Chapter 5

Zoe watched Sebastian, her fists clenched tight. She could hear her heart racing as though she were on death row, waiting for word of her fate.

He glanced at the bomb one last time. Footsteps sounded outside, and he made his decision.

"Zo, there's something very important I have to take care of. Those footsteps must be the specialists. They'll get you out."

He left without another moment's hesitation. Watching him walk away, Zoe felt her heart turn to ice.

The footsteps outside faded after Sebastian left. No bomb specialists appeared.

Zoe picked up the scissors herself and cut a wire. The timer stopped. She'd chosen correctly.

Unsteadily, she got to her feet, but the moment she stepped out of the warehouse, an enormous blast erupted behind her. The shock wave hurled her dozens of yards before she hit the ground hard. Countless tiny, sharp fragments tore through the air and embedded themselves deep in her flesh before everything went black.

Fragments of memory flashed before her eyes. Sebastian had given up a place at one of the world's best universities because she'd said she didn't want them to be thousands of miles apart. He'd set aside a patent he'd spent two years working on and rushed back just to make her ginger tea for her cramps. In the early days of his business, when he desperately needed funding, he'd gotten into a fight with an investor who tried to force her to drink. It had nearly cost him his company.

The Sebastian who'd loved her more than anything was gone.

"Mrs. Lawson! Mrs. Lawson, what's wrong?"

At the sound of the housekeeper, Helen Brooks's voice, Zoe's eyes flew open. Only then did she realize her face was wet with tears. Seeing her awake, Helen immediately called the family's doctor.

"You're finally awake, Mrs. Lawson. You've been unconscious for a week."

Zoe stared blankly at the ceiling. "How did I get here?" she asked calmly.

"A Good Samaritan used your phone to contact us at the house. We went and brought you to the hospital."

"Has Sebastian been here?"

"Mr. Lawson... He..."

Helen faltered, unsure how to tell her there had been no word from him all week.

Remembering the sight of Sebastian holding Yvonne, Zoe gave a self-mocking smile. One word from Yvonne had been enough to make him abandon her when she had no way out. Why would he bother checking on her now?

"Zo! I'm here! How are you?"

Sebastian suddenly pushed open the door and rushed in, his voice frantic. The worry and anguish on his face were exactly as she remembered, but they stirred nothing in her now.

His eyes reddened at the sight of the bandages covering her body. Every apology and explanation he'd prepared caught in his throat. Taking her hand, he looked at her with eyes full of regret.

"Zo, are you... are you all right? The other day..."

"Who called you that day?"

She held his gaze. She already knew the answer, but she was determined to hear him say it.

His eyes shifted away for a moment before he answered calmly.

"One of our most important clients. Her husband's abroad, and he asked me to look after her. I couldn't refuse. Zo, we owe so much of the company's success to her help. You saw for yourself how hard it was when I was starting out. You understand, don't you?"

Zoe's eyes went blank as a bitter ache filled her chest. Even now, he was still lying, using the hardships she'd helped him through to guilt her into accepting it. She finally understood that the man before her was no longer the one she'd fallen in love with.

After a long silence, she said, "I understand."

Her answer should have reassured him, but the calm, lifeless eyes beneath her smile only made his panic worse.

"Zo..."

"Mr. Lawson, your wi—it's time. The client's waiting."

His assistant, Ethan Parker, had opened the door and stepped in, cutting him off before he could say anything more.

Zoe knew who was waiting: Yvonne, his legal wife. Sebastian stiffened and opened his mouth, but he still couldn't say what was in his heart.

"I'll come back and stay with you as soon as I'm done, Zo."

She didn't try to stop him. Staring at the ceiling, she murmured, "Sebastian, I don't want to love you anymore..."

He stopped, his hand suddenly tightening around the door handle.