The elevator dinged a warning that it was about to open, so she hurried to trot up them.
CHAPTER EIGHT
JOY HAD NEVERfelt more powerless in her life. Axel had taken more than her body into his hands in the last twenty-four hours. Her finances and her family’s welfare were also in his control. Most painful of all, she’d let him make one of her most deeply hidden dreams come true, and it had turned into a nightmare.
Not that it was his fault that Otto was utterly disinterested in her. She hadn’t seen anything more than calculation in the older man’s gaze even before he’d known she and Axel were married. No curiosity or sentimentality. Her initial thought had been,This is why she didn’t put his name on my birth certificate.
In fact, Joy had to wonder if her birth mother had been protecting herself by not telling Otto about her pregnancy. Lorena would have been tied to Otto forever if she had kept Joy and told him about her.
Axel was also correct in saying that if he hadn’t interfered, she would have come here to meet Otto. And, yes, she would have wound up exactly this disappointed.
By marrying me, you took control…
It didn’t feel that way at all! She felt overwhelmed and raw and homesick, but it was too early to even call her father to let him know she’d arrived safely. There was nothing he could do to help her, anyway. She texted that she had landed safely and sent another to her brother. David was in Guam, but he typically only replied when he was off duty. It wasn’t unusual for days to pass before she heard back from him.
At this rate, David was only going to sayI told you so, and she deserved it.
This was the deal she had struck, however. Had she really thought there would be no cost to her?
She snorted at herself, realizing she had to shake off whatever expectations she’d had and deal with what was. She had to accept that she had landed herself into this situation and figure out how to take charge from here.
She started by pulling herself together physically. She changed into her favorite jeans and a snug striped top, then brushed out her hair and washed her face, reapplying just enough makeup to hide the distress around her eyes.
Then, because she hadn’t had more than a cup of coffee since leaving Chicago, she made her way downstairs, planning to raid the refrigerator.
Heskel was here, setting the table for two. “Frau Severin,” he greeted with a polite smile. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” she admitted, then glanced around warily, bracing herself for the aggressive energy that her husband gave off with a single look.
Can I trust you? You promised me a year.
She had, and it was really landing on her what a daunting promise that was.
“Where’s Axel?” she asked.
“In with Gerard.” He nodded at a closed door. “He said you should eat while it’s hot. He’ll join you as soon as he can.”
He removed a covered dish from an insulated bag and set out a plate for her. The crepes were still steaming and had a bluish-purple compote drizzled across them.
Her stomach panged, and her mouth began to water.
“Please,” Heskel invited, holding her chair. “Would you like coffee? Juice? A mimosa?” He set out a basket of pastries and a pretty parfait of yogurt, berries and muesli.
“I’d love a coffee, thank you.”
While she was trying to eat with more grace than a lion pouncing on a kill, Heskel set a cappuccino above her plate. A swimming swan was drawn into its foam.
“That’s beautiful.” She was charmed. “Were you a barista in a past life?”
“I was.” He glanced over the table with a critical eye. “What else can I do for you? Unpack?” He glanced to the loft.
“You could call me Joy,” she suggested. “And keep me company.” She was feeling very friendless at the moment, trying to imagine how she could make this work.
“When we’re not in public, of course. Joy,” he conceded with an amiable nod. “I have the same arrangement with Axel.”
“Have you worked for him long?”
He hesitated, then said, “Four years.”
