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“Thank you.” Julian climbed out of the car and turned to see Anthony working with another member of the center’s staff to transfer his suitcases from the car to the rolling luggage cart.
“Please follow me,” the man said. “Your luggage will be taken to your room.”
And that was that. The end of the road.
“Just one moment,” Julian said and walked to where Anthony stood. “Thank you for coming along. I guess I’ll see you in a month or so.”
“I look forward to it,” Anthony said, holding out his hand. When Julian took it, he gave it a firm shake. “I hope that everything goes smoothly.”
“Thanks.”
With a final nod at Anthony, Julian turned to follow the man in a suit up the stairs and into the building.
The Crystal Haven Wellness Center's lobby reminded Julian of the five-star hotels he frequented on business trips—all polished marble floors, tasteful artwork, and discreet luxury. Except unlike those hotels, there was no bar in sight.
"I'm Marcus Delaney, the intake coordinator," the man said as he led Julian past a small seating area. "We'll start with some paperwork and then get you settled in your room."
Julian followed Marcus down a hallway to a warmly lit office. The walls were painted a soothing sage green, and a plush leather chair waited across from a large desk. A framed diploma hung on the wall—Northwestern University, Julian noted.
As Marcus delved into the setup of the center, Julian tried to pay attention and ignore the desperate longing he had for a drink. He clenched his hands into fists to curb the slight tremor in them.
He wanted to tell the man that he actually wasn’t an alcoholic. That he didn’t have an alcohol problem, and that hecould quit at any time. And he would have if Duncan hadn’t held his job over his head.
So he would go through the motions, do what they required of him, and then leave the treatment center as soon as he could.
CHAPTER SIX
The next couple of weeks passed slowly for Kiara. It was an endless cycle of nausea, occasional vomiting, and exhaustion. She had hoped that the end of the first trimester would bring her relief, but she wasn’t too confident that would be the case, unlike how it was for so many other women.
Though Kiara no longer took part in the self-defense training or target practice, Lucy took her out driving two or three times a week. She was still determined to get her driver’s license at some point, but the overwhelming need to get it had definitely subsided. The unmoored feeling that she’d been dealing with since coming to the estate had also lessened now that she had her pregnancy and impending parenthood to focus on.
As the weather warmed and the snow started to melt, she tried to get out for a walk each day. Sometimes, Angie would join her, but her sister still had self-defense training and target practice taking up her time. Kiara wasn’t sure Angie’s focus on those things was because she wanted to improve. It likely had more to do with spending time with Jude.
Her feet scuffed on the asphalt road as she left the parking area behind the large house. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her light jacket as she headed down the road.
As they did most days, her steps took her in the direction of the house that was being built for her and Angie. It was going up at a rapid pace, more rapidly than she’d initially imagined it would.
She’d heard Jude and Duncan discussing it, and Duncan had said that he’d requested longer working hours on the house without concern for the increased cost.
As the house came into view, Kiara’s steps slowed to a stop. She gazed at it, wondering if she’d get a chance to live in it. She had no idea how things would unfold for her and Julian when he returned from the treatment center.
Duncan might have forced the marriage, but at least to her knowledge, he hadn’t insisted they live together. It was entirely possible that she’d move into the house with Angie as planned, and Julian would return to his home in New York. That wouldn’t be the worst way for things to pan out.
Kiara pulled her left hand from her pocket and stared down at the ring Julian had put there. It was a simple, slender gold band. There was no matching engagement ring, specially chosen for her by a man who loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
She curled her fingers into a fist and shoved her hand back into her pocket, removing the ring from her sight.
Even two weeks later, she still wasn’t used to having the ring on her finger. There were moments when she forgot it was on her hand and that she was married. But far more frequent were the moments when the ring felt like it was made of the heaviest metal known to man.
Kiara walked on, following the winding road toward the construction site. She needed to keep moving. Doctor Misha had said exercise was good for her, though on some days even getting out of bed felt like climbing a mountain.
Workers in hard hats moved across the property like industrious ants, the steady rhythm of hammers and the whine of power tools filling the air. She kept her distance, not wanting to be in the way, but she was close enough to observe the progress. The foundation was complete, and the framing had gone up quickly. Soon, they'd be working on the roof.
She rested her hand on her stomach, which had only just begun to swell, a gesture that had become second nature. As she stood there, she tried to imagine herself living there with a baby. The idea of leaving the estate was no longer a consideration since marrying Julian.
Her child would have such a different upbringing than she and Angie had had. He or she might live in a rural setting, but the estate was a far cry from the homestead. And it wasn’t just a better home that she could offer the baby. Kiara was determined to raise her child comfortable in the knowledge of their mom’s love and care for them.
There would be no abuse of any kind heaped on the child the way it had been on Kiara. And fear wouldn’t have a starring role in the child’s emotions.