I push the magazine away, not wanting to see those pictures anymore. “I hurt her. A long time ago, I hurt her, and I didn’t realize how bad.”
“Did you apologize?”
An incredulous laugh leaves my lips. “I think we are past the age where a simple apology can fix everything, Mother.”
“Don’t underestimate how much damage an apology can undo. Especially if you mean it.”
I pick up one of the sandwiches and put it on my plate, simply staring at it. “I don’t think an apology is what will fix this situation. Like I said, I didn’t realize the extent of the damage my actions caused.”
“Do you love this girl?” My mother’s sudden question has me looking up. When I don’t answer, she raises a brow. “It’s a yes or no question. Do you love her?”
“I want her.”
“That’s not the same thing. You can want a lot of things, Ethan,” she says calmly, sipping her juice. “She’s not an object you can possess. Love is different from want. You need to figure out how you truly feel for this girl before you decide to move forward. People aren’t toys. They are not businesses. Theycannot be manipulated. Especially not people you love. Matters of the heart are different, Ethan. They have to be dealt with delicately.”
“She’s the only woman I want.” I reach into my pocket and bring out a small box. “I got this three years ago.”
My mother’s eyes widen, and she takes the box from me, opening it.
“An engagement ring,” she breathes, shock in her eyes. “You?—”
“Natalie makes me feel alive. When I’m in her presence, I relax. She makes me smile. She makes me want to focus on her rather than my work. I feel like a different person when I’m around her.” I tell my mother what I have never told anybody. “Five years ago when I first met her, I didn’t have the best intentions. But there was something about her that always stood out to me. I looked forward to spending time with her, and the time we spent together was important to me. It took me two years to realize she is the only woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. So I got this ring. I used the jewels from Grandmother’s ring.”
“And you had it engraved,” my mother whispers. “Honey, did you tell her?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. I didn’t want to drive her away.”
“From the way things seem to be going, you might want to tell her what you told me.”
I put the ring away. “She won’t believe me. No matter what I say, she doesn’t believe me. She thinks I’m trying to hurt her.”
“And how are you expecting to resolve this?” My mother watches me. “I don’t suggest avoiding her. If there are misunderstandings between the two of you, it is up to you to clear them. Showing her the ring might help her realize you’re serious about her.”
I shake my head. “She won’t react well to that. Not yet. First, I have to see her.”
“So go.”
I wish it was that easy.
I don’t know how to face Natalie yet. But I do know that Lucas is going to pay for what he did to her. I don’t care what his reasons were.
He put his hands on her.
All these years, I’ve ignored him and his steady rise in the business world, but not anymore. I’m going to make him regret ever laying hands on my woman.
I don’t go straightto the office.
Instead, I head to Staten Island, to the restaurant La Savante.
It’s late afternoon, and the lunch rush is winding down when I arrive.
“I’m looking for Sarah Brown,” I tell the receptionist. “She works here.”
“Ethan?” A familiar voice has me looking to my right, and I see a tall man with sandy hair and grey eyes approach me. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“Alex.” I shake his hand, surprised to see my old classmate. Alex Hunter and I attended the same high school and college, and we remained in touch till he moved to Australia for a few years.
“Do you work here?” I ask.
