I move around, buying a bunch of souvenirs and then finally when my legs and stomach have had enough I look for a stand to eat at. I just place an order and pay when I see Cormack with a cute woman that has a rounded belly. Is she pregnant? She kisses his cheek and then goes to a stand nearby. I see nothing but red as I watch that brief exchange. Cormack and our eyes meet, and I shake my head. Oh my God, he’s a fucking liar and I’m a fool.
“No,” I mutter. We’re far apart, but I’m sure he can read my lips. I spin on my heel and flee as fast as humanly possible, forgetting my order not that I can eat anyway. My stomach rolls and it has nothing to do with starving. I see my father’s men not too far away, so I head back to the hotel, losing Cormack. My guards give me space, knowing damn well, I hate them too.
Planting my hands on the desk, I look back and forth like a crazed woman. “I’m being followed. Can you get me out of here?” I ask the receptionist.
“Sure. Go in there.” She opens the door to the back room, following me in. “You’ve had the Delaney men as well as the other men watching over you all night. Damn. Do you want your room cleaned out?”
“Yes please. Is there a way I can get a cab to the airport without being seen?”
“I’m leaving in two minutes. I can hide you in my boot and drop you off,” she offers.
“Perfect.” The young woman helps me sneak out the back of the building and to her car. I pop in the trunk, and we drive for a few blocks before she stops and lets me in the passenger seat. It’s another twenty minutes when I can finally breathe a sigh of relief as I arrive at the airport drop-off.
In an hour my flight leaves and I’ll say goodbye to Cormack, the cheating, lying asshole for good. My heart can’t stand the ache from the fact that I’d been played like a fiddle.
Sitting outside my airport terminal, I twiddle my fingers, hoping that I can get on the flight before he finds me. Maybe he gave up looking for me. I powered off my phone because I don’t want anyone to track me and I wouldn’t put it past them to follow me here.
“Lass, are you well?” I lift my head to see an older gentleman in an airport service vest.
“Yes, sir,” I reply, not wanting to draw attention to myself and my own foolish actions.
“You don’t look well. Come, let’s go to the nurses’ office.” Am I in high school? My heart’s crumbling and I do my best to remain under control as my soul withers away. Is it possible to fall in love with someone so soon? Could this be what pure heartache is?
I was wrong, Papa. I wasn’t safe at all.
“I could use something for a headache,” I mention offhandedly.
“Certainly, we have something for that.” I get out of my seat and follow the man into a small room. It’s empty except for a table and chair, and I’m instantly aware that this is a trap. I turn back to find Cormack standing there and the other man gone. The asshole slams the door shut, staring at me with a mix of anger and fatigue like he has the right to be mad about anything.
My fists clench and I snap. “You lousy son of a bitch. Get out of my way. I’m going home.”
“The hell you are,” he snarls, blocking the door with his strong build, crossing his arms over his broad chest. I hate how handsome he looks. It’s how he lures women into his wicked, filthy web.
“What do you care? Did your wife come home too early for you and you had to take her places to play it off?”
“What? Is that why you think I didn’t call you back?” He has the nerve to seem upset like I did something.
“Why else? You had time to text me. Then I see you at a fair with her. What else is there to say? I thought you were at your father’s funeral, and here you were running around trying to juggle two women. Get away from me. Leave me alone. I don’t want to ever see you again. I wish I’d never met you. Please leave me alone.”
“Never.” He moves closer to me, and I shake my head.
“Stay back,” I warn, pointing my finger in his direction while taking a step back.
“Never.” I put the chair between us, and he laughs hard. “If you think that’s going to stop me, love, you are seriously mistaken.”
“I’m not yours.” It breaks me to say it, but I need to let him go.