Chapter 58
He didn’t let go until we were in the car.
The moment the door slammed shut behind us, I yanked my wrist out of his grip. My heart was still racing, and my breath came in short, angry bursts. “What the hell are you doing, Karl?”
His hands rested on the steering wheel as he leaned forward, chest still rising and falling hard. His eyes didn’t meet mine immediately. When they finally did, they were filled with something frantic. “Just listen. Please. Don’t walk away again
I stared at him, my jaw tight, but didn’t speak.
“The media twisted it. That’s what happened,” he said, voice lower now, but still breathless. That photo I swear to you, it wasn’t what it looked like.”
“You expect me to believe that?” I crossed my arms, turning slightly toward the window.
“I drove everywhere trying to find you. The office, the old beach place, Natasha’s I even called Kent twice to track you.”
“You could’ve just texted me
“No. Not after that photo came out. I needed to explain face–to–face.”
I swallowed, arms tightening over my chest. I wasn’t ready to forgive anything. Not yet. He must’ve seen it on my face, because he reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone
“Look,”
I didn’t move. He slid the phone toward me on the center console, screen lit with the same article I had seen. But this time, the photo was side by side with another one–a clearer shot, unedited, showing that Gypsy had leaned in, and he hadn’t kissed her back. The angle had made it look like something else entirely.
“This was taken literally seconds before she kissed me. I didn’t even know it happened until she pulled away?
I took the phone, zoomed in scanned every pixel. I could see it now. The posture was off. The way his shoulders had been angled away.
“It doesn’t excuse it.” I mumbled, handing the phone back.
“I know,” he said, resting it on the dash “But I need you to know why I was even near her to begin with.”
“Why were you?”
He raked his fingers through his hair, exhaling loudly. “She asked me to help her. She said she was in trouble, financially. She wanted to sell off some assets that were still tied up with her father’s company. I agreed to buy the company outright so she could have enough to relocate.
“So you were just doing her a favor!”
“I was trying to close it quickly so she could leave. That was the plan, you wanted her gone and so I wanted it done even before you were awake but of course as always the paparazzi tag along with me wherever I go.”
I looked at him carefully. His shirt was wrinkled. There were faint lines under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept well. He looked like he meant it. But I was still so upset.
“It doesn’t feel good, Karl. Watching the entire world think my husband is getting back with his ex
“I know,” he said softly. “And I hate that it hurt you. I told my legal team to force every outlet to take it down.”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s already out there.”
He turned toward me more fully, his knee brushing against mine. “Then let me make it up to you. Tell me what to do. Anything”
I stared at him, unsure for a moment. Part of me wanted to scream, cry, accuse. The other part of me just wanted to go somewhere quiet and he held.
“There is one way,” I said slowly.
His brows lifted slightly. “Anything”
10:44 AM C
Chapter 58
“Take me somewhere you’ve never taken her. Somewhere that’s mine. Just mine.”
He didn’t blink. “Done”
I leaned back in the seat, watching him carefully. The air between us shifted. It wasn’t heavy anymore. It was charged, warm. He reached for my hand and held it gently, brushing his thumb across my knuckles.
“I really did miss you today,” he said.
I tried not to let that get to me, but it did. My fingers squeezed around his
He glanced at the time, then put the car in drive. “Let’s go home first. You look like you haven’t eaten properly all day”
“I didn’t,” 1 muttered.
He let out a short breath through his nose. “Of course you didn’t. Always skipping meals when you’re mad.”
“You caused the meal skipping.
“Guilty.”
The car ride was quiet for a while after that, but it wasn’t the uncomfortable kind. Just still. We were both thinking, I could tell. My eyes drifted outside the window while his hand stayed loosely wrapped around mine
He pulled into the driveway a while later, and the moment we stepped inside the house, he didn’t let go of my hand.
The house staff
were already half–asleep, lights dimmed low, the hallway empty.
“Come on,” he said, pulling me upstairs.
Once inside the bedroom, I sat on the edge of the bed and took off my shoes. Karl loosened his tie, then shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair.
I could feel his eyes on me. When I looked up, he was already unbuttoning his shirt, watching me with something unreadable in his expression.
He walked over, shirt open now, chest bare and jaw tight “Still upset?”
I looked away. “Yes,”
His hand lifted to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “Good, means you care.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t use that logic.
“Too late,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss my temple. But I really am sorry.
“I know.”
He knelt in front of me then, reaching for my hands again “Let me fix this. Let me give you something that’s just yours. No ghosts, no exes and no press
I looked down at him, his hands wrapped around mine, his hair falling a little into his eyes. I gave a small nod.
“Okay.”
“Okay,” he repeated, like a promise.
He rested his forehead briefly against my knee before standing. “Now, are you going to eat something or do I have to feed you myself?”
“I’ll eat.”
“Good”
He turned and headed toward the hallway. “Let me fix you something.”
I sat there, hands in my lap, chest still a little heavy, but lighter than before. He was trying. I could see that now. Whether or not he succeeded was still up for debate. But for now, I wasn’t ready to walk away.
1044 AM
