36

"You lost all your rights when you sold yourself to me. Now tell me who the hell you were talking to this morning!" Nathan growled.

She had never felt so humiliated.

She hugged herself to control her trembling; with every word that came out of his mouth, her heart broke more and more.

"It was my cousin," she whispered so low that he barely heard her.

Nathan believed her; he knew she wasn't lying and could see it in her eyes. Silence stretched between them for a long time.

He saw her turn away, her eyes glazed and trembling frenetically. He realized what he had done, how he had pressured her in such a vile and cruel manner.

Suzanne looked like she was about to break. He thought he had acted like a jealous man but dismissed the idea since he had never felt jealousy for anyone.

She locked herself in the first room she found and there, leaning against the door, she broke down and cried until her head hurt.

She forgot to lock the door before heading to the bathroom. She undressed and lay down in the bathtub, staying there with her eyes closed and her chest aching.

After two glasses of whiskey, Nathan felt calmer and thought he could think clearly again.

He went to the main suite where he had seen Suzanne lock herself in. The door was unlocked, and he looked around but couldn't find her.

He entered the bathroom and saw her sleeping in the bathtub, fragile and defenseless.

He was a bit annoyed by her lack of awareness, falling asleep there, as she could have caught a cold or worse, drowned.

He took her out and wrapped her in a towel, carried her to the bed, and dressed her in comfortable clothes for sleeping, trying not to wake her, but it was in vain.

She sat up in bed and looked at him angrily, moving away a bit.

"Get away from me!"

He sighed, bracing himself for what was coming.

"I'm sorry," he grimaced, "I apologize for my behavior…"

"I want to be alone," she interrupted him curtly.

"And I want to be alone, Suzanne," he replied softly, trying to reconcile.

"Then go find Brigitte or whatever her name is," she said ironically.

"It's you I want, and you know it," Nathan sighed again, patient.

"I'm sure that Brigitte can help you with that," she said, looking at him furiously.

Her heart was hurt by Nathan's behavior, and she was boiling with rage and jealousy because he had brought up that woman's name.

"She could be my mother; I don't like older women," he said, amused.

"What?" Suzanne said, her eyes widening.

"Yes, you know Brigitte, the lady from the archives department," he smiled wryly. "She always follows my orders without question."

"That Brigitte," she murmured incredulously.

"Yes, dear," he agreed.

Suzanne frowned, thinking he had done it on purpose, mentioning that name to make her jealous.

How was she supposed to know he meant that Brigitte?

Nathan's list of lovers was endless, and she only knew a part of it.

But even though that matter was clear, she couldn't forget the words he had said to her and how he had treated her. He had made her feel like trash again, and that hurt like a dagger plunged into her chest.

He saw the sad look in her eyes and knew what she was thinking. He knew he had let his anger get the better of him; the question was why he had been so upset.

"I'm really sorry, Suzanne," he said, grimacing. "It wasn't right…"

"You always do this, treat me like dirt and then come to apologize as if nothing happened," she said, her voice affected, trying not to cry. "If you don't care about me, why don't we just end this once and for all?"

"Suzanne, no…"

"Leave me, Nathan," she pulled away from his grasp, moving away from him. "I really want to be alone, go."

He clenched his fists and swallowed, his throat burning. He got up from the bed and headed towards the door, but once there, he stopped, with his back to her.

"I was jealous.”

Both he and she were surprised to hear that confession.

The words had come out of his mouth before he could stop them. If she had seen his face, she would have realized how confused Nathan was.

He left silently without even turning around, closing the door behind him.

Hours passed, and Suzanne tossed and turned in bed, trying to sleep, but she felt something was missing—or rather, she missed curling up against his chest and being wrapped in his strong arms.

She thought about what he had said last and how surprised she had been. She then decided to make the most of the time she had left with him, even though they would have to part ways in a few months.

The date when the contract expired was getting closer, and the anxiety began to grip her chest.

She got out of bed and went to find him quietly, finding him asleep on the large sofa in the living room. She approached him and kissed his forehead tenderly.

"I love you," she would have liked to whisper.

She lay down next to him, and in less than a second, he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she apologized.

"I wasn't sleeping. I couldn't sleep without you, Suzie," he confessed in a choked voice.

"The same happens to me," she whispered, stroking his hair.

He kissed her, a long kiss that told her how much he desired and cared for her, but he knew she was exhausted, and like him, it had been a long and disastrous day. Still, he thought that in the end, they had managed to resolve their differences.

"Sleep, darling. We’ll have time for this later," he kissed her forehead.

He adjusted her better in his arms, and there they fell asleep, one in the other's arms, with a small smile on their lips.