Page 37 of His Housekeeper's Twin Baby Confession
Massimo cocked his head to the side. ‘Who made you feel so insecure?’
Carrie cursed her expressive features. She hadn’t built up a poker face like Massimo.
He said, ‘It can’t have been your mother. She loved you.’
Carrie felt claustrophobic. She ducked out from under Massimo’s arm and moved away. She didn’t want to go there—back to the past. Not when she was enjoying the present so much. But then she thought of how generous Massimo had been, and what he’d shared about his brother.
She looked out over the city, at the people moving far below. ‘My husband... It wasn’t a happy marriage. At first I thought it would be—obviously, or I wouldn’t have married him. But it didn’t take long for him to show the real reason he’d married me.’
Because she’d been weak. Vulnerable.
‘Did he hurt you?’
Massimo’s voice was harsh. Carrie glanced at him. His face was stark. It sent something dangerously warm to her heart.
‘No—no.Well, not physically, at least.’Except for the sex you never enjoyed,reminded a little voice.
Carrie said, ‘It was mainly verbal and moods and manipulation...’
That nearly made it more humiliating. She didn’t even have a physical scar to show for it.
She faced Massimo. ‘Do we have to talk about this now?’
He shook his head and came towards her. ‘I’m sorry you experienced that, Carrie. You didn’t deserve it.’
She felt sad. ‘No one ever does, do they?’
She desperately wanted Massimo to touch her, to negate the cold chill blowing over her soul, but there was a knock on the door. Massimo didn’t move for a long moment and then, as if sensing what she needed—him—he said, ‘I can send them away?’
But Carrie felt as if she was falling...slipping and sliding down a steep hill. The fact that she needed Massimo in such a very visceral way terrified her.
She pasted a bright smile on her face. ‘No, don’t be daft. I’m starving.’
Massimo went to answer the door and Carrie turned to face the view blindly. She wasn’t falling in love.She wasn’t.But she was in serious danger of needing Massimo in a way that had too many echoes of the past. She had to be careful...
That evening Carrie felt like a princess. After lunch a team had arrived to get her ready for the gala event that evening. And now she was wearing a long flowing chiffon evening gown. In a very light blush shade, it was whimsical and romantic, the material gathered at her waist and over her breasts by a delicate rope. Her arms were bare. Her hair was pulled back into a loose chignon. She’d been given gold drop earrings and a gold armlet.
She saw herself in the mirror and felt a jolt. It was so strange to see herself transformed like this. It felt right...but it also felt wrong. More wrong than right.
Massimo walked into the room, resplendent in a black tuxedo, fixing his cuffs. He saw her and stopped in his tracks, dark eyes moving over her so thoroughly that it felt like a caress. But not even that could shake the uncomfortable sensation that she didn’t really belong here.
His gaze narrowed. ‘What is it? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.’
She gestured to herself. ‘This isn’t me. I feel like I’m in the wrong place and it’s only a matter of time before I’m asked to leave.’
He moved towards her. ‘You know what they call that?’
She shook her head.
‘Imposter syndrome.’
‘Well, that’s because I am an imposter.’
He shook his head. ‘You have as much right as anyone else to be in this place.’
‘I don’t belong here.’
‘And I do belong here just because of an accident of birth? That’s not very fair, is it?’
