Chapter 80 80
POV Kate
He was wearing a black shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his hair disheveled, deep dark circles under his eyes. He looked thinner, sharper, as if grief had carved his features down to bone and shadow. His gaze landed first on Andrew, then on me. It stayed there.
“Katherine… Andrew,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Thank you for coming.”
Andrew stepped forward, extending his hand.
“We’re so sorry about your mother, Elliot. We couldn’t make it to the funeral, but we wanted to offer our condolences in person.”
Elliot took his hand, but his eyes remained fixed on me. He nodded vaguely.
“Thank you. Really. It means a lot to me.”
Andrew shot me a quick glance—one of those looks that said now. I stood up, my legs feeling heavy. I walked over to Elliot and hugged him. It was an awkward embrace—I don’t even know why. Maybe because my husband was asking me to do it, or because of how things had been left between us after Lisbon. There could be a thousand reasons; I didn’t know which one was the real one. But he responded with unexpected force, wrapping his arms around me and burying his face in my shoulder. I felt his hot tears soaking through my blouse. He cried silently, with restrained shudders, as if he were ashamed to be seen like this.
“I’m here,” I murmured, because I didn’t know what else to say. I had gone through loss too, and unlike Andrew, when it happened to me I didn’t want to see anyone, didn’t want to hear anything—no condolences, nothing at all.
I didn’t know what Elliot preferred: to be alone… or to have company.
Andrew cleared his throat.
“I’ll leave you two alone for a moment. I’m going to take a walk in the garden. If you need anything…”
He left without waiting for an answer, giving me one last look that said stay with him… and build the bridge so I can score points with Elliot.
This was absurd. Or was it just me who thought so?
I tried to pull away then, to put distance between us, to reclaim the air Elliot seemed to be stealing with his embrace. But he didn’t let go. His hands closed around my waist, firm, almost desperate. Then they slid forward, and for a few seconds they rested on my belly. Every single time he touched me there, the baby gave a strong kick against his hand.
“Don’t go yet,” he whispered against my neck.
I tried to step back. He held me, preventing me from moving away.
“Elliot…”
“Just a little longer. Please.”
He pressed his forehead to mine. His breathing was uneven, hot against my skin. His eyes were so close I could see the gray flecks in his irises.
“Kate… you have no idea what it means that you’re here.”
I swallowed hard.
“We just want to help you. I know this must be an incredibly difficult time. Andrew and I are here for whatever you need. You can count on us. My husband wants you to be okay.” I put special emphasis on the word husband, reminding him that I wasn’t alone here, that Andrew was too.
He shook his head, just a small movement.
“No, no, I don’t need anyone else. It’s just help. It’s you. It’s always been you. You can make me feel better, make the air stop getting stuck in my throat… give me real comfort. I need you. I need you.”
A shiver ran down my spine. I remembered that other Elliot—the one who had begged me not to push him away, to stay by his side, to choose him. The words sounded the same, only these carried more weight, even though they were quieter.
It only felt strange because there was no sense in comparing the Elliot from that moment in the car—before I left for Lisbon—with the Elliot in Lisbon, who had decided to leave for the time being, accepting that he might never know if the child was his or Andrew’s, with this Elliot… A man who had just inherited an empire. A man who was crying on my shoulder and holding me as if I were the only thing keeping him upright.
I had to pull away. No matter what Andrew said, I had to get away from this version of Elliot.
“Elliot, please,” I said, trying to sound firm. “Andrew is outside. And you… you’re going through so much.”
“I don’t care about Andrew,” he answered in a low voice, almost a growl. “I don’t care about anything else but this. That you’re here. That you don’t leave.”
His fingers dug a little deeper into my waist. Not violently, but with a need that frightened me. I tried to pull my forehead away, but he followed, keeping the contact.
“I need to feel that I’m not alone,” he whispered. “Everything collapsed so fast… the house, the company, her… All that’s left is you.”
My hands were on his chest, pushing gently, but he didn’t yield.
“I’m not your refuge, Elliot,” I said, my voice shakier than I wanted. “I’m a married woman. I have a life.”
His eyes darkened.
“I know. But I also know you recognize that you can help me. Is it really so much to ask? Does it seem like too much that I’m asking you to stay by my side in a moment like this?”
“It’s not just me. My husband and I have—”
“Enough! I don’t care about Andrew!”
“Shh!” I pressed my hands to his mouth to stop him from continuing. “This isn’t the moment.” I pulled back harder this time. “Let me go.”
Elliot hesitated. For a second I thought he wouldn’t. Then, slowly, his hands loosened. He took a step back, but he didn’t look away.
“I’m sorry,” he said, running a hand over his face. “I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just… I don’t know how to keep going without her. And seeing you here… it’s like something makes sense again.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say. The living room felt smaller, the air thicker.
“We’re going to help you,” I said at last. “But not like that. Andrew and I… we can be close. As friends.”
He smiled then—a small, sad, and somehow dangerous smile.
“Friends,” he repeated, as if tasting the word. “Okay. I think… that could help.”
The garden door opened. Andrew came back in, rubbing his hands as if he had felt the cold.
“Everything all right?” he asked, looking from one of us to the other.
Elliot straightened, recomposed his expression.
“Yes. Everything’s fine. Thank you for coming.”
Andrew took my arm naturally.
“We’ll be in the city for a few days. If you need anything—anything at all—call us.”
Elliot nodded, but his eyes stayed on me.
“You could… stay here. There’s no need to go to a hotel. There are plenty of rooms. Accept my invitation.”
“Thank you, Elliot, but no.”
“Yes,” Andrew interrupted. “We’ll stay. Thank you.” Then, once Elliot had stepped away, he turned to me. “See? He needed you. And we need him. We’ll stay a few days while I figure out how things stand at headquarters… and what’s going to happen next.”