Shaking my head, I try to push all thoughts of Lily from my mind, immersing myself in the mountain of work piled up on my desk.
An hour later, I realize I haven’t emailed the details of our trip to Lily. Less than a minute after hitting the send button, she bursts into my office.
“You didn’t tell me that the business meeting is with Miller Corp.” she accuses, a hysterical edge to her voice.
I frown at her unexpected outburst. “I wasn’t aware that I had to. Why? Is there a problem?”
She shakes her head, wringing her hands nervously in front of her. “Yes, there’s a problem! I can’t go with you, Callum. I’m sorry, I just can’t!”
Alarm bells are going off in my head. I know Lily used to work there, but her reaction tells me I’m missing something.
I stand and walk to the door, closing and locking it quietly so we have complete privacy. “Sit,” I instruct, pointing at the chair in front of my desk. I watch as she plops her butt down before returning to my seat.
“I’m sorry, but I won’t—I can’t go back there,” Lily says again, her expression haunted.
I capture her gaze, shocked by the fear I see in her eyes. “Lily, tell me what’s wrong,” I encourage softly.
She releases a shaky breath, dropping her eyes to her hands in her lap. Her shoulders slump in defeat. “There’s something I should’ve told you at my interview.”
I nod, sensing I’m not going to like what I’m about to hear. “I’m listening. Take your time.”
She bites her lip, looking so vulnerable that I just want to scoop her up in my arms, tell her that whatever it is, it doesn’t matter, that nothing she can say will change how I feel about her.
“I left Miller Corp. because my ex-boss, Miller Cooper, pinned me up against the wall in his office and shoved his hands up my skirt,” she mutters, her voice rough with emotion.
I’m not sure what I expected her to say, but that wasn’t it. A red haze descends in front of my eyes, and my hands clench into fists. I force myself to take a few deep breaths to calm down. Lily doesn’t need me going all Terminator right now.
“I kneed him in the balls, grabbed my purse, and went straight to HR,” she continues, her expression dark with painful memories. “Apparently, it was my word against his. There were no witnesses, and he didn’t leave any marks on me. He swore on his mother’s grave he never touched me, even accused me of coming on to him. As if I’d ever do anything like that!” she says, her mouth curling in disgust.
“Why didn’t you tell me all this before?” I ask softly, trying to keep the anger from my voice.
“I thought you wouldn’t believe me,” she whispers.
I shake my head in disbelief. “Why the hell would you think that?”
She lifts her eyes to mine again. “Because no one else did. Not one person had my back when they heard what happened. They either didn’t believe me or were too scared of losing their jobs. I should have told you at my interview, but I was scared. Why would you believe me, a woman you’d only just met? But I want you to know that I never did anything to encourage that narcissistic asshole. One thing I’ve learned is I can’t control what other people think, but I know the truth, and that’s all that matters to me, so if you want me to leave—"
I hold my hands up to stall her tirade before she passes out from lack of oxygen. “I do believe you, Lily. And you’re not going anywhere.”
Her eyes widen in shock. “Really?”
I nod. “Really.”
Her face crumbles, and tears roll unchecked down her cheeks. “Oh, thank God. I was so scared you were going to fire me!”
Dear God, that fucker has done a real number on her! I want to rip him limb from limb!
Seeing her tears unleashes something primal inside me. Without thinking, I’m out of my seat and heading towards her. Then I hesitate. She’s just recounted a disturbing incident—she isn’t going to want me touching her right now.
But then she does something surprising—she reaches for my hand. I fold it into my larger one, humbled by the gesture.
“Can I do anything?” I ask hesitantly. The need to take care of this brave, precious woman is overwhelming.
She doesn’t reply, just stands and moves into my arms, wrapping her own around my waist and holding onto me for dear life. The silent sobs that shake her body tear at my insides.
I move us gently towards my chair and sink down into it with her in my lap. She curls into me while she cries, her face tucked against my throat as I soothe my hands up and down her back.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you. Just let it all go,” I murmur next to her ear.