No wonder no one was keen to rent the apartment.
The main bedroom was just big enough to fit her double bed and a single wardrobe, as long as she didn't want to open the doors fully, and the second bedroom would fit her desk.
At least it was relatively clean.
"You can move in whenever you're ready," the agent said.
Libby still had two weeks left at her other rental, but there was little point in delaying the inevitable. Moving would keep her mind off other matters. She blocked the thought of Adrian from her mind as she accompanied the real estate agent back to the office to sign the papers and get the key. On her way home she picked up a stack of packing boxes and then rang a removalist to arrange for her furniture to be moved at the end of the week.
Now all she had to do was pack up her life.
And put her heart back together.
***
The media had calmed down somewhat since Kate gave her statement, but George kept monitoring the situation. Adrian wasn't interested. The only thing that mattered was that he could lose Kate. The promise he'd made his brother – to always care for Kate if anything happened to him – would be broken and there was little he could do about it.
Thoughts of Libby popped into his head with irritating frequency, but whenever they did he tried to block them. She was to blame for this. If she hadn't let Kate speak to the media, Susan wouldn't have sued for custody.
He wished it didn't hurt so much.
"Ade, you need to watch this." George beckoned him over to the laptop.
Adrian walked over and peered over his shoulder at the news clip playing on the screen. When Emily's face appeared, he tensed. "What's she doing now?"
Emily was sitting across from a female reporter with short, honey blond hair.
The interview began with the reporter asking Emily about her history with Kent. Emily went into detail about working as Kate's nanny and how she had fallen in love with Kent and thought he loved her too. Emily's eyes welled up.
Adrian had seen enough. The reporter wouldn't question her but would show sympathy, and he didn't need that now. He reached for the mouse as the reporter said, "Can you give me more detail?" Her tone was mild, but there was something in it that implied she didn't believe Emily.
When Adrian turned to walk away, George said, "Keep watching."
The question caught Emily off guard. "What do you mean?"
"Can you give an example of what Kent did to make you believe he cared for you?"
Emily paused a moment too long. "Of course." Another pause while she thought of something to say. "He held the door open for me."
The reporter smiled. "How gallant of him. You don't get many gentlemen around these days. Did he hold the door open for Kate as well?"
Emily hesitated and then nodded, her movement jerky.
"Then perhaps Kent was being polite. Can you give another example?"
"He kissed me," Emily blurted, staring at the reporter as if daring her to contradict what she'd said.
The reporter tilted her head to the side. "If that was true, you would have said it first."
Emily opened her mouth to respond but the reporter didn't give her a chance. "Why don't you tell the truth? Why don't you tell the people watching how you offered yourself to Kent and he rejected you? Why don't you tell the viewers how you wanted to leave an orphaned girl alone in a strange hotel room while you had sex with Kent? A young girl who, I might add, still suffers from nightmares after the tragic death of both her parents less than a year ago." The reporter paused and the camera zoomed in on Emily's face, which was as startled as a rabbit. "You put your own desires before the safety and care of your charge."
Adrian stared at the screen, not quite believing what he was hearing. Where had the reporter got those details from?
Emily was silent for too long.
"You don't deny it. Being Kate's nanny was an easy job, wasn't it? Does she deserve the trouble you've caused her? All she wants is to spend time with her uncle and now that is jeopardized because of your lies."
Under the reporter's stern gaze Emily crumpled. Tears streamed down her face. "I only wanted to get back at Kent. I didn't think of how it would affect Kate."
"Go on," the reporter encouraged. "Why don't you tell the truth?"
Emily sniffed. "It's true. Kent rejected me when I suggested we take our relationship further. Then he hired a new nanny and started seeing her almost straightaway." Her tone was bitter.
"Is Kent a good guardian for Kate?" the reporter asked.
Emily nodded. "He spent every spare minute he had with her. They never invited me to go with them. It was the Kent, Kate and George show. I had to amuse myself."
Despite himself, Adrian felt a surge of sadness for Emily. She sounded lonely. He hadn't ever considered that.
"So to get back at him you started these rumors and revealed his true identity."
Emily looked miserable. "I'm sorry."
"You only thought of yourself." The reporter was showing no sympathy. She turned to the camera. "You've heard it from the source. The accusations about Kent Downer are untrue. I'm Piper Atkinson for Houston News."
The video went black.
"How'd you find the interview?" Adrian asked.
"Piper emailed it to me." George hesitated. "She's Libby's friend."
Adrian shut his eyes at the rush of emotions flooding through him. Libby must have given her the information. This was another betrayal. She'd promised to keep his secrets and she'd told her reporter friend.
He really couldn't trust her.
"Ade, this has got to help in our case to keep Kate."
Adrian paused and thought about what Emily had said. George was right, but it still didn't change the fact that Libby had broken her promise. And she'd told the reporter details about Kate that were private. Had she ever cared about either of them?
Kate wandered into the room. "What's going on?"
George pointed at the laptop. "Watch this, kiddo."
Kate screwed up her face. "What's she saying this time?" she asked.
"Watch."
The interview played through and when it ended Kate whooped. "Yes! High five." She and George slapped hands. "This is awesome. We should celebrate." She turned to Adrian. "Aunt Susan has got to see this and know it's all been lies. Then she'll let me stay with you and we'll take care of each other."
Adrian's chest was so tight he wasn't sure he could breathe. He wasn't so confident Susan would give in so easily.
He leaned over and hugged her. "I love you, Katie."
"I love you too, Uncle Ade." She hugged him and then sat back. "I'm starved. What's for lunch?"
Adrian smile at her exaggeration. "Spaghetti." He stood and went to the sink to drain the pasta.
Kate turned around in her chair. "Why do you think the reporter asked different questions?"
George answered her. "The reporter is Libby's friend Piper."
Kate grinned. "I bet Libby asked her to do this."
Adrian paused. "What makes you think that?"
"'Cause Libby always said you've got to fight for what you love and she loves us."
Adrian couldn't answer. The lump in his throat was too large.
She didn't love them.
If she did, she wouldn't have gone behind his back the way she had.
She didn't care about him at all.
***
When Libby didn't arrive before Adrian's first concert in Perth, Kate was furious. "You lied to me, Uncle Adrian. What have you done to Libby?"
Adrian ignored the ache in his heart and stood up from the couch where they had been watching a movie. "She broke her contract when she let you speak with the reporters. She can't look after you anymore." He was still coming to terms with the fact she thought she knew more about Kate's needs than he did. He walked toward the sink to place his mug in it.
"It wasn't her fault. She thought I was getting her laptop when I went outside."
Adrian stopped mid-step. "What did you say?" He must have misheard.
Kate had her hands on her hips. "I went outside by myself. She thought I was going to her room. She had nothing to do with it. I wanted to speak to the reporters and you wouldn't let me."
Libby hadn't betrayed him? But the footage had showed her supporting Kate.
"I thought if I spoke to them they would leave us alone. I wanted to go out." Kate's voice was soft.
Adrian covered his shock and continued across to the kitchenette. "She should have kept a closer eye on you." Dread curled in his stomach. If what Kate said was true, he'd made a huge mistake. He hadn't let Libby explain, had believed the worst of her, had blocked her out. He'd gone back to his defensiveness.