Page 15 of Betrayal of a Billionaire

“Not at all. Sierra was right. She didn’t need to behave like that. She’s being a little hard on Julia.”

“Perhaps the shock will wane soon, sir,” Worthington answered.

“I hope for Julia, too. She did her usual. Ran.”

“She is in her room, sir. She’s hardly run off.”

“That’s not what I meant. I meant…” Grant shook his head as he sipped the bourbon. “As soon as she gets upset, she leaves. I asked her to stay, Worthington. I wanted to help her. But she didn’t want my help.”

“Didn’t she?”

“Don’t play that game with me, Worthington. I offered. I told her I wanted her to stay with us. She wouldn’t.”

“Perhaps, sir, she isn’t certain your help is…honest.”

“Now what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means your relationship is still dictated by a contract. Her personal issues were not part of that. Perhaps she keeps that to herself because she believes it is fair.”

Grant heaved a sigh as he stared at the ring box. “Well, I’m not going to let her believe that for long.”

CHAPTER 4

JULIA

As Julia hurried up the stairs, her chest tightened, physically reflecting the turmoil swirling within her—a blend of fear, guilt, and a crushing sense of isolation, even amidst her makeshift family. The trip had been a disaster so far. Her mind swam, and she needed time to think.

“Mrs. Harrington?” Worthington asked as she arrived on the landing at the top of the stairs.

“Worthington, which one is my room?”

“Just down this hall,” he said, leading her to a darkly stained door. “May I bring you anything?”

“No, thanks,” she said as she pushed inside.

“I do hope the conversation with your sister went well.”

“It didn’t, but thank you for asking.”

“Of course, if you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you, Worthington. I’m just going to stretch out and try to relax. Good night.”

Julia pushed the door closed with a sigh, the weight of the situation weighing on her. She slid to a seated position, her eyes burning with tears. She’d never meant for her sister to learn about her marriage. Of course, she’d expected it to be over in a year. Sixteen months later, she still had a ring on her finger. A ring her sister now knew about.

How was she going to explain this? Maybe Alicia would calm down, and they could move forward. Of course, the looming divorce eight months in the future could change things, too. Maybe she’d only lose her sister until then.

She let her head thud against the door as she blinked her tears away. She pulled herself to stand and wandered to the full-length mirror. She stared into it with unseeing eyes, trying to see through herself.

What had she become? Her fingers went instinctively to the necklace around her neck. Her eyebrows pinched as she studied the massive ring on her finger contrasted with the bronze compass hanging on the simple chain.

They couldn’t have been more different. Her thumb rubbed her wedding band while her finger touched the compass. For the entirety of her marriage, she’d kept things separate, but now they’d been thrown together into a dizzying clash.

Who would survive? Who would come out on top?

She’d worked to keep her past in the past, but now it stared her straight in the face. And she wasn’t certain what would come of it.

A knock at her door startled her. She pulled herself away from the mirror and her own self-reflection, crossing the room and opening the wooden barrier.