Dani Panic claws at my gut. I’m trapped on this island with Emil and his kids, with nothing but my raging thoughts to ke ep me company. Emil immediately notices something is wrong, and I manage to wipe the shock off my face long enough to convince him I’m okay. Sliding off his lap, I try to ke ep the walls from pressing in on me. His hands linger on my hips and he turns me to face him, concern etched over his broad features. God, but the man is handsome. Having his full attention is like standing in front of a blaze. It’s usually exhilarating, breathtaking, but right now his full attention makes me want to crumple. “Are you okay?” His thumb brushes up under my shirt to swe ep across the skin near my navel, the touch too intense for me to process. My skin is tight, stretched over my bones to the point where I feel like I’m going to burst out of it. “Feel a bit sick,” I say, putting a hand to my stomach. It’s not a lie. I want to puke. Does Rich know I’m here? Did he orchestrate this whole business deal with Emil as some sort of message? Is he trying to intimidate me all over again? Mumbling something about the kids, I make it out of Emil’s office, but I hear him padding after me. “Dani, you don’t look good.” He catches my arm and spins me around, cupping my cheek. “Go to bed. I’ll get the chef to bring you some soup.” “I’m okay. I should check on Talia and Francis.” “I’ll do it. Go to bed.” I know an order when I hear it, and relief washes through me as Emil ushers me toward the stairs. Alone. That’s how I need to be right now to process what I just saw. Instead of heading to the master bedroom, I find myself in front of my unused room on the other end of the house. I push the door open and collapse in bed, burrowing under the blankets and hiding my head under a pillow. I have to get away from here. If Rich finds me, he’ll continue his torment. He’ll threaten me, manipulate me, maybe pin any number of crimes on me. What would happen if he found me again? He could threaten my job with Emil. He could threaten the kids. The company. My relationship. I’m no stronger than I was back then. I’ll fall prey to his tricks, his honeyed words, his guilt-laced manipulation tactics. I need to get away from here. If Rich finds out what’s happening between me and Emil, I have no doubt he’ll try to hurt me... or Emil. He succeeded in making me leave my entire career behind. What would he do to a company as big as Berg Motors? Would he ruin Emil just to get back at me for leaving? With a de ep breath, I talk myself down from the ledge. A soft knock on the door tells me the cook is here with a tray of soup, which she leaves on the bedside table. She fusses over me for a while, which I endure while my mind rages, and then I’m alone again. The smell of the soup nauseates me. Maybe I really am sick? I cover the bowl with a plate and turn away, groaning.
It’s not until darkness has blanketed the world that Emil pushes the door open, coming to sit next to me. He glances at the uneaten tray of food and places a hand on my forehead, worry drawing his brows together. “You didn’t eat.” “Not hungry,” I mumble. It hurts to see him here. To see how much he cares. Does he know what this business deal will do to his company? It’ll ruin it, because that’s what Rich does. He wriggles his way into people’s lives and corrodes everything he touches. And that’s when I sit up, searching Emil’s face. This business deal between Emil and Rich... what if it’s not about me? What if Emil is about to make the biggest mistake of his career by getting in bed with Richard Gleeson? I... I have to stop it. The realization smacks me hard, sending bile to coat my tongue. I stare at the caring, gorgeous man sitting on the edge of my bed, feeling sick all over again. Rich will ruin him. He’ll do exactly what he did to me. “Why didn’t you lie down in our bed?” Emil asks softly, his hand skating over my cheek, my neck, soothing strokes meant to relax me. Our bed. I close my eyes, nuzzling into his touch even though I know I’m in too de ep already. Our bed. This is beyond a simple affair. It’s beyond sex. It’s something more. Emil’s hand slides over my cheek and I place my palm over his, holding his skin against mine. Yes, I care about this man. De eply. Truly. Unequivocally. And I need to protect him. His palm is rough, warm, comforting. Safe. Even when I was head over heels with Rich, I never felt safe with him. Placing my palm over Emil’s and angling my cheek farther into his touch, my decision is made before I even consciously realize it. I’m going to face my past, face Richard—for Emil. To make sure he isn’t ruined the way I was. We stay in the Bahamas for another week, and although I’m able to function, my sense of unease and nausea never quite goes away. I’m tired. And achy. And freaking tired. It’s probably just the thought of dealing with my past, my demons. The weight of everything I ran away from is suddenly on my shoulders again, grinding my bones together every time I try to move. Eating is difficult. The smell of seafood cooking in the kitchen is honestly the most horrendous smell I’ve ever smelled, but I manage to ke ep the contents of my stomach inside my body. Mostly. A few times, I sneak away to retch, always feeling dizzy and guilty and awful afterward. I’ll get through this. I have to. For Emil. For the kids. For my own damn pride. I need to confront Rich and excise him from my life, finally cut out the rot that has plagued me for as long as I can remember. I was too weak to stand face-to-face with him before. Too scared of losing my career, losing the chance of ever working in the industry again. I was afraid Rich would wriggle his way into my mind again and convince me there was nothing wrong. So I ran. I’m sick of running. I have something worth fighting for, and I won’t let Richard Gleeson rip it away from me. I won’t let him sink his claws into Emil’s business and ruin it, just as he ruined me.
