Page 140 of Bitter Confessions

“What did I say?” he hissed.

“I need to be alone.”

“That isn’t an option.”

She stared at his chin as she said, “I don’t want to be here.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere.”

“Tell me, and I’ll take you.”

“Don’t you have to work?” He gave her a shake that made the fresh knot on the side of her head start pounding. “You’re hurting me!”

He stopped, but a vein in his forehead made an appearance. He visibly reined in his temper and said, “Give me a town, country—something.”

She said the first thing that came to mind. “Mountains.”

He set her down with enough force that her legs buckled. She grabbed onto him to steady herself as he reached into his pocket for his cell phone.

“Prepare the jet,” he barked at whoever was on the line. Then he ordered, “Pack a bag.”

She didn’t want him to come with her, but at least he wasn’t forcing her to stay here. Her need to flee was stronger than her need to be alone, so she didn’t argue. She dashed to the closet, stripped out of Daiyu’s cursed dress, and haphazardly tossed her clothes into a bag. If she were a good wife, she would have done the same for him, but she didn’t anticipate he’d be staying long. It was only a matter of time before he’d rush back to the city.

She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and gather toiletries. At some point, she glanced at her reflection and saw she looked as horrible as she felt. Bloodshot, swollen eyes, fake eyelashes barely hanging on, patches of foundation missing, and her lip gloss gone. She looked ridiculous wearing a pink tracksuit with millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry. She took off the diamonds and washed the remnants of this horrible night from her face.

She braced her hands on the vanity, face dripping over the sink as she tried to center herself. Her insides were as calm as a blizzard and just as clear. A glint of red caught her eye. She was still wearing Warren’s token for Elena, the small ring going unnoticed amid all the others. She wrenched the ruby heart ring off her finger and flung it across the bathroom. She didn’t hear it hit the shower wall or roll across the floor, because Roth caught it.

She stared at him, chest heaving, water soaking her front, as he examined the ring. Somehow, Roth had already changed out of the tux into jeans and a long coat. He also had a travel bag on his shoulder.

“You said this belonged to your mother,” he said quietly.

She snatched a towel to wipe her face and hide her revulsion. He didn’t say a word as she slipped a few more things into her bag and turned to face him. She stared at his chest because she couldn’t bear to meet his eyes.

“You don’t have to come with me.” She hated the way he spun that cursed ring between his fingers. She wanted to throw it in the trash but didn’t want to bring more attention to it than she already had.

When he said nothing and continued to stare at her, she started for the door.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

She looked back and saw his gaze trained on the vanity. On top of the pile of diamonds was her wedding ring. She stood there for several seconds, warring with herself, before she retrieved the ring and slipped it on.

“Let’s go.”

She followed him out of the master suite. She didn’t know why he was allowing this or where they were going, but she didn’t care. Anywhere was better than here.