I AM ALL YOURS, DADDY

,,VALENTINE

It’s when we land at the airport that dread

begins to build in my belly.

Paris was a fairytale, but reality is

Intruding fast.

Cornell carries me off the plane and keeps

me on his lap in the backof the limousine.

I cling to him, inhaling the masculine

scent from his neck like a lifeline. I’ve

allowed too much time to pass without

telling Cornell the truth. But I have to

believe he’ll understand. I have to believe

that the man he’s become will be

compassionate and patient. He’s not the

Lord of the manor anymore, right?

I close my eyes and snuggle closer,

praying with all my might that our love is

strong enough to survive the truth about

who Iam. Why I was on that road in the

first place the day he picked me up.

“You haven’t talked to your family since

we left, he says, kissing my neck, licking

it in the shape of a heart.”If you want to

invite them over for dinner tomorrow,

can start preparing myself to be irritated

now.”

Despite my worry, I have to giggle.

“You're so sure you l be annoyed?”

"Yes. That's an hour I could be spending

inside you." He stokes my botton beneath

my skirt. "We have to swing by a couple of

my buildings on the way home," he

murmurs into my ear, unaware that his

words set a bomb off inside of me. There

are a couple of changes I need to make in

day-to-day operations."

My hand curls into a fist on his shoulder. "

Changes?"

"Yes." He hesitates briefly. "I think I've

been a little harsh with my tenants. I'm

going to institute a grace period for paying

rent. There s a smile in his voice now.

I'm going to callit the Grace Clause."

Tears swarm my eyes. "That's lovely." I

ignore the sense of foreboding in my belly

and gather my courage. "I knew you woubt

change the rule on your own. I knew you would do the right thing.”

Cornell’s muscles tighten beneath me.

“What do you mean by that?”

Finally, I lift my head and whatever he

Sees on my face causes him to go pale.

“Cornell, I have to tell you something.”

He visibly braces himself. “What is it,

Angel?”

“I…I…” My heart is going to break free of

my chest. “Will you promise to listen start

to finish and try to be calm?”

His eyes take on a sharper quality. A hint

of panic. “Out with it, Valentine.”

Oh, God. I haven’t even told him yet and

he’s pulling away from me emotionally. As

if he expected this blow to come sooner or

later. “I live in one of your buildings.”

“What?” Dark eyebrows s***h together.

“Why…why didn’t you tell me that?”

I’m going to hyperventilate. “After my

father lost his job, my family couldn’t pay

the rent this month. You sent them an

eviction notice and…and…” I press a hand

to my chest to stop the fearful rapping of

my heart. “We were desperate and my

mother, she thought I could…she thought

you might be lenient if I offer m-myself in

exchange for the money we owe. My

virginity.”

Cornell might as well be made of marble,

like so many of the statues we saw in Paris

this week. A crank behind his eves is the

only thing that moves, rapidly processing

the information, his carefree expression

reverting back to bitter, like it was when

we met on the road, the corners of his

mouth turning down. “Well. You got what

you wanted, didn’t you? Mission

accomplished.”

“What?” I shake my head. “No. I gave up

on the mission as soon as you brought me

home. There was only us. And when you

postponed the eviction, I knew…I knew

you were going to give my family more

time without me having to convince you. Because you’re a good man.”

“Just stop,” he says raggedly, plucking me

off his lap and setting me beside him on

the seat, leaving me completely bereft. His

chest heaves up and down and it burns me

alive, knowing I’m hurting him. “You’re a

con. An opportunist. This is why I stay

away from everyone. This is f*****g why.

You all turn out to be selfish, self-serving

liars eventually. Quite a show you put on,

though, Valentine. Bravo.”

“It wasn’t a show,” I sob, a fissure

forming in my middle. “I love you.”

My words go in one ear and out the other. “

You had every chance to tell me the truth,

but you waited until I put a ring on your

finger, didn’t you? A free month of rent

wasn’t enough, I guess.”

I’ve been struck in the stomach by a

fastball. “Stop talking like this. What we

have is real, Cornell. I—”

“God,” he pushes through his teeth. “I’m a

fucking fool, aren’t I?” He gives me a

mean once over. “Amazing what a man

will do for hot pussy.”

I slap him across the face on reflex

because the splitting of my heart is so

intense, so painful, that my hand flies on

its own. Cornell goes deadly still, his eyes

closing briefly. When they open again,

they are teeming with regret. But it’s too

late. My heart is shattered into a thousand

pieces and all I want to do, all I can think

about, is getting as far away from him as

possible. This man told me he loved me,

asked me to be his wife, and our love has

been stripped down to something ugly in a

matter of seconds. Our trust is gone.

I’m partially to blame-I know that-

which only makes it worse.

The limousine stops at a red light and with

a sob lodged in my throat, I turn and throw

myself out of the vehicle, hitting the

sidewalk running.

“Valentine! Come back.”

Cornell’s strangled roar hangs in the air

behind me, but I keep sprinting without

looking back. The movie theater up ahead

is familiar. This is only a mile from my

house, meaning I know the lay of the land

better than Cornell.

Disappearing into the scenery while my ex

-fiancé shouts my name gets easier and

easier as the numbness steals over me.

It’s over.