Page 64 of The House Guest

“Have you asked him directly if he’s lying to you?”

I shook my head. “I’ve been afraid to confront him about his change in behavior because I don’t want him to think I don’t trust him.”

“But clearly you don’t.”

“Ididtrust him—until he changed.”

“Well, the sooner you bring it up with him, the better. You can’t continue to live like this.”

“I know you’re right. But I don’t want to make things more difficult for him if he’s going through a lot at work. I feel like I shouldn’t start the conversation until he gets back.”

“That’s your prerogative, if you can wait that long. It doesn’t sound like you’re handling the unknown very well.”

“Clearly not, but I don’t think any serious conversation should happen while he’s away. You can tell a lot by looking into someone’s eyes.”

She nodded. “I agree with you there. When does he come home?”

“He didn’t give me an exact day, but I’m hoping by the end of this coming week.”

Janelle sighed. “For your sake, I hope so, too.”

I felt sick. Sometimes you don’t need to be told when something is wrong.

You just know.

***

With each day that passed, I felt worse about my impending reunion with Dorian. I’d made up my mind to confront him the moment he got home.

In the meantime, I’d decided to test the waters and see what would happen if I stopped initiating communication with him. After two days went by that he didn’t call, my nervousness transformed into anger. On top of that, he’d yet to give me a clear answer on when he was returning from London.

So the last thing I expected was for him to walk in the door before the end of the week.

But that’s what happened on Thursday evening. I’d just gotten out of the shower and jumped at the sight of Dorian standing in our bedroom.

Hand on my chest, I gasped. “You scared the shit out of me.”

He looked down at his feet. “I’m sorry.”

Alarm bells sounded in my head. He hadn’t initiated a hug or kiss. After such a long time away, you’d think he would’ve been more affectionate.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home?”

“I only realized this morning that I was booking a flight.”

“So you wanted to…surprise me? You nearly killed me from a heart attack.”

As I could now look in his eyes again, I was absolutely certain something had changed in him. Dread filled me, and every wall I could build around me went straight up. He hadn’t spoken yet, but the worst had already been confirmed, even if I didn’t understand it.

This was not the Dorian I knew. The look in his eyes was hard to describe—a mix of despair and sheer blankness. Empty. Devoid of all emotion, but almost in a forcedway. Like he wasn’t allowing himself to feel anything for fear that if he did, he’d break.

Myheartfelt like it was breaking. “I need you to tell me what’s going on.”

His face reddened. His eyes became glassy. As Dorian Vanderbilt stood before me on the verge of tears, I sensed my world as I knew it was ending.

His voice shook. “I’m so sorry, Rosebud.”

The only word I could conjure was, “Explain…”