She kept her eyes on the front entrance, fiddling with the sleeve of her long-sleeved I love NYC t-shirt that she’d charged to her room at the hotel. She hated to prevail on Ethan’s kindness anymore that necessary but this had been a necessary measure to prevent herself from having to do the walk of shame at this time of day wearing an evening gown.
Although, if she was honest she looked just as ridiculous in the campy t-shirt, a pair of drawstring exercise shorts and her sparkly stilettos. Her look was a cross between tourist and red light district hooker. Not that anyone cared. At home she would have drawn stares in this crazy outfit but she hadn’t gotten more than a few curious glances here.
Sophia had promised to call at exactly noon. She’d come early so she could go in as soon as Trent left. Ten minutes later, Trent exited the building. She almost missed him because his head was down and he was walking so fast. After he disappeared into the crowd, she crossed the street. Ernesto opened the door for her with a pleased look on his face.
“Miss! You are back!”
She smiled at his enthusiasm. Although she made it a point to speak to him whenever he held the door, he usually just tipped his hat in her direction. He’d never gone out of his way to talk to her.
“Mr. Townsend has been looking for you.”
When she saw him pull out his phone, she put a hand on his arm to stop him. “Wait, you aren’t calling him, are you?” She needed time to grab her stuff and get out of there. That wouldn’t work if Ernesto gave away the plan.
“I’m about to go see him. But I forgot something upstairs. I don’t want him to know I’m coming.” He looked unsure, so she added, “We had a fight last night. So I want to surprise him.”
Ernesto chuckled and winked at her. “Young love. The fighting. The making up.”
Mara nodded along, thinking that he had no idea.
“I don’t have my keycard. Can you let me up?” For a moment, she worried that her plan would fail just because she didn’t have that stupid security card for the elevator.
Ernesto motioned to the concierge. Walter whispered something to the young man behind the desk with him and then walked toward them.
“Miss, you forgot your card? It’s okay. For residents, I can let you up.”
He got in the elevator, slid in his card and then hit the button for the penthouse. Once the doors closed between them, she pressed her hands to her face. It had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done to watch Trent walk away. She’d wanted to run after him. To just look at him. But it wasn’t the right time for that. They’d have to talk eventually but not when she was like this. Not when she was so raw and felt like her every emotion had been slit open for the world to see.
When the elevator doors opened, she walked through the kitchen and directly to the bedroom. There was no time for her to do anything but pack her clothes because she wasn’t sure how long Sophia could hold him off. As soon as she entered the bedroom, she was hit with his scent. Stopping in the middle of the room, she closed her eyes and inhaled.
His crumpled tuxedo was in the middle of the floor at her feet. Feeling like a complete weirdo, she picked it up and buried her face in the fabric. Without questioning why she did it, she slipped the bow tie in her pocket.
She flipped on the light in her closet and grabbed her suitcase. Operating on autopilot, she didn’t even stop to think about what she was taking. She just threw in the stuff in the dresser drawers and grabbed the few dresses she’d brought along. She looked at all the clothes Trent had bought her and hesitated. Should she take them? They represented a life that she wouldn’t have now. Why would she need them in New Haven?
At the thought of New Haven, she wondered briefly why she was even going back. With no mortgage or car payment, she didn’t need to rush back into getting another job. Maybe she should travel or visit friends out of state? A change of pace might be exactly what she needed. But the thought of being somewhere new made her feel desperately lonely. Her family was what she needed and there was no shame in that.
She froze in place at the sound of the elevator doors opening up front. Voices drifted from the living room. With a shock, she recognized Trent’s
voice and then … Avery’s? What were they doing together? She slipped off her shoes and walked into the hallway, trying to be as quiet as possible.
“Stay away from my family.”
“You can’t force me to stay away from anyone. They’re my family too.”
Avery turned slightly and Mara shrank back out of sight. Her heart was beating so fast that she couldn’t hear what they were saying anymore. By the time she gathered the nerve to creep forward again, it was quiet. She was about to stand up, thinking they must have left when she heard Trent’s voice.
“Oh and Mara was never a memento. Mara is unique, unlike anyone else I’ve ever met. I didn’t keep the secret because I was still harboring some obsession for Tia. I did it because I was afraid she wouldn’t understand. She is the best thing that ever happened to me and I was afraid of losing her. It turns out that I had every reason to be.”
Tears slid down Mara’s face as she took in every word and held it in her heart.
The sound of the elevator doors closing gave her the courage to peek her head around the corner. Avery stood in the middle of the entryway, her hands clenched at her side. Mara sank back down, holding her breath. What would Avery do? What if she started looking around the penthouse and found her there?
Suddenly Avery let out a scream of frustration. “It didn’t work. He’s still going back to her.”
Mara pulled out her cell phone and activated the recording app. Trent needed to see that Avery was manipulative and mean. She peered around the kitchen island. She couldn’t see the other woman, just her feet. Avery was facing in the other direction so she took a chance and darted out to hide behind the sectional sofa.
“He’s getting another test done. What am I going to do? I just wanted him to see me. Why doesn’t anybody see me?”
Mara wanted to jump up and choke the shit out of her. The only reason Avery would be upset about another DNA test being done was if she’d somehow tampered with the results the first time. How could she be so reckless, not only with a man’s life and reputation but with her son? To put him in the middle of a scandal and all for what? Money? Did she actually think that Trent was going to marry her after what she had done?