Stopping Rich from going through with this deal might just be the thing that redeems me. I’ll finally stop hiding from him, I’ll stand strong for someone I love. Giving up my job and my life wasn’t enough for me to expose Rich, but saving Emil from a bad business deal is enough. I can’t give Emil up. I won’t give him up. The nausea doesn’t go away over the course of the week, but at least my thoughts clear as I formulate a plan. Every time I look at Emil, lightning strikes my chest. When he wipes Francis’s face after a meal, or listens to Talia talk while they play in the sand, or reads to the kids in the big, comfy armchair near the picture windows facing the ocean. Emil is a good man. Protective, caring, strong. He deserves a woman who will stand up for what’s right. When we finally get back to the New York penthouse, it feels more like home than I expect. We enter the door to find Kathryn dusting the living room shelves, a smile on her face as she turns to greet us. Home—this is home. Losing this sanctuary, this life... that would kill me. Emil follows me to my room, a frown tugging his brows. “Are you okay, Dani? You still don’t seem like yourself.” He closes the distance between us, tilting my head up to his. He presses the back of his hand to my forehead, then wraps his arms around my waist. “I’ll be fine,” I mumble against his chest when he pulls me close. “Thank you for taking care of me.” “Always.” A tender, solemn promise that makes my heart clench and my resolve strengthen. This is worth fighting for. Thankfully, the next day Emil works late. I use my free time between the kids’ bedtime and Emil getting home to craft an email to Richard Gleeson. I use an anonymous email address and hide my digital footprint, but he’ll know it’s from me. It’ll be easy to ignore this email address, though, so I hope I’m not opening the door to more harassment. My email is simple. I tell him that I know about his proposed deal with Berg Motors. I tell him I have all the proof of the fraud at his company and I’m ready to release it. I attach a selection of damning documents to the email, promising that there’s more. So much more. He either has to come clean to Emil about the fraudulent tests in his past, or I’ll leak the files anonymously. Maybe it’s a weakness, but I want to give Richard a chance. If he really has turned his company around, I want him to have a chance to talk to Emil, an opportunity to ke ep this partnership on the table. I know how much it means to Emil, and I don’t want to rip it away from him. I just want Richard to be honest. If he comes clean about the fraud I witnessed, he’ll get to ke ep his business deal—assuming Emil still wants to work with him. If he doesn’t, I’ll contact every regulatory board I can find, every media outlet, anyone who will listen, and I’ll make sure Gleeson’s company turns to dust. As soon as I send the email, a breath rushes through my lips. Adrenaline courses through my body, making every movement jittery, every breath shallow. I did it. And I feel high. Finally, finally, I’m standing up to Richard. I’m taking back the life he stole from me, and I’m owning up to my mistakes. I participated in all those fraudulent test results. My name is all over those documents, and I’m not afraid to face the consequences. I will never run from this again. I won’t let him chase me into a corner, and I won’t let my past mistakes define me.
But I won’t let Emil fall into Richard’s trap, either. I’ll stand and fight. I’m no longer someone who will be manipulated because she’s weak and vulnerable. I’m stronger than that. I deserve better. My lips curve into a smile, and I let a laugh tumble from my lips. When Emil gets home, I throw my arms around him and take out all my excess energy on showing him exactly how much I care about him. He doesn’t complain. It’s not until the next morning that reality comes crashing back to me. A notification on my phone tells me I have an email waiting for me. It’s from Richard. I’m in the city. Meet me face to face, or I’ll ignore these threats like you ignored me for the past four years. There’s a location and a time. He wants to meet on Sunday —my day off. Heart thumping, I read the short message a dozen times before I bring trembling hands up to type a response. Closing my eyes for a moment, I swallow back the fear that rears up inside me. If I need to face him to end this, I will. I’m stronger than I was before. Once I speak to Richard, it will be over for good. I’ll be free.