“Why?” he asked.
“Because I want to see my cousin. She invited me. And I need some time to think. And I don’t want to fight. You see, the problem with us is that I fell in love with you when I knew I shouldn’t have. But when you looked at me with that damn sexy smile and those gorgeous eyes, I was smitten. I fell in love. It just happened. Way too fast. But the heart wants what the heart wants. We should’ve kept this arrangement strictly professional. And now, I’m treating you like a nagging wife. I keep asking, ‘Where are you? Why aren’t you spending time with me?’ And I hate doing that. You never signed up for that, Cates. I’m letting you go because I love you. And I want you to be happy. Because damn it, you deserve it. And you deserve getting the company you so cherish. Nobody runs that company the way you do. And nobody has the passion you do. And I see that now. You’re the perfect man for the job.”
“Marj…”
“Please let me finish. You enjoy working all the time. And I shouldn’t make you stop. It’s who you are. This is your life. You even warned me.” She tried to control her wavering voice. “You enjoyed all the freedom that comes with being single. And then in the blink of an eye, you’ve suddenly acquired a ball and chain that demands you spend time with her. I see how wrong that was of me. So I want us to remain friends. Let me go spend a week with my cousin. And then I’ll come back and play the part of happy wife. You can work as much as you want. And I promise not to complain. But there won’t be any intimacy. It’ll just hurt me all that much more. But I promise to be your loving wife in public, and your supportive friend behind closed doors.”
“You’re giving up on us?” he asked.
“No, you did that.”
“I’m not letting you go, Marj. Just stay here.”
“If you cared about me at all, just let me go without a fight. I promise I’ll be back in a week to fulfill my obligations. We’ll still outsmart and beat the Wicked Queen. Please understand. I just need to get away from the snapping cameras, the paparazzi, the prying eyes, and the tabloids. Just for a bit.”
“Do you think escaping to a small town will get them off your back? They’ll use this against us.”
Marj noticed he didn’t tell her that he’d miss her like crazy. And boy did that hurt. He was more worried that the press would use this against them. They could say she stormed off after a fight or something. This was damage control. That’s all Marj was to him. She was a means to an end. It just proved everything she thought. He didn’t love her. She tried to hold the tears back. He didn’t need to see her cry.
“Just tell them I’m visiting my cousin for a week,” Marj said. “Surely, that’s allowed.”
“We’ll make it work.”
“I promise I won’t ditch you, Brandon. We’ll meet the obligations of the will and beat your evil stepmother.”
“And what happens once the date approaches and I win everything?”
“It’ll be like the Cinderella fairytale, except without the happily ever after. The clock will strike midnight, and I will lose all my fancy stuff. It’ll be back to rags for me.”
“No, it won’t.”
“Because you’ll send Cinderella off with a nice, big, fat paycheck?”
“That was the original plan.”
“We made a great team. It would’ve worked out quite well if feelings hadn’t gotten in the way. Damn, those pesky emotions!”
“Marj…”
“I’ll move somewhere nice. You’ll never have to see me again. And I promise I won’t leave a glass slipper so you can hunt for me, Prince Charming. So please don’t search the kingdom high and low looking for me.”
“You know I’ll respect your wishes.”
“Thanks. And I’m not mad at you, Brandon. I’m a little sad, but I understand. I want us to part on good terms as friends.”
“I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
“I was glad I could help.”
She wished Prince Charming gave a shit. Marj always dreamed that her life could be like a fairy tale, a perfect fantasy. But that was all foolish nonsense. Maybe this maiden would one day fall in love again. But she wouldn’t be dating for a long time. Her heart needed time to recover. She had two bad breakups in the last year. Luke and Brandon. Brandon’s breakup was still fresh, and her heart was still bleeding. He’d be a hard act to get over that was for sure.
Marj finished packing and said goodbye. Brandon didn’t try to stop her, didn’t even kiss her goodbye. She was thankful he didn’t put up a fight, but deep down, she was hoping he would pull off one of those scenes in a romantic movie. Maybe get on his knees and declare his love for her. Beg her not to go, and whisk her off into the sunset like Prince Charming. Yeah, that wasn’t happening. Brandon didn’t love her. How could he? They never really dated. It was just a business arrangement with sex. Spending some time with her cousin would really help her to get her mind off all of this daunting stuff. They planned to have so much fun, and Marj couldn’t wait.