CHAPTER 2
Griffin returned home well after midnight.
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As his personal assistant who’d helped build his company from nothing, I handled everything from his business files to his personal affairs. We were practically joined at the hip. For convenience’s sake, I’d even moved in with him.
That night, I was sitting on the couch scrolling through wedding dress styles on my iPad while discussing details with the boutique on the phone. I didn’t bother looking up when I heard his key in the door.
I could feel Griffin’s surprise when he realized I hadn’t jumped up to take his coat like I usually did. He stood in the entryway, watching me continue my call, catching fragments about “lace detailing” and “wedding ceremony.”
He rubbed his temples–a sign he was irritated–and cleared his throat. “What are you doing? Didn’t you notice I’m home?”
I ended my call, glancing up at him with deliberate coolness. “I noticed. I’m just busy.”
His expression darkened as he held out his jacket expectantly. This was our routine: he’d come home, I’d take his coat, hang it up, and often hand–wash it if needed. Not tonight.
“The washing machine’s right there,” I said, nodding toward the laundry room. “If you want it cleaned, you can do it yourself.”
I’d always been accommodating, never refusing any of his requests. My sudden rejection made his eyes narrow suspiciously.
Something had changed. He could sense it, even if he couldn’t identify what it was. But I kept my face neutral, revealing nothing.
“The designer suits need to be hand–washed,” he said with an irritated click of his tongue.
“Then send it to the dry cleaners.”
Each refusal made his anger rise. He loosened his tie with a sharp tug, his voice growing cold. “What’s gotten into you today?”
I opened my mouth to argue, then realized it wasn’t worth it. Without another word, I walked to my bedroom.
Once inside, I could hear Griffin on the phone in the hallway. The walls were thin, and with my door slightly ajar, his words carried clearly into my room.
“I just got home and found Tessa looking at wedding dresses,” his smooth voice dripped with arrogance. “She must have seen my TV interview and thinks I meant
I’m
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marrying her.”
A pause.
“That was just to handle the press. But I am marrying Chloe in seven days—that part’s true.”
The person on the other end seemed to ask why he hadn’t told me the truth. Griffin let out a cold laugh that made his handsome face suddenly ugly. “Would you throw away a free housekeeper you’ve had for twelve years? If I’m getting rid of her, it’ll be after Chloe and I are married in seven days.”
“What if Tessa finds out?”
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“I’ve hidden it well. She won’t discover anything,” Griffin scoffed. “And even if she does, what can she possibly do? She’s so in love with me that she’s like a puppy–I just need to snap my fingers and she’ll come running back. I have her wrapped around my finger.”
“Just make sure you don’t slip up and tell her…
וו
I didn’t need to hear more. I closed the door and sank onto my bed, my heart feeling like it had been submerged in ice water.
So that’s how Griffin saw me—as a lovesick puppy he could summon with a snap of
his fingers.
The only mistake was mine, for not seeing him clearly sooner. For trailing after him for twelve years knowing he’d never marry me.
During those twelve years, I’d confessed my love 9,999 times.
I should have understood every time he rejected me that he didn’t love me and never would marry me.
Thank god this puppy had finally woken up.
In seven days, I’d be free of him forever, married to someone else…
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