Love & Deceit

CHAPTER 6

My hands shake as I unlock our apartment door. The weight of what I've agreed to crashes over me in waves - marriage to Henry Ayles, the mysterious third billionaire. The one everyone says is different from his friends.

Different or not, he's still going to be married to a lie.

Mom's humming in the kitchen - actually humming. The sound stops me in my tracks. When was the last time I heard her happy like this? The two hundred thousand dollars has already changed her. Changed us.

"Jayde? Is that you?" She pokes her head out, smiling brightly. "I made your favorite - "

The words die on her lips when she sees my face. I must look as awful as I feel because she rushes over, hands fluttering like worried birds.

"What happened? What did they do to you?"

I open my mouth to tell her everything, but the threat hangs heavy in my mind - we'd have to pay it all back. Two hundred thousand dollars we don't have. Money that's already given Mom hope for the first time in years.

"Nothing," I manage. "Just tired."

She studies my face, not believing me. "Since when do you lie to me?"

The question hits like a punch to the gut. We've always been honest with each other, even when things were at their worst. After Dad died, our truth was all we had left.

My phone buzzes - a text from James: "Driver picking you up tomorrow. 9AM. Pack for a month."

A month. Not three weeks anymore. They keep changing the rules, and I'm trapped.

"Mom," I start, then stop. How do I tell her I'm about to become someone else? That I'm marrying a stranger who thinks I'm someone else?

She takes my hands in hers, and I notice the calluses are gone. She must have gotten a manicure with the money. Such a simple thing, but it makes me want to cry.

"Whatever it is," she says softly, "we'll face it together. Like we always have."

I pull away, guilt churning in my stomach. "I have to go away for a while. For... work."

"Work?" Her eyebrows knit together. "But Declan got you fired - "

"It's different work. Special work." The lies taste bitter. "I'll be gone about a month, but the pay is really good."

"A month?" She grabs my arm. "Jayde, what aren't you telling me?"

Before I can answer, my phone rings. Unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Is this Jayde?" The voice is deep and masculine. Unfamiliar.

"Yes?"

"This is Henry Ayles."

My heart stops. Mom must see something in my face because she grips my hand tighter.

"I..." What do I say to the man I'm supposed to marry, who thinks I'm someone else? "Hi."

"Hattie." He says the name like it hurts. "I know you're angry about the arrangement. But running away? That's beneath you."

I should correct him. Should tell him I'm not Hattie. Should do anything except what I do - stay silent.

"Meet me tonight," he says. "Just us. No families, no pressure. Let's talk about this like adults."

"I can't - "

"Please." The word sounds strange coming from a billionaire. "The Lake View restaurant. Eight o'clock."

He hangs up before I can respond.

Mom's still watching me, worried. "Who was that?"

"I..." The truth sits heavy on my tongue. "I have to go out tonight."

"Jayde." Her voice breaks a little. "What kind of trouble are you in?"

I hug her tight, breathing in her familiar scent - now mixed with the expensive perfume she must have bought today. "I'm going to fix everything," I whisper. "I promise."

But as I get ready to meet Henry, I wonder - how can I fix anything when I'm about to make the biggest mistake of my life?

The taxi drops me at Lake View at 7:45. It's the kind of place I've only seen in magazines - all glass and gleaming lights reflected in the actual lake beside it.

The hostess eyes my simple dress - the nicest thing I own, but not nice enough for this place.

"I'm meeting - " I start, but a voice cuts me off.

"She's with me."

I turn, and my heart skips. Henry Ayles is nothing like I imagined. Tall, yes, and handsome like his friends, but there's something different in his eyes. Something sad.

He leads me to a private table overlooking the water. In the candlelight, I can see the strain around his mouth and the tension in his shoulders.

"You look different," he says finally.

My pulse races. "Different how?"

"Softer, somehow." He studies me. "Less angry."

I should tell him. Right now, before this goes any further. Before -

"I'm sorry," he says suddenly, and the words are so unexpected I forget to breathe. "I know this isn't what either of us wanted. But our families..."

"Why are you apologizing?" The question slips out before I can stop it. "You're Henry Ayles. You could marry anyone."

His laugh is bitter. "You think that? After all these years?"

All these years? I've never met him before tonight. But Hattie has.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he says softly. "The real reason you ran."

And suddenly I understand - Hattie didn't just run from the marriage. She ran from him. But why?

"I should go," I stand abruptly. This is wrong. All wrong.

He catches my hand. His touch sends electricity through my skin.

"Hattie, wait - "

"I'm not - " The words stick in my throat as his fingers intertwine with mine.

The restaurant door opens. A familiar voice cuts through the quiet atmosphere.

"Henry? What are you doing here with... her?"

Declan. Of course, it would be Declan.

His eyes narrow as he recognizes me. "You."

And just like that, my house of cards begins to fall.