Just as he got to his office door, he paused.
For the first time in his life, a woman meant more to him than work.
Lucy meant more to him that making a couple of extra million.
In the past couple of weeks, Lucy had come to mean a great deal to him, and he didn’t want to let her go, nor did he want to see her hurt.
“Fuck!”
Shaking his head, he left his office, shouting out orders to his PA to cancel the rest of his meetings.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw people staring at him as he walked into the elevator. This had to be the first time in his life that he’d left work early.
He wondered what Lucy was doing.
She’d been standing in the hallway as he left that morning. Her hands clenched, she looked as nervous as if he was leaving her in hell.
The penthouse apartment was the best money could buy.
Climbing into his car, he made his way straight toward his apartment. As he got close to home, he felt an excitement that he wasn’t used to feeling. Going home never appealed to him. His place was normally a lonely place to be. He only went home when the office became too dead to stay in the building.
Parking his car, he made his way to the top floor. He didn’t encounter anyone as he got to his door.
Flicking the lock open, he entered his apartment and came face to face with Lucy on her hands and knees. She jerked up. Her hair was pulled back, and she had some kind of cloth binding it up, which reminded him of some kind of Stepford wife.
“Ian,” she said. “I didn’t expect you here.”
Since they’d gone to his parents, she no longer called this place home either. He’d noticed it. It was one of the little things that she’d tried to hide but he’d seen it.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m cleaning the floors.” She dropped the cloth. “I’ve already given both bathrooms a deep clean, and the kitchen, and now I’m onto the floors.” She rubbed her hands down her thighs. “Are you back for lunch?”
“I didn’t come home for food.” He shook his head. “We have a cleaner, Lucy. You don’t need to be on your hands and knees scrubbing the floors.”
“I like doing it.”
“But you don’t have to. Don’t you want to go shopping? Have a spa day? Do your nails? Something … I don’t know … fun?”
This had taken him by surprise.
“Is that what your other women did?” Lucy asked.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He heard the tone in her voice.
“A magazine was delivered to your place today. You’re quite the stud.”
“I don’t have a clue about what you’re talking about,” he said.
She got to her feet, and he saw the stiffness in her shoulders as she made her way toward the dining room table.
It was one of those magazines that dealt more in gossip and rumor than actual news.
“I never thought I’d be compared to the likes of actresses or models.”
He saw the tears in her eyes, and he gritted his teeth.
Picking up the magazine, he saw an entire exposé of all of his past relationships. There were a lot of women, most not even women he’d actually dated, just ones that had been seen with him and that people had assumed he’d been in a relationship with. But since marrying Lucy, she’d been it for him. He didn’t want anyone else, didn’t even think about any other women.
He took his vows very fucking seriously.
He had no intention of ever being unfaithful to her.
Flicking through the pages, he just knew his parents had done this.
They were trying to ruin his marriage every single way they could. This was just another area they could attack.
Dropping the magazine onto the table, he pulled Lucy into his arms. He wouldn’t let them do this. He’d fight every single step of the way no matter what.
He couldn’t leave Lucy, nor could he lose her.
14
Lucy didn’t know why she was letting her emotions get the best of her, but ever since leaving his parents’ house, it felt like a stone was lodged in her belly, this ugly, heavy, life-sucking stone that was ruining everything. She told herself she wasn’t going to let what his family said upset her, but it was hard not to, especially when it was taking root deep in her body, stealing the happiness from her.
She felt like she was being overly sensitive, that she was picking on every little thing because her emotions were on a tightrope, her feelings still hurt. Lucy hated that she’d let his family get to her like this. Cleaning wasn’t something she especially liked to do, but it helped keep her mind off of things, allowing her to focus on something mundane.