He’s probably still angry about the whole “not marrying Iris” thing, so I should probably tread very carefully.
“I think we both were.”
He leans back in his chair and props his chin on his hand. “I didn’t think he’d go through with it.”
My brows draw together. “Go through with what?” I ask.
His thick eyebrows draw together, the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes contracting. “With convincing you to stay married to him. After I wagered it wasn’t possible, he went all out, didn’t he?”
Wagered? As in a bet?
I swallow hard. “You wagered him?”
“A gentleman’s wager, of course. Three months to convince you to move in with him.” Three months, that’s what Pike said to me when I first wanted an annulment. He said to give him three months. Nerves prickle my skin as Louis gestures to the apartment. “Mission accomplished. Now his foundation will be saved.”
Bile rises up my throat.
This is all too much.
And yet, I need to know it all.
I tilt my head to the side. “What foundation?”
“He didn’t tell you?” Louis nods. “Well, good on my son for playing fair. You see, his foundation means everything to him, and getting married in Vegas to a complete stranger absolutely destroyed his image, especially with the board of directors. So, of course, I told him, either make this woman fall in love with you, or lose the foundation.” He adjusts the collar of his shirt. “Job well done.”
And that’s when the air in the room stops moving. Like a carousel of images, the devastating realization that I might have been duped by Pike sinks in, and I recount the last two and a half months.
Him moving into my studio apartment, acting as if he wanted to give this a shot.
Putting up with my antics, doing as I asked.
Trying to butter me up.
Constantly being there for me.
Saying he . . . loves me.
Is it even true? Any of it?
“I can see you’re questioning your relationship with him,” Louis says with a smirk. “Rightfully so. If I were you, I’d be doing the same thing, because he hasn’t been known to have the most honest track record. Did he tell you about Iris?”
“Yes,” I drag out as my chest constricts, tightening to the point that I feel my lungs don’t have enough room to expand and contract. Why me? Why is this happening to me?
“He did?” Louis looks genuinely shocked. “So, he told you about their engagement? And how he used her to get his current job at the high school?” When I don’t say anything, he continues. “Iris is great friends with Principal Dewitt. Were you unaware?”
“I . . . I didn’t know.”
“Ah, yes, probably because he’s ensured things stayed superficial with you.”
Tears well in my eyes. “Why are you telling me this?”
He stands and buttons his suit jacket. “Because he’s been using you, and better for you to find out now before anything gets too serious.” He glances around. “Although, maybe he’s convinced you he is serious. I wonder what his plan is, now that he’s made the transition with his foundation.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Precisely my point.” His eyes cast down upon me. “You don’t know, because he hasn’t told you. You think you know him, but you don’t. It’s part of his game. You’re just a pawn.”
The door opens and, smiling, Pike steps into the townhome, only for his smile to fall flat, replaced by a venomous anger I’ve never seen before.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
The tension in the room grows to palpable levels while the two men, who bear a strong resemblance to each other, exchange stares.
“It’s been too long . . . son.”
Pike looks past his father and spots me on the couch. I wipe at the tears that fall down my cheeks, trying to hide how Louis’s words have affected me, but it’s too hard. Uncertainty washes over me. My trust issues from growing up without parents, from Keenan’s betrayal, crash into me like a tidal wave, and I feel myself curl inward, putting on my protective shell that Pike broke through.
“What the fuck did you say to her?” Pike says, pointing at me.
“Nothing that she shouldn’t already know.” Louis adjusts his suit jacket. “But I must be going. Prior engagements await.”
Louis begins to walk past Pike, but just as he reaches him, Pike slams his father up against the wall and pins him there. The veins in Pike’s neck pulse and the grip of his fist tightens, causing his knuckles to whiten.