“What about what I asked you?” He looks away.
My heart thunders in my chest. “I can’t, Dev. Not now. I can forgive you, but I can’t forget. Not yet.”
“Lizzie, please,” he begs me, his face distraught.
I shake my head and I see the glisten of tears in his eyes. I lower mine so I don’t have to see how upset he is. But I can’t help thinking that he brought it on himself. He knew how I felt about this. I needed him of all people to never hurt me and what he has done is one of the worst things possible.
“Please, Lizzie, don’t say no. Just tell me you need time.”
I stare at him silently.
“Please,” he whispers and my heart breaks.
“There is so much going on. As you said, I have four husbands. I am being lined up to be a brood mare for different creatures, I have shit piling up around my ears. I just can’t think about it. Not yet.”
“I will give you time and space. The ball is in your court, Lizzie. Please just tell me it’s not a ‘no’ and I will back off. I swear.”
I nod at him and the relief floods his eyes.
He nods and backs out without another word. I am devastated. I really wanted what he was offering me, but not after what he did. How can I trust him? My darling boy has been defiled by that whore and I just…can’t.
I need to get my head into gear for this confrontation. I can only hope that the child is nowhere to be seen, or I am probably going to lose it. I hate to admit it to myself, but I think part of the reason I complied wit
h CK’s request is to get back at Cole. It’s so petty, especially as he says he didn’t know about it, but it still hurts, and I am still so very angry about it.
I sigh and climb back out of the shower and get dried and dressed, carefully. I choose a black business suit with a white blouse underneath. This isn’t a social call, it’s business, so dress the part.
I breathe in deeply and am just about to Astral off when Cole stops me.
“You’re going now?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say.
He hands me my handbag and says, “You will probably need this.”
I take it from him with a sheepish smile. Yes, I very definitely need the contents of this bag. “Thanks,” I mutter.
He shrugs and then bends down to kiss me. I give him a quick peck and say, “I’ll see you soon.”
He nods and off I go, having the presence of mind to create a shadow cover the second my feet hit the ground outside Carolyn’s Beverly Hills home. If anyone saw me, now all they would see is an empty porch, and think they had hallucinated or something. I take a moment to look at the house. It’s nice enough. Modest, by my standards, but then my standards are pretty grandiose. I ring the bell and wait, not really knowing what to expect.
I did not expect a woman to open the door that looks almost exactly like me, but a bit taller. I grip the handle of my bag a bit tighter and make a mental note to blast Cole for not giving me a bit of warning that I was coming to see a look-alike. It does occur to me belatedly that I am actually her look-alike and that thought does not sit well with me at all. It makes it easier to be angry, though, so I hold onto that as I grimace at her, in the form of a tight smile. She smiles back and tilts her head at me.
“Can I help you?” she asks, her green eyes quizzical.
“Yes,” I say. “I am here on behalf of Cole O’Dell.”
Her face freezes over as she clearly recognizes me then.
“I’m Liv O’Dell, Cole’s wife.” I twist the knife and get some satisfaction that she has been thoroughly disarmed by my visit. “May I come in?”
She hesitates and then decides, for propriety’s sake, to let me in. I will deal with this out here if need be, but she has other ideas. She steps back and ushers me inside. I know from Cole that she is a lawyer, so anything I hand to her she will be able to read and understand herself.
My stomach clenches as she leads me into a sunny sitting room filled with baby paraphernalia of every kind. A quick glance around shows me the child in question is not in attendance. Thank the old gods.
She squares off with me as I turn back towards her and she crosses her arms. No polite offer of a cup of tea or even to sit down. Straight to business. My kind of woman, I think ironically.
“Cole has sent me to negotiate some terms with you,” I start. When she doesn’t say anything, I continue. “He will be financially responsible for your child, but other than that he wants no part of your lives.”