Both brothers made a sound of disbelief. “Quite convenient, wouldn’t you say?” Piers interjected.
“She’s leading you around by the balls,” Theron said in disgust.
“I found it hard to believe myself,” Chrysander admitted. “But I’ve seen her. She’s here…in our—my apartment. Her memory loss is real.” There was no way she could fake the abject vulnerability, the confusion and pain that clouded her once-vibrant blue eyes. The knowledge of her pain bothered him when it shouldn’t. She deserved to suffer as she’d made him suffer.
Piers made a rude noise.
“What do you plan to do?” Theron asked.
Chrysander braced himself for their objections. “We’re flying out to the island as soon as I feel she’s well enough. It’s a more suitable place for her recovery, and it’s out of the public eye.”
“Can’t you install her somewhere until the baby comes and then get rid of her?” Piers demanded. “We lost two multimillion dollar deals because of her, and now our designs are going up under our competitor’s name.”
What he didn’t say but Chrysander heard as loudly as if his brother had spoken the words was that they had lost those deals because Chrysander had been blinded by a woman he was sleeping with. It was as much his fault as it was Marley’s. He’d let his brothers down in the worst way. Risked what they’d spent years working to achieve.
“I cannot leave her right now,” Chrysander said carefully. “She has no family. No one who could care for her. She carries my child, and to that end, I will do whatever it takes to ensure the baby’s health and safety. The doctor feels her memory loss is only temporary, merely a coping mechanism for the trauma she has endured.”
“What do the authorities have to say about her abduction?” Piers asked. “Do you know why yet, and who was responsible?”
“I spoke briefly with them at the hospital, and I have a meeting with the detective in charge of the investigation tomorrow,” Chrysander said grimly. “I hope to find out more then. I’ll also tell them of my plans to take her out of the country. I have to think of her safety, and that of the baby.”
“I can see you’re already decided in this,” Theron said quietly.
“Yes.”
Piers made a sound as though he’d protest but was cut off when Theron spoke once more. “Do what you have to do, Chrysander. Piers and I can handle things. And for what it’s worth, congratulations on becoming a father.”
“Thanks,” Chrysander murmured as he pressed the button to end the call.
He set the phone aside. Instead of making him feel any better about the situation, his discussion with his brothers had only reinforced how impossible things were. He didn’t doubt that Marley didn’t remember him or the fact that she’d stolen from him. Her confusion couldn’t possibly be that feigned.
Which left him with the only choice he had, one he’d made the instant he’d known she was pregnant with his child. He would keep her close to him, take care of her, ensure she had the best care possible. He’d hire someone to stay with her when he couldn’t be there and to provide the more intimate details of her care. It would enable him to keep her at arm’s length while still keeping a close watch on her progress. And he would set aside, for now, the anger over her betrayal.
Four
The next morning, Marley sat across from Chrysander as he watched her eat breakfast. He nodded approvingly when she managed to finish the omelet he’d prepared, and he urged her to drink the glass of juice in front of her.
Despite her anxiety and uncertainty, it felt good to be taken care of by this man. Even if she wasn’t entirely sure of her place in his world. He was solicitous of her, but at the same time he seemed distant. She wasn’t sure if it was out of deference to her memory loss, and he had no wish to frighten her, or if this was simply the normal course of their relationship.
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled absently. The idea that this could be ordinary bothered her. Surely she hadn’t desired marriage with someone who treated her so politely, as though she were a stranger.
And yet, for all intents and purposes, they were strangers. At least he was to her. A flood of sympathy rolled through her. How awful it had to be for him to have his fiancée, a woman he loved and planned to marry, just forget him, as though he never existed. She couldn’t imagine being in his shoes.
He’d watched her closely through breakfast, and she knew she must be broadcasting her unease, but he said nothing until he’d cleared their dishes away and taken her into the living room. He settled her on the couch and then sat next to her, his stare probing.
“What is concerning you this morning, Marley?” Chrysander asked.
His gaze passed over her face, and his expression left her faintly breathless.
“I was just thinking how perfectly rotten this whole thing must be for you.”
One eyebrow rose, and he tilted his head questioningly. He looked surprised, as though it were the last thing he’d expected her to say.
“What do you mean?”
She looked down, suddenly shy and even more uncertain. He reached over and touched his fingers to her chin. He slid them further underneath and tugged until she met his gaze.
“Tell me why things are so horrible for me.”
