The Billionaire's Craving

His mind whirled with new revelations, and he wasn’t sure how to process them yet.

As soon as Trevor was out of the room and the doors were closed, Sabela approached Colin.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about the letter earlier, and I can understand why you might be angry at me about that. I suspected that my brother wrote the letter as soon as I saw it. I just didn’t want to tell you that without being one hundred percent certain,” she said.

“I finally know the truth. That’s all that matters,” Colin said as he made his way over to the bar. He had a feeling that he was going to be drinking a lot that evening.

Sabela followed him. He could tell that she wanted to touch him. He didn’t want that. Couldn’t have it, not right now.

“What can I do to help?” she asked.

“You can leave me alone,” he said, refusing to look at her.

“I get that you’re mad. I need to know, though, if you really did lie to me when you promised you weren’t going to take revenge on me for what Trevor did. Have you been using me all along? Was it all a lie?”

“I don’t know what anything means right now. I asked you to leave me alone.”

She wouldn’t let it go. “I have to know. We need to talk about this, Colin.”

He turned on his heel, and she retreated a step in surprise. “There’s nothing for us to talk about. This isn’t about you. It’s about Blanca! Your brother’s forgery made me believe that the woman I intended to marry didn’t love me, that she cheated on me. If Trevor hadn’t gotten involved, Blanca and I would be married right now. We might even have children.”

It spun in his head like a tornado, wreaking havoc on his emotions. “Your brother took all of that away from me, and even if it was an accident, he killed her and any family I might have had with her. I can’t take it all in. All these years … just leave me alone.”

He saw the pain in her eyes, but he couldn’t help that. He was being honest, and that’s what she always said she wanted. If it hurt her, then so be it.

He stalked to the fireplace, took a swig of vodka straight from the decanter. How could he explain to Sabela what he felt? He couldn’t. Actually, he didn’t want to.

He needed to get away from her before he hurt her anymore. Before she hurt him anymore. He needed air.

“Don’t bother waiting up,” he said as he strode out of the room, taking the vodka with him.

Chapter Forty-Five

THE TRIP BACK TO HER bedroom felt surreal.

Sabela had tried. Despite her hurt, she’d pushed her emotions aside and tried to reach out to him, to help him through the hurt.

Despite her best efforts, Colin lashed out.

She didn’t know what, exactly, to believe about his intentions of late. What she did know right now, though, was that she wasn’t welcome in his home anymore.

Revealing that Blanca’s letter was a forgery had turned Colin against her. Sabela wasn’t sure if she should mourn, or if she should celebrate.

If Colin wasn’t serious about her, then she had nothing to stay here for. The fairy tale was dead. The part she played as his girlfriend was over. He’d bedded her, and now they were through.

She should have known better than to trust him. None of it had ever meant anything to him.

She was going home.

Sabela looked around her room uncertainly. It had been a while since she’d been in it for any stretch of time, spending her nights in Colin’s room.

The beautiful room was little more than a gilded cage. But this time the cage door was open.

Taking several deep breaths to calm herself down, Sabela went into the closet and found the clothes that she had worn the day she arrived at the chalet. She changed into them. These clothes and her purse were the only things that were truly hers in the room. In the chalet.

She wasn’t going to take anything Colin had bought her, except the sketchbook. She couldn’t bear to leave her sketches behind.

She dug some money out of her purse and dropped it on the desk with a note, explaining it was for the sketchbook, and to bill her if what she left didn’t cover it. She wanted to start the note with, Dear User Asshole, but she restrained herself.

Sabela sorted through her purse and found her phone and passport. She’d wear a coat to the airport then send it back to the chalet with Bruno.

In less than five minutes, she had everything that she’d come to the chalet with. Reclaiming her dignity wouldn’t be as easy, but leaving was a good first step.

She went to the front hallway and searched for Bruno. She found him in the kitchen talking with Marie. They both stood up as she entered, and she motioned for them to sit down.

“Bruno, would you be able to take me to the airport?” she asked.

“What’s happened?” Marie asked, face scrunched in concern.

Sabela shook her head, not wanting to share what had happened. She wouldn’t ruin Colin’s name in front of his staff. “It’s just time for me to go home. There are some things that I need to take care of, and Colin needs some space.”

“Is that what he said?” Marie asked.

“Yes,” Sabela said.

“He doesn’t know what he needs,” Marie said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“This is for the best.” As Sabela spoke, tears welled in her eyes. It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

Marie stood up with a frustrated huff. She pointed at Bruno. “Don’t let her go anywhere until I get back.”

Before she left, Sabela caught her arm. For now she could hold the tears off, but if Marie dragged Colin into this, she wasn’t sure that she could carry on.

“Please, Marie. Don’t make this worse.”

“He would want to know if you’re leaving. You came here because he asked you to come here, and he will want to know if you’re going to leave. I won’t be long.” She left the kitchen in a rush.

There was a small part of Sabela that hoped once Colin knew that she was trying to leave that it would happen like before. He would stop her. He would want to talk to her.

He would become the decent man she knew he was underneath

the anger.

Bruno cleared his throat and ducked his head, and she quickly wiped away the tears that pooled in the corners of her eyes.

Whether she liked it or not, it was time for her to move on.

It wasn’t long before Marie reappeared in the doorway. Sabela sat up hopefully, but then she saw the look on Marie’s face.

“Bruno, go ahead and get the car ready,” Marie murmured. “Make sure it’s warm.”

Bruno left without saying a word, sparing Sabela’s dignity by not looking at her or showing any reaction. Sabela herself tried to keep her expression neutral. The swirling emotions inside of her threatened to overwhelm her.

But she couldn’t cry in front of Marie. She wouldn’t.

Sabela had her pride, and she wouldn’t give Colin the satisfaction of hearing from Marie or Bruno that she was distraught and in tears when she left. No, never that. It was what he wanted, to break her, so he’d get his God-forsaken revenge.

To hell with that. Letting loose with her feelings could wait until she was far away from Colin, until she got home.

“Mr. Colin sends his regards and wishes you a safe trip home,” Marie said, looking embarrassed to deliver such a message.

“Thank you for everything that you did for me during my stay. You’ve been so kind.”

“It was my pleasure.” Marie put her hand on Sabela’s arm. “He’ll realize how stupid he is to let you leave.”

Sabela stood up and shook her head. That would never happen. Colin never wanted her in the first place, but Marie didn’t need to hear those details. “It’s not what it seemed to be between us. This was a casual encounter only.”

Marie didn’t look like she was buying it. “No matter what happened between you two, he’s a good man. Don’t give up on him.”

They hugged, a final goodbye.

Sabela started to walk out of the kitchen, and then she turned. “He was never mine to begin with, Marie, so there’s nothing to give up on.”

The time for make-believe was over. The fairytale/nightmare was over.

It was time to return to the real world.