Two hoursand one exhaustive recount of my kidnapping and the aftermath later, I found myself staring at three slack-jawed statues. Two in person, and one on FaceTime, since Bridget was in Eldorra but would murder me if I left her out of the loop on this.
Apparently, Christian had merely told Ava I’d had a “run-in” with my stalker, so ninety-five percent of my story came as a complete shock to them.
Jules recovered first.
“First of all, Julian deserves jail.” She shook with fury. “Second of all, I’m going to jail for what I’ll do if I ever come across him. I will cut his balls off, do you hear me? I’ll slice them open with a machete and shove them down his throat so he chokes—“
“Okay, I think we’ve had enough violence for the week,” Ava cut in. Worry creased her forehead. “Stel, are you sure he’s taken care of? He’s not going to escape or anything?”
I shook my head. “I doubt it. Harper Security has him.”
“What about Christian?” Bridget asked. She was in what looked like her office, and a giant portrait of some old Eldorran monarch glared at me from behind her. “Does this mean you’re back together?”
“We’re…” I hesitated. “Working things out.”
“That’s great!” Of all my friends, Jules was the most enthusiastic about Christian. Probably because he’d lowered our rent so much when we moved into the Mirage. “He’s not that bad of a guy. I mean, sometimes he does bad things. Those files were totally not okay, and you had every right to break up with him. But…” Her voice softened. “He really loves you.”
I swallowed past the knot of emotion in my throat. “I know.”
Luckily, the conversation soon moved back to safer ground with Jules detailing all the creative ways she’d murder Julian (much to Ava’s chagrin).
My friends’ company grounded me back in reality.
When lunchtime passed, however, I gently but firmly insisted that they go about the rest of their day and that I didn’t need babysitting.
I appreciated their company and concern, but I’d exhausted my social battery for the day. I needed alone time to recharge.
The door closed behind them, and I sucked in a breath of silence.
Nina was also gone for the day, so it was just me and the empty penthouse.
When I first moved in, I thought it was cold and impersonal, like a model showroom. Now, being here felt like returning home.
That was the couch where I’d created my collection, those were the plants I’d lovingly tended to for months…
And that was the office where I’d found the files that shattered it all.
I stopped in front of the entrance. For once, Christian had left the door open.
If you have time today, look in the drawer where you found the files. There’s something there for you.
Staying away was impossible.
My heartbeats collided with each other as I walked to his desk and triggered the secret drawer mechanism.
The compartment slid out soundlessly.
I experienced a twinge of surprise when I saw its contents.
Instead of black binders, the drawer was filled with letters. There were at least a dozen of them, handwritten on simple cream stationery.
I recognized Christian’s bold, elegant scrawl immediately.
I flipped through them, my heart rate climbing with every sheet that came into view.
They were all addressed to me and dated from the day we broke up.
One letter for every day we’d been apart.
Emotion swelled in my throat at the thought of Christian sitting here night after night, writing me notes I might never see.
Except I was here now, at his request, and I couldn’t have stopped myself if I wanted to.
I sank into his chair, picked up the first letter, and started reading.