Chapter 18
Landon
“I don’t care what the papers say, but I know it’s not Anna,” I say, pacing my office like a caged animal, my chest too tight.
Jack leans back in the leather chair opposite mine. “You trust her that much?”
The question halts me mid-step. I move to my desk, slam my palms onto it, and lean forward until my face is level with his. “I do. With everything I’m.”
He doesn’t comment on it, just nods as he continues. “Our PR team managed to pull the article before it went viral. We controlled the initial blast, but…” His gaze sharpens as he rests his elbows on the desk. “It still got out. Someone slipped the information to the press. This wasn’t random.”
“Then find out who it was,” I grind out, frustration tearing through me as my hands ball into fists.
“Our team is already on it, tracing every line. Whoever did this isn’t as clever as they think,” Jack says with a firm nod.
I rake a hand through my hair, gripping hard before turning away from him. The city stretches endlessly beyond the glass, but all I can see are flashes of Anna—her startled eyes, her trembling voice, her lips parting to swear she didn’t do it.
But I didn’t stay to hear any of it. I just walked out, leaving her alone in that room with questions and hurt swimming in her gaze.
Not because I doubted her. Damn, never that. I know her heart, even when she doesn’t fully believe in mine. She’d never do anything to hurt me. But I needed to rip the truth out before the world could paint her as guilty. That’s the reason I rushed back to my office.
Jack’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
“You’re right. It’s not Anna. The leak came from inside.”
I turn around immediately. “What?”
He nods grimly. “I just got a message confirming it’s someone from your house.”
My chest tightens. “Who?”
“Marcus. He was outside the kitchen door, where he overheard your conversation with Anna and decided to cash on it.”
My fists clench at my sides, and I’m not sure fury even covers what I’m feeling. Marcus, my house staff, the man who’s been with me for years. Always efficient. The kind you trust without a second thought. He’s the one who fucking did this.
“His wife is sick, and the hospital bills are drowning him. He took this as a light in the dark and called the press to sell the article—coincidentally the one Anna is working for—and someone there offered him money for the piece of information he had.” Jack continues to explain.
“He betrayed me.” I grip the edge of the desk.
Jack doesn’t argue. “Yes. But not out of spite. Out of desperation.”
“Where is he?” I ask, feeling no pity.
“Downstairs. In the staff office.”
“Bring him here.”
“Landon—”
“Now.”
Jack studies me for a beat, then nods and makes the call.
Minutes later, Marcus stands in my office, his shoulders hunched, his eyes downcast.
I circle and take a step toward him. “Look at me.”
His eyes dart up, glassy with shame.
“You’ve been working in my house for years. And you exposed my family’s past for cash?”
Tears gather in his eyes. “Mr. Hayes, I… I didn’t mean for it to… My wife, she’s… she’s dying. The treatment costs—”
“Don’t,” I snap, slicing through his excuses. “Don’t use her as your shield. You could’ve come to me. You could’ve asked for help. You think I wouldn’t have paid for her treatment?”
His lips tremble. “I—I didn’t want pity. I thought it was harmless. Just… just information. I didn’t know they’d twist it like that.”
I step closer, towering over him. “You betrayed me.”
His tears spill over, his voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”
For a long moment, the only sounds are his sobs and my own ragged breathing. I want to fucking destroy him. But another part of me, the part Anna has softened, sees the man’s desperation.
I turn to Jack. “Make sure his wife gets the best treatment. But he’s done here. He never steps foot in my house again.”
Marcus collapses into tears, sobbing out apologies and gratitude. Jack signals for security to escort him out of the office.
As soon as the door closes, I stride to my desk and snatch up my mobile and coat. “I need to go to my wife.”
Jack rises to his feet. “Of course you do.”
“Make arrangements for Marcus’s wife,” I add, pausing at the door to glance over my shoulder. “She won’t pay the price for his mistake with her life.”
Jack nods once. “Consider it done.”
