“There’s no need?” Nina repeated. “You’re not making any sense. Maybe we should talk about this tomorrow.”
“No.” Theo needed to talk about this now, before his care for her overwhelmed any scrap of logic he had left. “There’s no need for me to spend more time with you, because our ruse is almost finished. I need to work. We don’t need to pretend anymore. Not as much.”
To his horror, tears filled Nina’s beautiful blue eyes. They felt like a punch in the gut to Theo. This was all his fault. He’d gotten caught up in the ruse, and apparently, so had she. It had all started to feel so real, as though they really were a little family — and they could never be. He had to get back to work. He had to return to his real life.
And, as much as he hated it, that meant he had to push Nina away.
CHAPTER 20
NINA
Nina fought back her tears. Her heart ached in her chest, and all she wanted to do was get up, throw her chair to the floor, and shout at Theo that he was being an idiot and that he obviously cared about her, just like she cared about him. It was as plain as day that he was letting fear stand in the way of his happiness, and hers.
Or was it?
In an instant, the fury left Nina, replaced by heartbreak. Maybeshewas the one who’d been mistaken. Over the last few weeks, she’d let herself get close to Theo. She’d let herself trust him. She’d even let herself kiss him and spend the night with him. But Theo had been clear from the beginning that this was only a ruse and that he would always put his work first.
Nina had been imagining things. That was it. Theo had played with Jack and talked with her, not because he cared about them, but because of the ruse. He’d needed to fool Charles, and now that he had, it was all over, just as she’d feared. He’d been pretending the whole time. It was her own fault that shehadn’tbeen.
Any trace of caring she’d seen in his brown eyes was gone now. He stared at her coldly, as though she were a fleck of mud on his perfectly polished shoes, or a houseguest who had long overstayed her welcome. The food she’d plated for him grew cold between them.
“I understand,” Nina said. It took all her willpower to keep her voice steady, but she did it. She couldn’t let this cold businessman know how much he’d hurt her. “You don’t need us anymore.”
Theo raised his chin slightly. “I don’t. I appreciate all you did to help me win Charles over, but I have him on the line now. It’s more about my product than my values.”
“Of course.” Nina stood abruptly, the chair scraping back loudly against the hardwood floor. “Jack and I will move out. By the time you get home from work tomorrow, we’ll be gone.”
Something flickered in Theo’s brown eyes. Regret? Fear? But just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Nina had probably imagined that, too.
“You can stay,” he said after a pause. “I still need Charles to think I have a family.”
“If you need me, I’ll come,” Nina said. “But Jack won’t. This has been confusing enough for him without dragging it out. We’re going home.”
Home. The tiny apartment she’d shared with her son for the last five years didn’t feel like home anymore. Nina wasn’t even sure when she’d last been back there. Weeks ago? Theo’s mansion had begun to feel like her home. She’d been so comfortable here, with him. That was all shattered now.
“I…” Theo shook his head. “You should stay. You’re being too hasty. Nothing has changed. And it would look bad if I had another meeting with Charles and the two of you didn’t come. We need to keep up appearances.”
Nina stared at him in disbelief. “All you care about is your image, huh? Like I said,I’llcome if you need me, but not Jack. I should have put my foot down about him a long time ago.”
“No, Nina—” Theo stood, but Nina shook her head, backing away.
“You’ve said what you wanted to say. I expect you to hold up your end of the deal — Jack’s school enrollment and our payment.”
“Of course I will,” Theo said. “But seriously, I’d like you to stay a few more weeks. We agreed you’d stay for up to six months.”
“We agreed that I’d stay until you landed your deal with Charles. You’ve been clear that you don’t need us anymore, and we’re not going to stay where we aren’t wanted.”
Then Nina turned and walked out of the kitchen. If Theo looked after her, she didn’t see it, because she didn’t look back. She wanted to run upstairs and slam the door like a child, but she didn’t. She stayed completely calm until she was alone in her room. Then she fell onto her bed, hugged her pillow tightly, and began to sob.
She’d trusted Theo. She really had. And just like Jack’s dad, he’d left her. Or he’d toldherto leave, anyway. She’d been so stupid. From the beginning, she’d promised herself that she wouldn’t let Theo into her heart and that she would keep her distance. But one moment of weakness and she’d fallen into his bed, sure that things would be different this time.
Things were never different. Men would always break her heart. The only person Nina could rely on was herself. And she owed it to Jack to keep it that way.
Nina must have slept,because she woke the next morning, her pillow damp with tears, still wearing the same clothes she’d had on the night before. Thankfully, Theo wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She quickly showered, then packed her things. She wanted to take everything but ended up only filling a suitcase with her clothes and other necessities. She’d come back for the rest later, but she couldn’t bear to stay in this house a minute longer than she needed to.
When Jack woke up, she fed him breakfast and took him to school.
“Where’s Theo?” Jack asked as they drove. He’d been quiet that morning, perhaps sensing that his mother was in pain and that something had changed in their quiet little world.
