Holiday Hoax: Chapter 30

All day, I’ve been going crazy. I woke up expecting to see Georgia in my arms, but she was gone. I looked all over the penthouse. I texted and called her, but she’s not responding again.

It’s dinnertime when I drive to her apartment, feeling crazy again. She doesn’t answer. I pound on her door, calling out, ‘Georgia!’

‘You can’t take a hint, can you?’ her neighbor sneers.

I groan and spin. ‘You can’t keep your nose in your own business, can you?’

She smirks. ‘I’m not the one chasing a woman who wants nothing to do with me.’

I scowl. ‘Mind your own business, bat.’

‘In ten seconds, I’m calling the police,’ she threatens. This time, she holds out her phone, punching her finger on the screen, stating, ‘Nine. One. One.’ She shoots me a challenging glare. ‘Should I push the green button?’

‘You’re a horrible person,’ I mutter and leave the building.

I get into my truck, and my phone vibrates in the cup holder. I pick it up and glance at the screen, hopeful it’s Georgia, but it’s a work contact. I pull up my inbox to see if she messaged me, and my stomach churns.

There’s a missed appointment reminder from Huck’s office.

Bile rises in my throat. I text him.

Me: Cancel the annulment meeting. We can’t attend.

Huck: Your wife’s already confirmed.

Georgia confirmed?

No. No. No.

‘Damnit!’ I shout, hitting the steering wheel so hard, my hand stings.

Huck: This isn’t the time for second-guessing yourself, Sebastian.

Me: Stay out of it.

Huck: I’m your attorney. This is why you pay me the big bucks—to get you out of your messes.

Defeated, I turn on the engine and drive home. I don’t sleep at all. The next day, the closer it gets to that ten o’clock appointment, the more I know there’s no way I’m signing those papers.

I debate about going to Huck’s office to convince Georgia not to sign, but something holds me back.

A little after ten a.m., Huck calls me. He asks, ‘Sebastian, are you on your way?’

‘I’m not coming.’

‘What do you mean you’re not coming? This is a done deal,’ he booms.

My heart sinks. I close my eyes and utter, ‘Did she sign?’

‘On the dotted line,’ he confirms.

I feel sick. I take several deep breaths, trying to control the bile rising in my throat.

He adds, ‘You made out well. She didn’t want her million.’

My heart feels like it might explode out of my chest. I demand, ‘What are you talking about?’

‘She would only sign annulment forms that stated you didn’t owe her anything,’ he informs me.

Once again, Georgia surprises me. I stare at the Dallas skyline, repeating, ‘She didn’t want anything?’

‘That’s correct.’

More confusion fills me. Georgia earned every penny of what she negotiated. Why didn’t she want it?

Huck continues, ‘She said she got enough. She didn’t need anything else from you.’

She doesn’t need anything from me.

Something about that makes me feel sicker. I order him, ‘Put the million dollars in her account anyway. I’m sending you an address to one of my condos. Retitle it in her name.’

He blurts out, ‘Are you crazy?’

‘I don’t want to talk about it, Huck. Put the money in her account as soon as we get off the phone. And I want the condo retitled in her name within the next hour. Send a courier with the finished documents to her apartment,’ I instruct.

He whistles. ‘You’re a sucker for punishment, aren’t you?’

‘Just do it,’ I direct and hang up.

I text him the address, pace some more, then go into my gym. I work out for a few hours, trying to figure out how I’ll get her back.

It’s over. She signed.

I’m not signing.

Everything was perfect last night. It hurts she signed the annulment paperwork, but I won’t give her up without a fight.

I step off the treadmill, soaked with sweat. I get in the shower, quickly scrub down, then step out. I’m about to shave when my buzzer goes off. I go to the front door and hit the button. ‘Yeah?’

‘There’s a Georgia Peach here to see you,’ my security guard states.

Goose bumps break out on my skin. I reply, ‘Give her full access and send her up.’

It takes a few moments, and I open the door, too antsy to wait any longer. As soon as the elevator opens, she takes a step out and then freezes. She drags her eyes down my body, back up, and her cheeks turn red.

I realize I’m still in my towel. ‘I just got out of the shower. Come in.’

She hesitates.