With that, I make my way to the elevator and down to my car. I don’t even remember the drive. My mind is fixed on Anna, on the look in her eyes when I walked away.
Last night, she gave me a ray of hope that we were moving forward. I just hope she hasn’t changed her mind, especially after I left her alone with her doubts this morning.
The city lights fade behind me as the car pulls into the driveway of my home. My chest feels heavy, every beat hammering against my ribs. The moment I step out, I don’t waste a single second and head straight for the house, a fierce urgency to reach my woman burning through my veins.
The house is quiet when I step inside. I pull in a deep breath and move into the living room, and the sight there nearly undoes me.
Anna is curled on the couch with her knees tucked to her chest, her phone clutched tight in her hand. Even in sleep, her brows are drawn together, worry carved into that beautiful face. It’s the kind of look that makes me want to burn the world down for even touching her peace.
I crouch in front of her and watch her breathe, her chest rising and falling in a delicate rhythm and strands of hair fanning across her cheek. Slowly, I reach out and brush one away.
Her lashes flutter. She blinks, confusion clouding her eyes before she jolts upright. The phone slips from her hands and hits the floor. Her gaze locks onto mine, fear and desperation warring in her eyes.
“I swear, Landon,” her voice cracks, tears welling in her eyes. “I didn’t do it.”
I can’t help but smile. Not because it’s funny, but because she’s crazy to think she ever had to beg me to believe her.
I reach out, my fingers brushing along her cheek. “I know.”
Her lips part in disbelief. “You… you trust me?”
“I always have.” I nod. “You are the one person in this world I will never doubt.” I lean in, and her breath hitches.
“And I didn’t walk out this morning because I doubted you, Anna.
I left because I knew your name would be dragged through the dirt, and I couldn’t let that happen. I needed to find out who did it.”
She whispers in a broken voice, “I thought… when you left… I thought I lost you again.”
I shake my head and cup her face in both hands. “Never. Not again. Leaving you in that room today was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it wasn’t to hurt you. It was to protect you.”
Her tears spill over and slide down her cheeks. “Landon…”
I wipe the dampness from her skin with my thumb. “It was Marcus. Our house staff. His wife is sick, and he needed money for her treatment. He overheard us talking in the kitchen and sold the information.”
“He… he did?” Her eyes widen in shock.
I nod and rise, pulling her up as she stumbles into my chest. I wrap my arms around her and hold her so tight that I can feel her heart racing against mine.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart,” I murmur into her hair. “It’s over.”
She nods, her fingers clutching the front of my shirt.
I draw back and lift her chin with one finger until her eyes meet mine. “Now that we’ve sorted that out, can we talk about you and me?”
Her cheeks flush a beautiful shade of pink. “You and me?”
“Yes.” I press a kiss to her forehead before continuing, “I asked you to give me another chance. And I’ve seen the answer in your eyes, in the way you made love to me last night. But I need to hear it, sweetheart. I need the words.”
Her breath stutters, her hands curling tighter around my shirt. I lean in and brush my lips against her ear. “Say it. Say what I already know.”
She pulls back just enough to look at me, her eyes shimmering. “I love you, Landon.” She smiles. “I’ve always loved you. Even when I hated you. Even when I tried to forget you. But I never could.”
Her confession sears through me, and I cradle her face again.
“I love you too, Anna. I’ve never stopped loving you. Not for a single second. You’ve always been it for me. The reason I breathe. The reason I keep going. The reason I can’t give up,” I confess. And then I kiss her. Slow at first, then deeper, pouring every unspoken feeling into the kiss.
I break the kiss and rest my forehead against hers, our breaths ragged. “So that’s settled then. You and me.”
She lets out a shaky laugh through her tears. “You and me.”
“Yes,” I whisper, kissing the corner of her mouth. “Forever this time. No more running. No more doubts.”
Her hands slide up and curl around my neck as her fingers tangle in my hair. “Forever.”
And this time, the word doesn’t scare me.
It feels like home.