“But… I thought…”
“It’s a choice, Belle. And I choose to believe you.”
“You aren’t going to wonder later?” The words come out garbled and fast, almost unrecognizable. “That I made a fool out of you?”
“No. We said we loved each other. I can’t love you without trust. And faith.”
She exhales sharply and collapses in my arms, hot tears streaming down silently. I hold her, running my hands over her delicate back. “You have to stop crying or you’re going to make yourself ill,” I whisper into her hair.
She merely clutches me harder.
“If not for me, do it for Jana. She’ll be despondent without her assistant tomorrow.” That earns me a watery laugh. “I’m sorry I hurt you so badly.”
“I don’t want to think about the past.”
I understand that. But I need to face my past. “Belle, even though I trust you, Keith’s running into you was no coincidence. I don’t want that son of a bitch sniffing around me and my new family. I need to confront him.”
She pulls back. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“There is…if you’re sure.”
Her eyes flash. “He stole from you and is apparently trying to get between us. So yes, I want him to at least say ‘sorry’ to your face, now that he’s been found out.”
I smile. I don’t have the heart to tell her how unlikely that is. He’s a fucking rat—an ungrateful, traitorous rat. “Contact him and tell him you couldn’t get that stain out. He’ll ask to meet. Let him set the time, date and location. That’s it.”
“What if he just offers to send money instead?”
I shake my head. “He won’t. He went to a lot of trouble to meet you in person.”
“All right, if you’re sure. I can call him right now, actually.” She takes her phone out and starts to enter his number, then stops. “I don’t think I can talk to him while hiding how I really feel about him.”
“Then don’t. Text him.”
She nods and types a few things. I don’t try to look at what she’s writing over her shoulder.
Toying with her hair with my fingers, I study her fierce face. Despite the upcoming confrontation with Keith, I feel as light and worry-free as a cloud in a sunny sky, because nothing can destroy what we have so long as we love and trust each other.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Annabelle
I stretch my neck as the last conference call of the day ends. It was a long one with some overseas clients whose English was so thickly accented that I had a hard time deciphering what they were saying. Still, I managed to take a copious amount of notes as Jana instructed.
“I’ll type them up right away,” I say, gathering my legal pad and pen from the table in my boss’s office.
“Unless your handwriting’s so bad that you won’t be able to make your notes out on Monday, you can go home,” Jana says.
I glance at my watch. “But it’s only four.” And as far as I know, Jana doesn’t believe in cutting the workday short unless there’s a good reason, and today being Friday isn’t one.
She settles behind her neatly organized desk. “Tomorrow’s your birthday, so I’m letting you off early.”
“Oh. I didn’t…” I forgot about that. I stopped celebrating the last two years, mostly due to the lack of funds and just…not having any reason to when things were progressively becoming bleaker. “How did you know?”
“As your boss, it’s my job to know. And next year, I’ll get you a present other than letting you go home early.” She gives me a small smile. “Happy birthday.”
I beam at her, absurdly pleased at her bringing up next year. I haven’t really thought that far ahead. Even though by then I’ll be in school again, I would love to work part-time at OWM.
“Thanks, Jana. Have a great weekend.”