had vanished.
My heart starts to race. My first instinct is to look for Alicia, she went inside a little while ago to grab her tablet. But then I remember, she was already back outside, standing with Ethan, the tablet clutched in her hands, while Maya was still lingering near the bar.
I release a quiet breath of relief.
My eyes sweep the crowd, searching for Colin.
He wouldn’t.
Not here. Not in the house where his children live.
Would he?
I don’t know anymore. I don’t know what he’s capable of.
A few seconds later, I spot him at a table with Jonathan and several associates, laughing ea, completely at ease, as if nothing in the world could trouble him. And still, the dread doesn’t loosen its grip.
I go inside.
I move through the house room by room, my steps steady and methodical. I check every door, every corner, making sure she isn’t somewhere she has no right to be.
She’s nowhere.
When I come up empty, there’s only one conclusion left, she must have left.
What a shame… She didn’t even bother to say goodbye.
It doesn’t matter now. What I needed to see, what I needed to hear, I already have.
In the early evening, after the hired crew restored the house to its usual order, I told Colin I had a headache and was going upstairs to lie down. I caught the brief flicker of disappointment in his eyes before I turned away and climbed the stairs.
After a shower, I took a pill to help me sleep.
I didn’t wake until morning.
Now I sit across from Ethan and Alicia, watching them laugh as they share a sundae. Ethan was a little off today, quieter than usual, which makes the sight all the more reassuring. Seeing him relaxed, enjoying himself with his sister, loosens something tight in my chest.
I motion for the check.
Just as I finish paying, my phone starts to ring. I smile when I see the name on the screen, even as a dull ache twists in my stomach. I tell the kids I’ll be right back, push away from the table, and head toward the restroom to answer.
“Can you talk now?” he asks.
I take a steadying breath. “Yes.”
Less than ten minutes later, I return to the table. We leave the restaurant shortly after.
As soon as we’re home and Alicia heads upstairs, Ethan follows me into the kitchen.
“Mom, we need to talk.”
He hesitates, closing his eyes as if bracing himself, then looks at me again.
The expression on his face makes my blood run cold.
“It’s about Dad.”