“Burton is all about the chase, Shanal. He likes the hunt, the capture. The win. Do you really think he loves you? He doesn’t. He loves the idea of you.”
Shanal pushed her chair away from the table. “I think I’ve heard enough. Either you go or I do.”
Raif put out a hand to stop her from getting up. “Shanal, please reconsider. It’s not too late.”
She looked down at his hand on her arm, then raised her eyes to his again. “I’ve made my decision, Raif. You have to live with that.”
Knowing that anything else he said now would be a waste of time, Raif loosened his hold on her. “Don’t get up. I’ll go. But I’m not giving up on you, Shanal. Not for a second. Whether you believe me or not, I love you. What I want more than anything is for you to be happy—and since I know you’d never find happiness with Burton, I’m not going to stop trying to put an end to this wedding.”
“Raif, you’re wasting your time.”
“That’s for me to decide,” he said, and he turned to go.
He couldn’t quite remember when he’d made the decision to drive into the city, but he knew exactly why when he pulled the Maserati up outside Burton’s apartment block.
“We need to talk,” he said into the intercom in the foyer, after buzzing Burton’s apartment.
“By all means,” replied the silky smooth voice of the man he’d grown to detest more than any other.
Inside Burton’s apartment, Raif found himself holding on to his rage by a thread.
“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Burton said, after leading him into a sitting room that was more a testament to his ability to collect beautiful things than it was a place to relax.
“Let her go.”
“I beg your pardon. I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about.”
Raif wanted nothing more than to wipe the smug look off Burton’s face. “You know full well that I mean Shanal. Let her go.”
“She comes to me of her own free will,” Burton replied. “If she wanted to stay with you, surely she wouldn’t have terminated your baby just this week.”
Bile rose, hot and sharp, in Raif’s throat. “My baby?”
“Yes,” Burton drawled. “I took her to the clinic last Wednesday myself. Such an unfortunate side effect of your little dalliance together, but easily dispensed with. It’s a good thing I’m a forgiving man. Now that little mess is tidied up, Shanal and I can move forward. We’ll make quite the dynamic duo, don’t you think?”
Little mess? It took every ounce of Raif’s considerable control not to take Burton by the throat and choke him for his lies. But was it a lie? Only one person could tell him that and she wasn’t willing to talk to him again. She’d told him there was nothing left to say. Did that mean she really had gone through with it?
Why hadn’t she told him about the baby? She had to know he’d stand by her, didn’t she? Goodness only knew Raif had tried to make that clear to her often enough. Rage suffused him. At Burton for being the supercilious grasping spawn he was, at Shanal for refusing to see the real person behind the smiling fiancé she planned to pledge her life to, and for the unborn child he hadn’t even had the chance to know about and would now never have the chance to meet.
He could barely speak. Burton Rogers had now effectively destroyed the lives of two people, Laurel and now Raif’s baby, who should have been able to count on him for anything. Two people he’d loved, or would have loved if given half a chance. He spun on his heel and stalked to the door of the apartment.
“What? Not stopping for a drink, old friend?” Burton taunted from behind him.
But he wasn’t listening anymore. He had let this happen and he had to admit the worst of his rage was for himself. For his inability to prevent Burton from destroying yet another life. Well, he’d failed, twice now. There was no way he’d fail again. Whatever it took, whatever he had to do, Shanal would not marry Burton Rogers next Saturday.
Raif forced himself to drive slowly back to his house. He had to get control of this fury that held him tight in its grip. He had to deconstruct what Burton had told him, to take it apart piece by piece and examine it carefully. Now, more than ever, it was vital he not rush at things like a bull at a gate. He’d done that with Shanal and met only resistance. There had to be more beneath all this.
As he sat in an easy chair staring out at the vineyard, his vineyard, he mulled over everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Trying to peer beneath the layers to find the truth at the core. Through it all, he could only see the woman Shanal was. Focused, dedicated and loyal to a fault.