Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21861 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21861 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Hope's fingers trembled as she typed out a message and hit Send before she could change her mind. It took only mere seconds for a reply to arrive, and scant minutes for Colin to knock on her hotel room door.
"I'm here." His voice was fierce with emotion. His face more handsome than she had allowed herself to remember. But she noticed how he also seemed to have lost weight, and his clothes were far from their usually impeccable state.
"Come in." Her voice came out stilted, and it surprised her to see pain flash over his features. What was that about?
He entered the room and closed the door behind him. Hope had this grand plan of inviting him to take a seat and talking things out like adults. But as soon as he faced her again, the words simply flew out of her mouth.
"Why didn't you tell me about the mortgage?"
Colin stilled. "Who told you?"
"Frank. Not that it matters." She looked at him searchingly. "Why did you do it?"
"Because they're your parents. And it was also the right thing to do."
He had no ulterior motives, in other words. And she believed him. But then...she had always recognized the goodness in Colin. That had never been the problem between them. Or maybe it was. He had been too good to Princess. And seeing that had started to hurt more and more.
"I have something to show you."
Her head lifted, in time to see Colin pull out a crumpled manila envelope from his jacket pocket. The action lacked the usual sophistication she was used to seeing from him, and knowing that she had something to do with this hurt.
Hope accepted the envelope, moving to the small desk to open it. Inside, she found legal documents bearing the letterhead of Colin's attorneys.
A post-nuptial agreement?
She looked at him in confusion, but Colin only nodded. "Read it," he encouraged quietly. "All of it."
Hope returned her attention to the document, and confusion gradually turned to shock. He was giving her half of everything except control of his businesses. Regardless of whether they stayed married or not.
All of it spelled one thing.
He loved her.
And if he had done this earlier, she would have flown straight into his arms, and they could live happily ever after.
But now?
"I realize I've been doing everything wrong the past several days," Colin said tautly. "The flowers, the gifts, asking you out again and again. It's easily something I could have done for any other woman. But you're not any other woman. You're my wife. The woman I've fallen in love with. The only one I'll ever love."
Hope was stunned when Colin suddenly closed the distance between them as he went down on one knee. He slowly reached for her hands, and she started to cry, realizing that he was giving her all the time in the world to reject his touch.
He loved her. He really loved her. Colin...loved her.
But it was too late.
"I'm sorry for hurting you," Colin said hoarsely. "I wasn't just a fool. I was also heartless and full of it. Seeing the look on your face when you found out—" His voice cracked, and so did her heart.
I asked for someone to make Princess jealous. But you're choosing to send me someone that could turn me into a laughingstock?
"It killed me to see that. And I know it would kill me again if I were to ever say anything like it about any other person. Because you...you make me want to be a good person, Hope. You make me want to change. And that's why, even though I know you deserve someone better—"
Colin brought her hands to his lips, and slowly, she felt his own tears wet her skin.
"Please, kyria," Colin said raggedly. "Please come back to me."
****
Her husband was gone.
She was all alone again.
She had told him her conditions, and he had agreed to it.
If all of this had happened even just two days ago, it would have been so, so easy to just forgive. And assume that she already knew what she was doing, and that she had everything under control.
But not anymore.
This time, things would be different. This time, she wouldn't let the world and its lies fool her into thinking that she knew better than God. Because she didn't. She never did.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.
The phone in her hotel room started to ring, and Hope reached for the receiver with shaking hands.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Souloukis. We've been informed that your driver is here to pick you up."
"T-Thank you. I'll be down in a minute."
"Understood, Mrs. Souloukis."