Chapter Nine

The photos were everywhere. They were plastered online across gossip blogs and even in printed headlines lying in gutter puddles.

Mackenzie Caught With Mystery Heiress!

Engaged Billionaire Spotted Dining with Donovan Fashion Royalty!

Love Triangle Brewing? Evie Andrew M.I.A.

Tommy's heart hadn't stopped hammering since the first alert hit his phone. He ignored the frantic calls from his mother and the gloating message from Alexa. All that mattered was finding Evie.

He parked crookedly in front of the flower shop and bolted out of the car. Rain smacked against his skin, cold and sharp, but he didn't care. He slammed the car door and sprinted towards the front door. He jerked it open and dashed in.

"Evie!" he called out. "Evie, where are you?"

He waited for a beat but there was no response and the shop was eerily quiet. He went out the back towards the alley, water splashing up around his ankles.

"Evie, are you out here baby?" He tried again.Then he spotted movement. He saw her curled against the brick wall with her arms wrapped around herself.

Her shoulders were heaving and her breathing was shallow. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused, fixed on nothing.Her mouth opened as if to speak, but no sound came out.

"Evie," he said again, voice lower now, panicked. "Evie, look at me."

She blinked groggily. The rain had soaked her completely. Her hair clung to her face and her chest moved in sharp, quick bursts.

Tommy knelt in front of her, his hands trembling.

"Breathe, baby. Just breathe. In. Out. I've got you, okay?"

Her eyes darted up at him, wide and shimmering. "I can't... can't breathe..."

"You're okay," he whispered. "It's just the shock. I'm here now. I'm sorry. I should've told you. I was going to explain..."

And then her face shifted. The panic twisted into something colder.

"You lied to me," she said hoarsely.

Tommy froze.

"You said you were with a friend," Evie continued, her voice rising. "You looked me in the eye that night and said you'd just gone for a smoke."

"I..."

"You told me that everything was fine and brushed off my concern."

Tommy swallowed. "Evie..."

"You were with her."

His mouth opened. "It wasn't a..."

"A date?" she snapped. "Oh, okay. You were just having an intimate outing with a woman who clearly wanted to climb into your lap. But that wasn't a date?"

Tommy stood quickly, running a hand over his wet hair. "It wasn't like that."

Evie got to her feet too, staggering a little. "I saw the f*ck*ng photos! Everyone has seen the photos."

"I didn't invite her!" he shouted, exasperated. "It was my mum who set it up. I didn't even know it was going to be like that."

Evie stared at him, her chest rising and falling. "And you just… stayed?"

"I didn't want to cause a scene!"

Evie laughed bitterly. "Right. Because your reputation is always more important."

"That's not fair," he growled. "I didn't kiss her or touch her. I told her I was engaged. I told her I was in love with you!"

"Then why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"I was trying to protect you!"

"By lying to me?"

Tommy's face twisted. "God, Evie, I didn't know how to say it without hurting you."

"You hurt me anyway!" Evie cried out in a voice full of hurt. "Don't you get that you hurt me by not letting me know the truth in the first place?"

A flash of light caught Tommy's eye and he turned around sharply.

A hooded figure stood at the far end of the alley. They were holding a camera.

Tommy swore. "Sh*t... get inside."

Evie didn't move.

"Evie. Someone's watching. We need to go inside now."

"You're unbelievable," she snapped. "We're having a serious conversation but you're still worried about the goddamn cameras?"

"No, I'm worried about you."

"You're worried about the next headline!" Her voice cracked. "Scared it'll be 'Mackenzie 's Fiancée Melts Down in Alley'?"

Tommy clenched his jaw. "This isn't about the press dammit!"

"Yes, it is!" she screamed. "That's all this has ever been about for you! Image, appearances and now damage control."

"Evie—"

"You didn't think about me that night. You didn't think about what I'd feel, what I'd see or even what I'd have to endure when my face got plastered next to yours like I was the idiot who couldn't keep her fiancé loyal."

Tommy's face went pale. "God, babe..."

Evie stepped closer. "I believed you," she said, quietly now. "I believed everything. And you knew what that meant to me."

He stared at her realising that he had never seen her look so hurt. Or so far away.

"I thought we were solid," she whispered. "I thought we were done with secrets."

Tommy opened his mouth and then closed it. His heart thundered and his lungs burned from the pressure of holding in the truth. That truth was lodged in his throat like a jagged stone.

Then, finally...

"I HAD NO CHOICE!" he roared.

Evie went still as Tommy'voice echoed down the alley. He took a step toward her, wild-eyed, drenched, shaking.

"I only went because my mother threatened to cut me off, okay? She said if I didn't go through with it, she'd freeze the accounts, destroy my trust, drag me into a legal war."

Evie stared at him wordlessly.

"I had to keep the peace," he continued, voice cracking. "I had to go for the company and for everything. For us."

Evie's mouth parted, but no words came out. Rain blurred the space between them.

Behind them, the camera clicked relentlessly but neither of them moved.