Unraveled #2
He searched her eyes for a long moment, then finally seemed to accept her need for privacy. He didn’t look at all happy about it, but he shoved his chair back from the table and stood, nodding to Richard as he did so. “We’ll give you two a moment—but we’ll be right outside.”
She couldn’t decide if it was a warning or…
something more. There was something in his tone that she’d never quite heard before.
As soon as it flitted through her mind, she shook the thought away.
It wasn’t like she knew the man well enough to make any assumptions about his behavior.
He was her lawyer—he was paid to act in her best interest. And right now, this sudden change of plans was like a train derailing that he couldn’t stop.
She waited until the door latch clicked into place, then she met Scott’s gaze. For a long moment, they just stared at each other, separated by the table between them and a mountain of lies. How had they gotten to this point? She’d loved him once; now there was far too much to overcome.
She cleared her throat. “As I’m sure you can imagine, I have no desire to work at the health center.”
He dipped his chin, and his eyes swept over her face again. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
She offered a tight smile. “Thank you.”
“Libby and I are getting married.”
The words exploded from his throat, and her heart seized in her chest. All of a sudden, she knew exactly how a deer felt in its final seconds before being splattered all over the highway.
Scott looked uncomfortable, his gaze fixed on the table, and she forced herself to draw air into her lungs.
Their divorce wasn’t even finalized, and he was ready to sprint to the altar with her the second the ink was dry?
It wasn’t totally unexpected considering the circumstances, but… hearing those words hurt.
“Congratulations.” Hot tears stung her eyes, and she quickly blinked them away.
Silence fell again before he finally let out a harsh sigh. “Look. I’m sorry.” She quirked a brow, and he continued. “I want to do what’s right. You deserve better. I should have done things... differently.”
No kidding. She almost snorted a laugh but managed to smother it before it could escape. She didn’t trust herself to speak, so she just nodded.
Scott studied her. “What are you going to do?”
She shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet. But I think it’s better for both of us if I bow out.”
“What about your patients?”
“I’ll finish out the month, if that works for you. That’ll give you some time to bring in another physician, or… whatever you want to do.”
“So, you’ve really thought about this?”
She nodded. “I have. Ever since…” She trailed off, and he nodded sympathetically.
“I understand.” He took a deep breath. “If you truly want out, I’d be more than happy to buy you out.
At a premium.” His mouth quirked into a small smile at her look of skepticism.
“I don’t want to fight over this anymore.
When you got hurt…” His eyes darted to her forehead, and she barely resisted the urge to lift her hand to cover the wound from his inspection.
“I was so worried about you. It got me thinking about old times. We had fun together.”
Her throat tightened, and she closed her eyes.
How could he say that to her? If they’d had fun together, then how had they ended up here?
If he’d loved her, why had he cheated on her?
The pain was still too fresh for her to look back on the fond memories of their times together.
She wanted to lash out, to scream at him for his unfaithfulness, but what was the point?
He’s not worth it. Repeating her new mantra in her mind, she swallowed down every acrid word on her tongue and met his gaze.
“I really am sorry, Audrey. I should have been up-front with you. Let me make it up to you.”
Trying to come up with something other than the words that started with f and ended with u, she bit her lip and swallowed down her contempt. “That’s… generous of you.”
“It’s not nearly enough, I know. I’m sorry I hurt you.” His gaze cut toward the window as he spoke. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but I really do love Libby.”
And, just like that, her heart broke a little more. There was nothing quite like sitting across from the person she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with only to have him tell her how much he loved another woman.
“You’re wonderful, Audrey. Some guy will be lucky to have you.”
But not you, she thought bitterly. She clearly hadn’t been wonderful enough; otherwise, he wouldn’t have left her for the blonde bimbo with more boobs than brains.
It was uncharitable, but she couldn’t care at the moment.
She’d never actually met the woman—nor did she ever intend to—but alcohol and the internet were a deadly combination.
After a couple glasses of wine one night—oh, who was she kidding? She’d drunk the entire bottle—she’d dug up everything she could find on the young woman. Barely twenty-two, she’d just graduated college with a degree in Liberal Arts and was working as a trainer at Scott’s new gym. How clichéd.
The door opened, and Carter entered first, his gaze immediately zeroing in on her. He must not have liked the expression on her face, because he strode toward her and leaned close, one hand resting on the back of her chair.
“Are you okay?”
Those intense brown eyes seared into hers, and she offered a small smile. “Everything’s fine.”
The corners of his mouth dipped into a frown, like he didn’t believe a word.
She lifted a brow and nodded to the chair beside her.
If possible, his expression darkened further, but he sat anyway.
She let out a soft sigh of relief and leaned back in her chair.
From her vantage point, she watched Carter’s leg bounce anxiously under the table.
She knew he was just doing his job. He hated to lose, and she was just one more case to him. But the way he looked at her sometimes, she couldn’t help but feel… more. It spoke of a sort of protectiveness, and the thought filled her with warmth.
“So, have we come to an agreement?” Richard asked, dispelling the discomfort in the atmosphere.
Her gaze slowly lifted from Carter’s leg, up and over the table to Scott. She curled her hand into a fist. “Yes. He’ll buy me out.”
Carter spun in his chair to look at her, fury evident in those dark eyes. “We haven’t discussed this at all. I thought—”
“Just give him the practice.”
He leaned even closer, practically caging her in with his body as he propped one elbow on the table and rested the other hand on the back of her chair. His tone was hushed but severe. “Are you certain this is what you want?”
“Yes.”
“Audrey, you deserve—”
“I don’t even care about the money; I just want out.” She was surprised to realize that the words she spoke were the truth. She couldn’t stand to be held back any longer—not by a job she liked but didn’t love, and certainly not by a man.
“Please,” she said softly so only he could hear her. “Just… I want to move on with my life. Help me do that.”
His expression softened a bit. “All right. Okay.”
She listened with half an ear as the lawyers bartered back and forth for the next hour.
Since they’d already had a realtor run comps on the business in case they couldn’t come to an agreement, it was fairly easy to determine the value of the business and the cost of the buyout.
Carter watched her warily as she glanced at the figure presented to her, then nodded.
He looked as if he wanted to say more, but she turned away, studiously avoiding him.
The meeting finally came to an end, and after exchanging polite handshakes, they began to filter from the room. Carter waylaid her just as she approached the door.
“Are you sure this is what you want?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, steeling herself before meeting his gaze.
She’d given Scott years of her life only to be betrayed, her life ripped to shreds.
But this was the key to her freedom. He might not approve of her choice, but now she’d have plenty of money for a fresh start.
She could do whatever she wanted—and now it was time to do something for her.
“I already gave you my answer. I just—”
He cut her off, his eyes angry, his tone harsh. “Tell me, Audrey, because I really need to know.”
Something flickered in the dark depths. Disapproval? Disappointment, maybe? Her lips flattened into a straight line, and she drew herself up to her fullest height. Who was he to judge her?
She lifted her chin defiantly. “Excuse me, Mr. Cross. I believe we’re done here.”
She strode down the hall and through the lobby, acutely aware of his penetrating glare on her back as she pushed open the door with more force than necessary and stepped into the bright sunlight.
No more. Today was the start of something new.
She strode forward with purpose, shoulders straight, ready to start the next chapter in her life.
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