“Taking some time to rethink the relationship,” Zander filled in for him.
“Without seeing you for a while,” Sawyer added.
“Doesn’t sound good to me,” Perry said through the line.
Duke glanced at his phone where it rested face-up on the table. “Thanks for your insight,” he mumbled. “It’snotgood, obviously. It’s freaking awful.”
Camila reached out and took the note. “Not necessarily.” She looked over it for a moment, thoughtful. “I think she’s…daring herself to break up with you.”
Perry coughed through the line. “Sorry,” he blurted. “Dang cleansing drink.” The muted thumps that came through next had Duke picturing the guy smacking his chest with a palm. He coughed some more. “I’ll excuse myself.” A small beep let out a second before the screen went black.
Duke turned his eyes back on Camila.
“She loves you,” his sister-in-law continued. “That’swhyshe’s asking for time instead of just breaking things off. She’ll make the right choice.”
“I can’t believe Sylvia made such a spectacle last night,” Grandma Lo said with a groan. “I hold to the idea that it reflects more poorly on her than anyone else, you and Vivia included.”
“Exactly,” Duke said. “Sylvialooks like the crazy one here.”
“And as far as Benton family scandals go,” she added, “we’ve definitely had worse.”
“True,” Betzy agreed.
Duke shook his head. “Why did Vivi have to overreact like this?”
“Have youseenwhat the media’s doing to this yet?” Claudia asked. “They’ve brought her boys into it. Some are saying she was gold digging clear back before they were born. Dating you, and then one of the Knox boys.”
“She’s not after money,” Duke said, a new dart of heat stabbing into his heart. He refused to believe he’d really lose her. It wasn’t going to happen. He just needed to…to make her see that being with him wouldn’t be aspublicas she feared.
But could he really make that sort of guarantee?
“I’m sure she just needs some time,” Kat said.
“I had to give Kat time when she wanted it,” Zander added.
“Camila needed time too after the tabloids had at her,” James said.
Michael chuckled under his breath. “I have to give Claudia time every month.”
Duke considered the text that came in at six that morning.Left a note for you on your front door.
That was it. She’d driven onto his estate, walked right up his steps, and tucked the envelope in the wedge between the doorframe and the door. He’d played it back on his home security footage to watch it for himself.
What Viv hadn’t done, sadly, was stick around long enough for him to see her, hold her, assure her—in person—that everything would be alright.
He was certain that she, like he, had stayed up the whole night long scanning through public reactions about Sylvia’s outburst. Very few of them, it seemed, slanted a negative light on Vivi, thank heavens. But some did, and he could only imagine, after never taking a real step into the spotlight prior, how uneasy that would make her feel.
And then there were a rare few that divulged parts of her background and personal life, including mention of the twins. Boy, did that boil his blood. He’d seen how protective she was where the twins were concerned. He felt a similar weight there. An urgency to shield them at all costs. But from his perspective, it didn’t have to come at the cost of their relationship.
Heck, Duke had enough funds to protect them better than anyone.
“Kind of ironic that a woman who offers people a shot at redemption ends up getting slandered herself,” James said.
“Yeah,” Camila agreed. “It doesn’t seem fair.”
“I wish more than anything we could giveherthe redemption she gives everyone else,” Duke said.
“Maybe we can,” Grandma Lo cried. “That’show we’re going to get your girl back,” At once, she was on her feet and pacing across the floor.
