Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Her eyes narrowed. “A forensic accountant and a computer programmer were hired and given access to our computer systems without our permission?” she asked incredulously.
I knew she was deflecting, unable to wrap her mind around the bombshell I’d just dropped. I hated that she was looking at me as if I was the enemy.
“The contract that I signed with your father makes me a partner in the business, Morgan,” I said. “I’m authorized to access everything at GalvaTech.”
“That doesn’t make it right!” Her voice rose, sharp with betrayal, her hands clenching at her sides. “You should have told us what your suspicions were.”
I exhaled a deep, steadying breath when I felt anything but. “We didn’t know who was doing the embezzling. Keeping it quiet seemed like the best way to find out who was responsible without tipping anyone off.”
Her jaw dropped, her eyes widening with fresh hurt. “Are…are you saying you suspected me?”
“No,” I said, stepping closer and placing my hands on her shoulders before she could move away. “No, baby. I never thought it was you. But you have to understand why we kept it quiet. It’s Parker. Would you have told me that he often works late if I’d been honest about the money transfers occurring in the evenings?”
She jerked out of my grip, renewed anger flashing across her features. “You tricked me into telling you that! I never would have pointed the finger at Parker if I’d known why you were asking.”
“That’s the point,” I said. “We had to keep it quiet because you’re family. I knew you’d protect the thief if it turned out to be one of your family members.”
“Don’t call him a thief!” she snapped. “Parker isn’t like that.”
“He’s stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars!” I said just as heatedly.
We were both upset and shouting, and I could feel the situation spiraling out of control. I hated every single second of this conversation. Morgan turned away, walking the length of the living room as if she needed to put distance between us. Each step away from me felt like a mile.
“How long?” she asked, her voice suddenly emotionless.
I would have preferred the anger, but this sudden cold, stoic distance felt like the door was closing on our relationship.
“What?” I asked, the despair washing over me, making my brain lag.
She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. “How long have you been investigating this?”
I knew in that moment that I was about to deliver a devastating blow to our relationship, but I couldn’t bring myself to lie to her. There were already too many lies of omission weighing on me, hovering between us.
“Since before Vegas,” I admitted quietly.
The devastated look on her face was more potent and raw this time, and I cursed under my breath, hating that I was responsible for putting it there.
“You knew the whole time we in Vegas together?” she whispered, her voice trembling as memories flashed in her eyes—the intimacy we’d shared, the connection we’d built. “All those moments…the dates, the nights…you were keeping this from me?”
“I knew something was wrong with the accounting,” I said, pushing my fingers through my hair. “But I didn’t know it was Parker until now. I swear, I wanted to tell you. I hated holding back. But I needed proof first, to protect everyone, including you.”
“But you didn’t tell me,” she said in a flat tone. “This company is my life, Liam. And you didn’t trust me enough to let me in. Now you expect me to just take your word that Parker is embezzling money? Why should I?”
I understood her point. I’d known keeping this from her was a betrayal, but I’d done it anyway, prioritizing the investigation over us. I stood there feeling helpless, searching for words to make this right, but none came. There was no defense that would soften this blow for her.
She walked over to the apartment door and opened it. “I want you to go.”
I didn’t miss the glisten of tears in her eyes, and panic rose in my chest. “Morgan, I can’t leave like this.” The thought of walking out terrified me because I knew this could end us. I couldn’t lose her. Not now, not after realizing how much she meant to me.
I thought about telling her that I loved her, but that felt too much like emotional manipulation right now. It wasn’t the time or the place, and this situation was not how I wanted her to hear those words for the first time. And my biggest fear was that she’d reject them, anyway.
“I don’t have anything else to say to you right now,” she said, her voice breaking on the words, her sadness palpable. “I just need…space. I need you to go.”
The emotional plea in her eyes broke me. I couldn’t push her, not when she looked so fragile, so vulnerable. Slowly, I walked toward her, my steps as heavy as my heart. Stopping beside her, I cupped her cheek gently, brushing away a stray tear with my thumb when she didn’t pull away.