Liam took a few steps toward her. She could feel the magnetic pull of him grow stronger as he came closer. She wanted to bury her face in his lapel and forget about everything that was going wrong. But she couldn’t.
“Why?”
Francesca put the last of her clothes into the bag and zipped it closed. She looked at the bag as she spoke to ensure she could get all the words out. “I’m sorry, Liam. I thought I could do this. But I just can’t.”
There was a pause before he answered, his voice a touch strained. “Do you want an annulment?”
She looked up at him and shook her head. “No. I’ll remain legally married to you for the sake of the network. Hopefully that will be enough because I can’t play house with you. It’s too hard on…” Her voice started to falter as tears rushed to her eyes. She immediately turned from him before she gave away how she really felt. “It’s too hard on my heart, Liam.”
He took another step forward, but stopped short of reaching out to her. “What do you mean?”
Francesca took a deep breath. “I want more.”
“More than the five million?”
At that, Francesca jerked her head up to meet his gaze. “You just don’t get it, do you? I don’t want your money. I never did. I have plenty of my own. I want the things that you can’t give me. I want love. A real family. A marriage like my parents have. I want a man who cares for me more than anyone or anything.”
She shook her head and hoisted the strap of the bag over her shoulder. “This isn’t your fault. You were right when you said I was a true believer. I am. But I’ve been lying to myself. First, I told myself that I could be with you and it would be fine. That I could spend the next year pretending. But I can’t because I was stupid enough to fall for you. Then I kept hoping that maybe, just maybe, you would fall for me and this could become more than just a business arrangement. Silly, right?”
Liam reached out to her, but Francesca sidestepped him. “Don’t,” she said. “Just don’t. I know you don’t have feelings for me. Anything you say right now will make it worse.”
She extended the handle of her suitcase and rolled it to the bedroom door.
“Francesca, wait.”
She stopped and turned to him. This was the moment everything hinged on. If she was wrong and he did care for her, this was the time for him to say it. She looked into his dark blue eyes, hoping to see there the love she wanted so desperately. Etched into his pained expression was desperation and confusion. He didn’t want her to go, but he didn’t know how to ask her to stay.
“Liam, would you have ever considered marrying me if your aunt hadn’t forced us into this situation? I mean, would you even have asked me on a date after what happened between us in the elevator? Honestly.”
Liam frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets. “No, I probably wouldn’t have.”
At least they were both telling the truth now. Nodding, she turned away and hauled her luggage down the stairs. It was time for her to go home and pick up the pieces of her life.
Thirteen
Liam signed Angelica’s termination paperwork and pushed the pages across his desk. He thought he would be happy to see this issue put to bed, but he wasn’t. He was the most miserable newlywed in history.
For one thing, he hadn’t seen the bride since their wedding night. It had been a long, lonely weekend without her there. He’d quickly grown accustomed to having her around. Now his town house felt cold and empty.
The office wasn’t much better. Francesca didn’t greet him first thing with coffee and a kiss. He wasn’t even sure if she was at work today. He wanted to call her. Email her. But he knew he shouldn’t. It would make it easier on her if he took a step back and let her have the space she needed. She deserved that much.
But he missed his wife.
How quickly she had become that in his mind. She was no longer his employee. She was his wife. There was no differentiation in his mind about the terms of their marriage. Their engagement may have been a ruse, but the wedding and the marriage felt real to him. Frighteningly real.
Liam had never given much thought to a wife and family, but the minute Francesca walked out the door, a hole formed in his chest. It was as though she’d ripped out his heart and taken it with her. All he was left with was the dull ache of longing for her.
That didn’t feel fake to him.
Yes, he’d been pushed into the marriage to please his aunt. He had to admit that much to Francesca because it was true. But now that he was married to her, it felt right. It felt natural. He no longer cared about Aunt Beatrice’s opinion on the matter. He…was in love with Francesca.