The Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress(60)

“Marley, don’t go,” Chrysander protested.

She turned and pinned him with the force of her glare. “By all means, have your conversation. I’d hate to intrude. After all, someone who has stolen from you and betrayed your trust isn’t someone you want around when you’re talking.”

“Theos, that is not the issue here. Marley? Wait, damn it!”

But she ignored him and continued walking.

Chrysander watched her leave and cursed. He felt strangled by helplessness. How could he ever hope to make things right between them? She hated him, and she had every right to.

He turned to Theron, who had also watched Marley go, a frown etched on his face. “What brought you here in such a hurry?” Chrysander demanded.

Theron reached into the jacket of his suit and pulled out a folded newspaper. He tossed it onto the table in front of Chrysander. “This did.”

Chrysander opened it and immediately cursed in four languages. On the front page was a picture of Marley being carried by Theron on the day she’d run from the apartment. Underneath were pictures of himself and of Roslyn with a story outlining the soap-opera saga that highlighted every single facet of his relationship with Marley.

He threw the paper across the room with vicious force. “It had to be Roslyn. None of my men would have spoken to the press.”

Theron nodded his agreement. “Since you had her arrested for her theft and her duplicity in keeping the ransom demands from you, she likely thought she had nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving the public her spin on your supposed relationship with her.”

Chrysander sank into the chair and rested his elbows on the table. “I curse the day I ever hired that woman. Marley could have died because of my stupidity.”

“You love her.”

It wasn’t a question, and Chrysander didn’t treat is as such. It was simply a statement of fact. He did love her. But he’d managed to kill her love for him not once, but twice.

He nodded and buried his face in his hands. “I wouldn’t blame her if she never forgave me. How can she when I cannot forgive myself?”

“Go to her, Chrysander. Make this right between you.”

Chrysander stood. Yes, it was time to try and make things right with Marley. If he could.





Sixteen



M arley stood in the bedroom, staring out the window with unseeing eyes. Nothing Chrysander did at this point should hurt her, but he still had that power over her, much to her dismay.

“Marley.”She swung around to see Chrysander standing in the doorway. He looked tired, his features drawn and his eyes worried. There was something else in his expression. Sadness and…fear?

He started forward, a little hesitantly. “We need to talk.”

She tensed then braced herself for what she knew would come. His repudiation of her. She turned her face away but nodded. Yes, they needed to talk and get it done with.

His fingers curled around her chin, and he gently turned her to face him. “Don’t look like that, agape mou. I do not like to see you so sad.”

“Please,” she begged. “Just say what it is you want to say. Don’t draw it out.”

He lowered his hand to capture her wrist. His thumb brushed across her pulse, which jumped and sped up at his touch.

“Come, sit down.”

She let him lead her over to the bed. He eased down beside her and sat stiffly, his posture screaming discomfort. Suddenly she couldn’t wait for what he would say. Her anger bubbled like an inferno within her.

“You lied to me,” she seethed. “Every single thing you’ve said to me since that day in the hospital has been one lie after another. You don’t care about me. All those things you said, everything was a lie. When you took me to bed, you despised me, and yet you made love to me and made me believe you cared. Who does that sort of thing?”

She shuddered in revulsion and put her hands to her face.

“You are wrong,” he said softly. He pulled her hands away from her face and lifted one to his lips to kiss her upturned palm. “I care a great deal about you. I didn’t despise you when I made love to you. Yes, I lied to you about details. I was told not to do or say anything to upset you and to let your memory come back on its own. I lied, Marley, but about the little things. Not the important things. Like how much I care about you. S’agapo, pedhaki mou.”

She bowed her head. Her nose stung, and tears burned her eyelids. How she wanted to believe him. But he’d done nothing to earn her trust.

“I have wronged you greatly, Marley.”

She raised her head to stare at him in shock. Chrysander admitting that he was wrong?

Shame dragged at his eyes, and deep sorrow had pasted shadows under them.