But a wave of nausea churned through my stomach.
The tenderness was real. So was the baby he'd made with another woman.
I yanked my hand free, refusing to let him touch me for one more second.
Mortimer's face darkened. He stared at me for a long time.
Then, as if venting his fury, he slammed his foot on the gas and roared at me:
"Fine. You want it this way? You got it."
"Until Maud has the baby, you're staying at Hillcrest Manor. Without my permission, don't even think about coming back."
Silence the rest of the way.
The car was tearing down the road when Mortimer's phone rang.
"Mortimer, where did you go? My dad... my dad just showed up at the front door."
It was Maud.
"How is that possible? Our community is gated. No one gets in without being registered."
Mortimer's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
"I'm not lying to you. He's pounding on the door! The doctor already left. I'm all alone and I'm so scared. I'm afraid he'll hurt the baby."
Maud's sobbing bled through the speaker.
Mortimer slammed the brakes.
The next second, his scrutinizing gaze landed on me.
"Was it you?"
I hadn't said a single word, but he already looked like he'd solved the mystery.
"It had to be you. You're the only person in Havenport who knows her father, and the only one who could've let him into the complex."
I exhaled slowly.
"It wasn't me. Why would I bother?"
He let out a cold laugh.
"When it comes to that baby, there's nothing you won't do. No wonder you stopped fighting when I tried to take you away. It all makes sense now."
I stopped fighting because I was exhausted. That was all.
"Get out."
Two words. Ice cold.
Outside the window, there was nothing but darkness.
Hillcrest Manor was still miles away, and the city was already far behind.
The howling wind made my heart tremble again and again.
But Mortimer didn't give me a choice, because he needed to rush back and save Maud.
He pushed me out of the car in silence, tossed my suitcase onto the roadside.
Then he sped off without a shred of hesitation.
The wind dried my last tear before it could fall.
I called my mother.
"Mom, a bad man left me on the side of the road. Can you come get me?"
...
After the police arrested Maud's father and Maud's nerves had been soothed, Mortimer's first call was to his assistant.
"Did you get my wife to the manor safely?"
Spencer's voice came through unsteady, almost panicked.
"Mr. James, I never found her. The moment you called, I headed out. I searched every inch of that road. She wasn't there."
"And the housekeeper at the manor says she never arrived either..."
