Page 68 of Saved By the Billionaire

She nodded distractedly. “Okay.”

When Garrett arrived, Kate didn’t know what she expected. Good news? Bad? No news? But her blood was bursting through her body, and it was only partly because of the way Roman stood, one arm around her shoulders, holding her to his body, the other dropped to hold her hand, like he knew she needed as much contact as she could get.

“Kate, how are you?”

She nodded. “You have news?” she repeated.

“I do, yes.” He looked uneasily towards Roman.

“It’s okay,” she said, exhaling. “I’m ready. What is it?”

He grimaced. “I’m sorry, Kate. Your father’s dead.”

She truly hadn’t been expecting that. “I’m sorry?”

“He died a year ago, in a traffic accident. I needed your DNA to be sure it was him, before I told you,” he explained.

“I see.”

“I’ve got a probate lawyer looking into his estate, to see if there’s anything you need to deal with. The fact he’s an American citizen will work in your favour for the visa issue.”

She was numb, though, her insides flooding with a sort of ice that she knew would never thaw. She pulled her hand from Roman’s and slowly stepped away from him, walking towards the sofa. She was alone.

Well and truly isolated.

She hadn’t realised, until that moment, just how much hope she was pinning on her father’s existence. That finally she might be tethered to someone, a person who—if they didn’t love her—was at least a part of her. Someone to whom she belonged.

But there was no one.

“Kate.” Roman’s voice was sharp. “Sit down.”

She turned to face him, wondering why he looked as though he’d seen a ghost. He cursed and crossed to her, gently guiding her to the sofa and putting enough weight on her shoulders that she collapsed into the cushions. She stared straight ahead. There was no one for Kate.

Even Roman had Tia. Us. We. She was, and always would be me. I.

“Thank you for letting me know,” she said, unevenly.

“I’m chasing down his birth certificate, to help get your US documents in order⁠—”

Kate lifted her gaze to Garrett’s, shaking her head. “You’ve done enough,” she said. “I won’t be staying in the country.”

She didn’t look at Roman; why would she have? He knew she was leaving at some point, but now, she just needed to get away completely. Away from Roman, away from her hopes that she would be a part of something here, with her father, in this country. Emotions were assaulting her from every direction; she could hardly breathe.

She was suffocating, every breath costing her an inordinate effort.

“Can you have whatever you’ve got couriered over, for Kate to keep?” His eyes rested on her, revealing nothing. “I can put you in touch with my Australian lawyer, Kate. To help when you’re ready.”

Her gut tightened. That was Roman. Accepting her departure and moving on to the practicalities. She nodded, even though she had no intention of falling in with his suggestion. She’d do this on her own, just as she would every other thing in her life. Kate was a survivor. Alone, but a survivor, and she’d survive this, too.

By silent, but mutual, consent they didn’t talk about it. Kate didn’t want to, and Roman understood that. They spent the night together but the silence of what they weren’t saying was oppressive. And when the sun cracked like a yolk over Manhattan the next morning, they both knew what it meant.

They were over; this thing they had was done—no more ignoring reality.

“I don’t want you to buy me a ticket.”

“I’m not buying it. I’m sending you, on my jet.”

“No way. Apart from anything, that’s incredibly bad for the environment.”