"There's money," I continue, words tumbling out urgently. "In a Swiss account under the name Catherine Doyle. It was my grandmother's maiden name. I've been adding to it for years. There is enough for her to go to private school and for you to live near her, at least for a few years.” I pray I can continue to make money in secret to fund their lives until Brigit turns eighteen. Another reason for me to be compliant with Phoenix. Maybe he’ll let me have my laptop back and I can continue to write and publish in secret to insure Brigit has all she needs.
Fiona nods, her face set with determination despite the fear in her eyes. “I’ll do whatever is needed.”
"Perfect." I grasp her hands. "The account information is hidden in a book in my room,Jane Eyre, page ninety-four. There's enough for new identities, new papers. Enough to keep you both comfortable for years."
Fiona squeezes my fingers. "What about you, Miss?"
I shake my head, willing tears to stay at bay. "I can't come. Phoenix would hunt us all down if I disappeared.”
"You know I'd die before letting anything happen to that child," Fiona says fiercely. "She's been mine since the day she was born."
I look down because as much as I love to hear that, it hurts too. Brigit is mine and no one knows it but me and my parents.
"I know. That's why it has to be you."
I spendthe next hour coloring with Brigit and then go back to my room to finish wedding preparations. I eat my meals in my room and successfully avoid seeing Phoenix all day.
That night, I’m sitting in the window seat ready for bed but unable to sleep. I’m going over and over again the plans Nanny Fiona and I have made to use the distraction of the wedding to sneak her and Brigit out of the home.
My door opens without a knock and Phoenix strides in. "I assumed you'd be asleep by now.” He closes the door behind him.
“Did you come to watch me sleep?” The fact that he thought I’d be sleeping suggests he was thinking of doing something unsavory.
“No.” He crosses the room with predatory grace, and I steel myself for what's coming. After the humiliation at dinner last night, after that searing kiss, I can’t help but think he’s come to claim what he believes is his.
I lift my chin, determined not to show fear. "Let's get this over with."
Phoenix stops, his expression shifting. "Get what over with?"
"Isn't that why you're here?" My voice is steadier than I feel. "To remind me of whom I belong to now?"
Something flickers across his face, surprise, perhaps even regret. He runs a hand through his dark hair and takes a step back, creating space between us.
"I didn't come here for that," he says, his voice lower than before. "I came to… apologize."
Of all the things I expected him to say, that wasn't one of them. I blink, certain I've misheard. "You came to what?"
Phoenix sucks in a breath. "At dinner last night. With that dress. All of it.”
I remain silent, searching his face for deception.
"This marriage doesn't have to be…" He pauses, seeming to search for the right words. "It doesn't have to be filled with hatred, Keira. We have history. Before everything went wrong, we had something good."
"You think we can go back to that?" I ask, incredulous. "After everything you've done?" I told him I’d never forget and within a day, he’s asking me to do just that.
"Not back," he says. "Forward. Something different. Something that doesn't destroy us both."
I search his face for signs of manipulation, but what I find instead makes my heart bloom with hope that the man I once loved isn’t completely gone. Of course, I’d be an idiot to think there’s enough of that man left to override this new version, so I push away sentiment.
"Forward," I repeat.
He nods.
I stand, needing distance to keep me strong. "I'll be what you need me to be in public, Phoenix. I'll stand beside you at the wedding and play my part in your revenge. I'll be the dutiful wife who helps cement your position."
His eyes darken. "And in private?"
"In private…" I take a steadying breath. "I can't forget the man who humiliated me in front of your associates, yourbrothers and their wives, who made me feel like property rather than a person."