I open the door wider and motion for her to enter. ‘Georgia, I’m not going to bite you.’

She nervously laughs, lifts her chin, then brushes past me.

The electricity I always feel whenever she’s around hits me like a fresh bolt of energy.

Goddamn it, I’ve got to figure this out.

We get inside and an awkward silence hangs between us. I’m trying to figure out what to say when she holds an envelope out toward me. She takes a deep breath and asserts, ‘This is yours.’

I glance at it. ‘What is it?’

She squares her shoulders. ‘It’s the title you just sent to my house. And I need to transfer that money back to you. Did Huck not tell you I don’t want anything? Besides, it was only supposed to be a million dollars. Why did you want to give me this condo too?’

‘You know why,’ I answer.

She slowly shakes her head. Her voice shakes as she says, ‘No, I don’t.’

I step closer, deciding to lay it all on the line, even though I feel like I’ve already done that. But if she needs to hear it again, I’ll say it. ‘I love you. I’ve told you so many times that I love you. What part of that do you not understand?’

She swallows hard. ‘Sebastian, we were supposed to sign annulment paperwork today. That was always the deal.’

‘I don’t care about the deal. When I took my vows, I meant every word.’

The color drains from her face. She gapes, slowly shaking her head.

I continue, ‘You wanted to know why I changed them? I’ll tell you what I should have told you when you asked on our wedding night. I knew you were the one. I was stupid not to admit it. And I’ll be damned if I break my vows.’

She stands perfectly still, as if frozen, minus her chest rising and falling faster.

I keep talking, stating, ‘I’m not going to sign anything saying that our marriage didn’t happen, because it did. Maybe it wasn’t real for you, Georgia, but for me, it was nothing but real.’

Her eyes fill with tears. She blinks hard and whispers, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’

I close the gap between us. ‘I love you. Nothing you say is going to change my mind. I’m not annulling this marriage.’

‘Sebastian…’ Her head moves side to side.

‘Tell me that you don’t love me,’ I challenge.

It takes her a minute, but she claims, ‘I don’t. You don’t love me either. It was just—’

‘I heard you tell me last night. Was that a lie?’ I interject.

She opens her mouth and then shuts it. She looks away. I turn her chin back.

‘You aren’t a liar. So don’t start now,’ I declare.

She scrunches her face.

‘Admit you don’t love me, Sunshine. Tell me you don’t love me, and I’ll let you go.’

Nothing comes out of her mouth.

I back her up to the glass and cage myself around her.

She glances up. ‘Sebastian, we can’t do this again. It hurts too much.’

‘We can’t what? You’re my wife, Georgia. Whatever I have to do to make you happy and keep you happy forever, I’m going to do. If I have to spend the rest of my days making up for what an asshole I was, I will. And it hurts because we both know we belong together,’ I profess.

Her lips tremble.

‘Tell me you want to be with me,’ I demand.

She stays quiet. Anguish paints her beautiful features.

‘Tell me you want me as your husband,’ I plead.

Teardrops roll down her cheek.

I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling more desperate than ever to earn her love again. I beg, ‘Please tell me you want me.’ My heart’s breaking in two. It feels like it’s never going to be back to normal.

Then she quietly admits, ‘I do want you.’

I open my eyes. ‘As your husband?’

She nods, confessing, ‘Yes.’

‘Forever?’

She sniffles. ‘Yes.’

I swallow the lump in my throat. It’s everything I’ve wanted her to admit.

She reaches up and pulls my face toward her. Her lips move an inch from mine. I lean closer to kiss her, but she retreats, then warns, ‘Don’t hurt me again, Sebastian. Make a new vow to me.’

I hold her cheeks with both of my hands. I declare, ‘I won’t. I promise you. I’ll never do anything to break your heart again.’

She stares at me some more.

‘I mean it, Sunshine. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to you,’ I adamantly assert.

She finally kisses me, and I’m back in heaven. When she retreats, she’s smiling.

I murmur, ‘You’re missing something.’

She cocks her eyebrows. ‘What?’

I lead her into the bedroom and open my drawer. I pick up her wedding rings and slide them on her finger. ‘These.’

She studies them, and her smile grows. The blues in her eyes twinkle, and she says, ‘I think it’s time you called the movers.’