Semua Bab The Woman He Never Chose: Bab 31 - Bab 40

Philip opened his eyes to an empty bed. The sheets on Rita's side were flat. Undisturbed. Cold when he pressed his palm against them. She had not slept there. Or she had gotten up long before he woke. Either way the space where she should have been was empty and the cold of it hit him in the chest before his mind could catch up. He sat up. Looked around the suite. The bathroom door was closed. He stared at it for a long moment. Waiting for the sound of water. Or the sound of her moving around in there. Nothing. He got up. Walked to the bathroom door. Knocked. "Rita?" No answer. He knocked again. Harder. "Rita. Are you in there?" Nothing. He opened the door. The bathroom was empty. Her toothbrush was in the holder. Her face cream sat on the counter. But she was not there. Philip stood in the doorway for a moment. His jaw worked. His hand gripped the doorframe. He looked at the empty bathroom like it was going to give him an answer. He turned and moved through the suite fast. Cl

Cassie parked the car in front of the Armstrong mansion and turned off the engine. She looked over at Rita, her hands still resting on the steering wheel.“Are you sure about this?” she asked.Rita stared at the massive front doors for a long moment. Her pulse beat hard in her throat. She nodded once.“I’m not changing my mind. I’ve had enough.”Cassie studied her face, then gave a slow nod of her own. She understood. She always had.Rita opened the door and stepped out. The late afternoon air felt cooler than she expected. She drew in a deep breath and held it for a second before letting it go. Philip would be calling her phone nonstop by now. That was why she had switched it off before they left Monaco. She could still feel the weight of his hands on her body from the night before. The memory sent a flush of heat up her neck and into her cheeks. She shook her head hard, as if the motion alone could push the thought away.Whatever had happened between them last night was a mistake. A

Philip had no idea what had unfolded behind him. He kept the car pointed forward, the engine straining as he pushed past the speed limit, tires biting into the pavement with every hard turn. He stopped at every train station along the route, engine idling while he stepped out with Rita’s photograph in hand. She had left her own car behind, so he figured she must have boarded a train toward the airport.At each station he held the picture out to ticket clerks, security guards, anyone who would look. They all shook their heads. No one had seen her. Philip let out a long breath and rubbed the back of his neck. The frustration sat heavy in his chest. “God, I pushed her away. I went too far.”He paced the length of the platform, shoes scuffing against the concrete, then climbed back into the car. He was already turning the key, ready to head straight for the airport, when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out. The name on the screen made his mouth tighten. Bianca. He answe

Cassie moved through the grocery aisle with slow steps, her fingers brushing packages and produce as she chose what she thought they needed. Bread. Milk. A few vegetables that looked decent. Fruit that wasn’t too soft. Everything about the store felt wrong. The lighting was colder, the brands unfamiliar, the quiet different from the noise she knew in Los Angeles. She missed home already. The thought sat heavy in her chest for a second before she pushed it down and kept walking. She was here now. She had to make it work.When the cart was full enough she pushed it toward the checkout. Only then did she realize her mistake. No card. No cash. Nothing in her pockets but the apartment keys and her phone. Heat rushed up her neck. She stared at the total on the screen and felt something close to panic.“Oh shit,” she muttered, already turning the cart around. She would have to put every item back. The idea of walking the aisles again, returning things one by one while people watched, made he

Rita stood at the curb with her arms crossed, watching Cassie adjust her fur coat in the backseat of the taxi. The burgundy jumpsuit hugged every curve she had. The knee high boots came up to her knees. She looked like money. She looked like trouble. She looked like a woman who was about to have a very good night or a very bad one and Rita was not sure which."Don't forget to call me when you get there," Rita said. She leaned into the open window of the taxi.Cassie smiled. "I promise."Rita's face stayed serious. "If I don't hear from you in the next thirty minutes I will drive down to that restaurant with a pepper spray and a taser."Cassie laughed. "Calm down Ri. Eddie doesn't bite.""How do you know?" Rita put her hands on her waist. Her back had been aching for three days since they arrived in London. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other but she did not soften. "He might be a bad man. A rapist. Anything. What is the name of the restaurant you guys are meeting?""Hill