Page 76 of The Payback Adventure
“You are my world.” He touched her hand, and she jerked away. “You, Sam, Abby, Caitlin, Ruff, Ritz, even that damn rooster whocock-a-doodle-doosall day long.”
Some part of her had longed to hear those words and wanted to believe him. But she couldn’t. This wasn’t Henry, the down-on-his-luck farmhand, talking. This was Henry, the billionaire. The liar. “I don’t believe you.”
“It’s the truth,” he mumbled.
The pain in her voice made her want to reach out to him. She couldn’t. “But you’re rich and have a whole other life. Without us.”
Without me.
Saying the words made them more real. Bitterness filled her, and anguish squeezed her heart. Henry might think he wanted them at first, but he would leave.
A rich playboy… Never with the same date.
“I know all about your ‘adventure.’” She struggled to hold on to her composure and her pride. “I returned Cynthia’s twenty-five thousand dollars.”
His eyes darkened. “That’s a lot of money.”
“Not to you.” Elisabeth knew she was acting like a bratty kid, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t care. Not about him.
“Elisabeth—”
“No matter what your intentions, I appreciate you working on the farm.” She straightened. “If you leave me your address, I’ll mail your final paycheck.”
“I don’t need the check. I need you.”
She shrugged, ignoring how the desperation in his voice clawed at her. She didn’t know what to do. Conflicting emotions were turning her inside out. She couldn’t take it. Not now. Probably not ever. “It’s better this way. You must have places to go, money to spend, women to woo.”
His eyebrows drew together. “Woo?”
“Or whatever it is you do with them. You’ve been on a boring berry farm for a month. I’m sure you need to make up for lost time.”
Tears stung her eyes. She focused on Caitlin so he wouldn’t see. This was for the best. If Henry remained in her life, he would never be happy. He would leave her. Leave the kids, too. Elisabeth preferred he did it now.
“What are you saying?” he asked.
“Goodbye, Henry.”
As she stared at one of the monitors, she waited. Beeping, blips, breathing. Then she heard footsteps moving away from her. She listened until they were gone.
The strength she’d been clinging to vanished, leaving her lost and dejected and with nothing.
Despite the lies, despite everything, a part of her had still hoped Henry would be different. That he wasn’t like the others who went away or died and left her alone.
An acute sense of loss overcame her. Elisabeth clenchedher hands into fists. A lump burned in her throat as hot as a glowing charcoal briquette, but she would not cry. The kids, especially Caitlin, needed Elisabeth to be strong now. She had the rest of her life to fall apart.
The machines kept making noises, and she focused on those.
Footsteps sounded again. Only this time, they were coming toward her. Closer and closer. Her breath caught in her throat.
It must be a nurse or doctor. Still, she clutched the bed rail.
“I won’t let you do this,” Henry said in a firm tone. “I heard what you said to Caitlin about another person you loved going away. I’m not like the others. I won’t leave you. And I won’t let you push me away.”
Elisabeth had to push. She had no choice but to be the one to send him away. Because if he was the one to leave her, she didn’t think she would survive. And she had to endure. For Sam and Abby and—Elisabeth stared at the hospital bed—Caitlin.
He stopped right behind her. “I’ve never had to fight for anything in my life, but I’ll fight for you, Elisabeth with anS. And I won’t lose.”
“Don’t do this.” She choked on the words, battling the desperation threatening to overwhelm her. Her knuckles blanched on the bed rail. “Stop saying things you don’t mean.”
