Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
But she would always be there, waiting to surprise him and welcome him with the loveliest smile and the loveliest words.
Welcome home, my love.
And today would be the same. He had to believe that.
Taking a deep breath, he said out loud, “Anneke?”
Silence answered him back, but this, too, was just like before.
For the first few minutes, Marcus tried looking for her in the dark, going through her usual hiding spots, one by one. But he still couldn’t find her, and he was finally forced to switch the lights open.
Her bedroom was completely empty, and a ball of icy fear began to grow inside of him.
“Anneke.” His voice was tight. “Come out.”
But there was still nothing.
He ran back down the stairs, and this time the butler was waiting for him below, a stoic look on the older man’s face.
“A letter for you, sir.”
Marcus’ fingers shook as he took the letter from the butler. He unfolded the paper, and there were only two words written on it.
I know.
Two words. Two simple words. Two painful words.
And just like that Marcus realized that thing he had felt was missing, what he had forgotten all along – until now. It was stupidity biting him in the ass, and it almost felt like the past mocking him for daring to want something he shouldn’t even have dared to dream of.
Was this all he deserved – a mere taste of love – before fate was to steal it away again, in punishment for all his sins?
Marcus carefully folded the letter again and placed it inside of his pocket.
Dio.
He had hurt her again, broken his word to her, and it didn’t matter that he hadn’t meant to do either.
She was truly gone now.
And he didn’t even want to go after her.
This was what he deserved, after everything he had done.
Eleven
After leaving Bruin Hemel in a hurry, Anneke flew to Contini and booked herself a hotel room, wanting to be alone with her pain. She didn’t want to go home and lick her wounds while her family worried about her. She had troubled them far too long already. She was a big girl now. She could and would solve things on her own, and in time she would be able to forget Marcus Ravelli.
In time.
It was on the second day of her stay when reception rang her room, saying she had a visitor. It was Raquel Ravelli, and it took her more than a moment to realize what that meant.
Marcus’ mother? Why was Marcus’ mother visiting her?
Her first instinct was to have the older woman turned away, but old habits died hard, and in this case, those habits had to do with good old manners. She gave reception the green light to let Raquel up, and soon enough, Anneke was welcoming her mother-in-law into her suite.
The woman was painfully thin, but she looked much better than Anneke had feared, and when Raquel caught her staring, Anneke turned red. “S-sorry—-”
The older woman’s lips curved into a humorless smile. “What were you expecting? An aging sexpot with her boobs about to fall out?”
Anneke stammered, “N-no, of course not.” But actually, that was exactly what she had thought.
“A few months ago,” Raquel revealed thinly, “you wouldn’t have been mistaken.”
Oh.
Marcus’ mother gestured towards the settee. “Aren’t you going to invite me to sit?”
Her cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry, and yes, please. May I get you anything?”
“Whiskey, please.”
As Anneke prepared Raquel’s drink from the minibar, she heard the older woman say, “I called your place at Bruin Hemel earlier, but your staff told me you and Marcus had left the other day.”
“I s-see.”
“They were pretty tight-lipped about your whereabouts, so I had to use my son’s security team to look for you. I hope you don’t mind?”
Anneke only shook her head, pretending to busy herself as she prepared her own drink.
“Is Marcus coming back any time soon?”
After serving Raquel her drink, Anneke took the chair across the older woman, saying stiltedly, “I suppose he hasn’t told you yet, but—-” She gulped down her drink in one go, and the liquid burning down her throat gave her the strength she needed to voice out the truth. “Your son and I are done.”
“I s-see.” The glass in Raquel’s hand rattled hard.
Anneke was immediately concerned. “Are you alright?” She belatedly remembered Marcus’ voicemail mentioning his mother needing an operation following her OD, and her remorse grew. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to shock you about the news—-”
“Is it because of our past?” Raquel forced herself to ask. “He told me he’d tell you the truth, and if this is what it’s all about—-”
“No.” Anneke bit her lip hard. “I’m sorry I forced you to bring that up, but no. I can assure you it’s not about that at all, and I would – I would never leave him for that.” And unable to help it, she heard herself add bitterly, “I’m afraid our row is over something more common.”