Chapter 26
She was finally free.
At last, she’d escaped that suffocating vortex.
Blanche was still reveling in the rush of freedom when a sharp cramp seized her lower belly, doubling her over in pain.
It hit her then-she wasn’t entirely alone.
She still had this child.
But she didn’t want this child, either.
A large, warm hand suddenly covered hers, pressing gently over her abdomen.
Startled, Blanche swatted the hand away, terrified she’d run into some creep on the plane-only to look up and see Eddy.
Why was he here, of all places?
Frozen, she stared at him in shock.
He always managed to find her.
All the joy of escape vanished, swept away by dread and helplessness.
No matter. She still had 28 days.
She still had the Director-General.
But Eddy’s expression didn’t change. He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in the curve of her neck, breathing in her scent as if he’d been starved of it, and let out a shuddering sigh. “Honey, I finally found you.”
She felt something cold and wet trickle from his cheek onto her collarbone. Her long lashes fluttered as she came back to herself, meeting Eddy’s dark, tear-filled eyes.
This was only the second time she’d seen Eddy cry-the first was on their wedding day.
And, if what his little sister, Hedwig Simmons, had told her was true, he’d sobbed uncontrollably outside the delivery room when their daughter was born, terrifying the entire staff. Blanche had thought Hedwig was just trying to amuse her.
But now, Eddy’s storm-grey eyes shimmered with tears, and he looked utterly broken.
He really was terrified of losing her.
The cold dampness slid from her collarbone to her chest, and Blanche pressed a hand to her heart, willing it not to flutter at his touch.
She remembered what the Director-General had said.
Chapter 26
Eddy loves you so much. If you ever vanished, it would destroy him.
But so what if he loved her? He’d betrayed her.
Not just her-he’d betrayed their dead daughter, too.
ZI
How could he give their daughter’s name to a child born to another woman?
Eddy held her in a vice-like embrace, and Blanche, unable to bear the pain any longer, broke down and sobbed, her cries raw and desperate.
She realized she could never truly escape him.
Eddy had found her and dragged himself out of despair, but now it was despair that closed in on her, leaving her no way out.
Being with him was agony; she could hardly breathe.
Cradling her, Eddy soothed her as he ordered the plane to return to Novandria.
In the backseat of the Rolls-Royce, the privacy screen slid up, sealing them off from the world.
Eddy settled Blanche on his lap, tenderly wiping the tears from her face. His voice was gentle as he asked, “Sweetheart, why did you suddenly leave Novandria?”
Blanche stayed silent, refusing to answer.
He released her face, tracing her fingers in his, speaking calmly, “Earlier, you fainted at the preschool. A man with a child brought you to the security office. After you woke up, you asked the officer to buy you a plane ticket, and threw your phone into the lake nearby.”
Blanche’s heart pounded so hard she could barely breathe.
He’d gotten everything right.
Did he even know why she’d left?
“Did something happen at the preschool, is that why you ran away?” Eddy asked softly.
Blanche glared at him, biting her lip so hard she tasted blood, letting the pain anchor her and force herself to stay calm.
Expressionless, she turned to stare out the window.
City lights flickered on as dusk fell, painting the world in fading gold. She said nothing.
She still had the Director-General-he could help her leave Eddy for good.
No matter how powerful Eddy was, he was no match for the organization and the Director-General.
Just 28 more days. She would wait.
Her heart would never ache for him again.
He held her close, and she heard his sigh warm against her ear. “No matter what happens, as long as I’m here, I’ll fix it for you.”
“When you’re ready to tell me, I’ll be here.”
His hand rested gently on her belly, rubbing slow circles until the pain eased.
According to the bodyguard’s investigation, the man who’d called the ambulance for Laney that afternoon had also brought her to the security office that evening-and both times, he’d had a child with him.
There are no coincidences in this world. The man with the child must have some ulterior motive for getting close to Laney.
