The room darkened, and the air grew thick with tension.
“Is it true?” he repeated, raising his voice. “Were you paid to seduce me?”
Sharleen felt as if she were drowning, as if someone were holding her head under water. She struggled to catch her breath. She didn’t have it in her to lie—not to Emilio, not after everything he’d done for her—so she opened her mouth and forced her lips to move. “I—I apologize for not telling you about the bonus, but it’s not what you think.”
“Of course it is!” Francesca raged, throwing her hands up in the air. “You’re nothing but a whore, and my brother can do better than you. All you care about is his money—”
“Francesca, that’s enough. Go wait for me in the living room.”
“And leave you here with her? No way. I’m not going anywhere,” she said, adamantly shaking her head. “She’s trouble with a capital T, and I don’t trust her.”
Ignoring the dig, Sharleen approached Emilio, determined to plead her case. “Please, let me explain.” She touched his forearm to remind him of the love they shared and forced him to meet her gaze. “Antwan sent me a check in the mail last week, but I signed it over to my best friend so she could use it to pay her mom’s medical bills.”
“Likely story,” Francesca grumbled, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “How noble of you. You’re a modern-day Mother Teresa.”
“I have no reason to lie. It’s the truth.”
“Sure it is. Next you’ll be telling us you didn’t hire a photographer to take pictures of you guys and leak the photographs online.”
Emilio frowned and glanced at his sister. “What are you talking about?”
“I called you yesterday to give you a heads-up, but you never answered your phone.” Francesca took her iPhone out of her purse and tapped the screen. “The press is having a field day with the pictures of you guys kissing on your motorcycle at Centennial Olympic Park...”
Sharleen hung her head and pressed her eyes shut. This can’t be happening. Not today. Feeling herself getting emotional, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep the tears at bay. She’d worked hard to keep their relationship secret, hadn’t even told her closest friends. And wondered how the media attention would affect her career.
“Did you have anything to do with this?” His eyes were dark, filled with anger, and he was shouting his words. “Did you leak these pictures to advance your career? Is that what this is about?”
Stunned, Sharleen dropped her hands to her sides and stepped away from Emilio. She felt a sharp, sudden pain in her chest and a cold chill zip down her spine. Her heart shattered into a million pieces, crumbled like rubble. Telling herself not to panic, she willed herself to keep it together despite the weight of her sadness. “No, of course not. I had nothing to do with it.”
“The things you said last night...” He paused to clear his throat. “Were you telling the truth? Or just doing your job?”
His words were a vicious blow, as painful as a slap in the face. Her back was against the wall, and there was no way out. She stood there, mute, willing herself to speak, to defend her good name, but her lips wouldn’t work.
A long painful silence followed, and Sharleen knew, deep down, that Emilio didn’t believe her. Doesn’t he know that I’m different? That I’m not like his relatives and ex-lovers who betrayed him in the past? That I’d never do anything to hurt him? Didn’t last night mean anything to him?
Her vision blurred with tears.
“You should go.” His voice broke, but he quickly recovered. “I need to be alone.”
“I understand.” It was a lie, but she decided not to argue. Sharleen was afraid if she challenged him, he’d be gone, out of her life forever. And she couldn’t risk losing him. Not now. Not after everything they’d been through. Emilio made her feel strong and empowered, as if she could do anything she put her mind to, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Her female intuition told her Francesca had something to do with the photographs, but since she didn’t have any proof, Sharleen kept her suspicions to herself.
Pushing her hurt aside, she smiled through her tears and nodded her head. “I’ll wait for you upstairs in the master bedroom, and we can talk whenever you’re ready—”
“No, I think it’s better you leave.”
But I don’t want to go home! I want to stay here with you!
“I’ll ask one of the groundskeepers to drive you back to the city.”
An awkward silence descended over the kitchen. It lasted so long Sharleen thought it would never end. With each passing second her anxiety grew, and she worried about their future together as a couple. Emilio wouldn’t look at her, refused to make eye contact, and his face was twitching as if he was about to sneeze. “I’ll call you.”