April
I wake when I hear the shower turn on. It’s early morning, and I smile as I stretch.
Life is good.
Sebastian’s phone beeps with a text on the side table. I reach over and pick it up.
Your withdrawal is ready, Mr. Garcia.
We look forward to welcoming you at 1. 00pm.
Bank of Britain.
I frown. Huh?
What does that mean?
I hear a fuss out in the hallway, and a vase smashes. I get up in a rush. Bentley has brought his lead up to try and make us go for a walk. It got caught on the side table and has knocked the vase over.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I ask.
He looks up at me innocently, and I smile. I can’t be angry with such a cute face. “Come on. Let’s get the dustpan.” I make my way downstairs and grab the dustpan.
This is the last thing I feel like doing. Good morning to me.
11:50 a. m.
Jeremy walks into my office and closes the door behind him.
I glance up. “Hey.”
He looks like he’s just swallowed a fly. “If I knew something… something bad… would you want to know?”
I frown. “Like what?”
“Okay.” He winces. “So, does that mean yes?”
“Yes.”
“You know how I think Bart is seeing someone else?”
“Yes.”
“Well, don’t judge me, but I didn’t see him again last night, and I was going crazy all night. This morning I illegally logged into his email for evidence.”
“Jeremy,” I whisper. “You can’t do that.”
“Sebastian is being blackmailed by his ex-wife,” he blurts out in a rush. “Bart’s been negotiating a deal with her.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
“She has footage of you two in a strip club. Sebastian has to pay her ten million pounds today at 1:30 p. m. in a hotel room or she is going to the press.”
“What?” I explode.
“Shh.” He looks around guiltily. “I’ll lose my job if Bart finds out that I told you.”
I think for a moment. That text this morning from the bank…
I forgot all about it.
What the hell?
“That stupid fuck,” I whisper.
“Who, his wife?”
“Sebastian.” I get out of my seat. “Sit down,” I demand.
“What?”
“You log into that email right now. I want to see exactly what the fuck is going on.”
1:40 p. m., and I’m standing in the shadows of the broom closet on Level 3 in the London Hilton. I had to book a damn room on this floor to get up here, but I don’t care.
Drop off of the ransom money is apparently anytime now, and I’m waiting for Sebastian to arrive. I don’t think I’ve ever been so fucking furious in my entire life.
Why didn’t he tell me?
The elevator dings, and I lean back against the wall. Sebastian walks out with a duffle bag, and my eyes glow red.
You are so dead.
He walks to the door and knocks. I begin to creep up behind him. The door opens, and Helena stands before him.
“Have you got the money?” she asks.
“Oh, he’s got the fucking money, all right,” I snap.
They both turn toward me, shocked.
I push past them both into the room. Helena tilts her chin, but Sebastian looks like he’s seen a ghost.
“Give me the money and get out,” Helena says.
“He’s not giving you a single fucking penny!” I snap. I glare at Sebastian, and he rolls his lips.
“She’s got footage,” Sebastian replies.
“Ha.” I huff. “She hasn’t got shit.”
“Yes, I have. I’m going to the press. Now get out.” She tries to snatch the bag from him.
“Do not give her that fucking bag!” I yell. “She’s lying.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I have the footage,” I snap. “I’m the one who hacked the system. I wiped all the footage of the two of us months ago, so you can go to Hell, you scheming fucking bitch.”
Sebastian and Helena’s eyes widen.
“You hacked the system?” Sebastian whispers, shocked.
“Of course, I did. I wiped everything with you on it.” I snap, adrenaline is coursing through my body. “There was one image that was encrypted that I couldn’t get, but it had nothing about the club on it. That’s the only picture she’s got.”
Sebastian gasps. “It was you?”
“Call the police,” I demand.
Helena’s face falls.
Sebastian’s eyes are wide as he looks between the two of us.
“Call the fucking police!” I scream at him.
He takes out his phone.
“Did you tell her?” Helena asks him in an eerily calm voice.
He frowns.
“Did you tell her about our night together, Sebastian?” She turns to me. “Do you know?”
Uneasiness falls over me. “What are you talking about?”
“Sebastian called me from Bath a few months ago. Said that he was moving forward with you and he wanted to say goodbye to me properly. Begged me to come see him. He wanted to make love to me one last time…the way I needed it. We never got that last goodbye and it was something he always regretted.”
“I did not,” he scoffs.
“What story did you go with, Seb?” She asks softly. “Did you tell her you were drugged? Or did you go with the fell asleep excuse? We couldn’t decide on the night.”
We never got that last goodbye and it was something he always regretted.”
What….
My heart begins to hammer in my ears.
“You, stupid girl.” She sneers. “You think you have this all sewn up, don’t you? You think you have everything sorted.”
I stare at her, contempt dripping from my every pore.
“Well, guess what, April?” She smiles sweetly. “I have the one thing that you don’t.”
I glare at her.
“I have his baby.” She turns to Sebastian. “I’m fourteen weeks pregnant with your child.”
32
April
Sebastian’s face falls, and he steps back as though hit with a physical blow.
“Oh, please.” I scoff, “Is that the best you’ve got?” I roll my eyes, disgusted. “You’re a fucking insult to my intelligence.”
She smiles. “Am I? Or is it you who’s the stupid one?”
“Do you really think that we’re that gullible to believe anything that comes out of your lying mouth?”
I glance over at Sebastian. He’s staring at her, rendered speechless.
“Give me the money and I’ll disappear; you have my promise,” Helena replies.