Staring at him, she saw him fight to find the words.
“It’s over, and seeing as you’re this big hot-shot wealthy businessman, I want my f**king money back.” She walked to the door. Not satisfied with how it ended, she walked back and slapped Isaac around the face. The action didn’t make her feel better, but it helped deal with her pain.
The bastard had no idea the extent of her feelings for him, and they’d been a lie. The man she knew had been a lie.
“I’ve already transferred the funds back. Don’t leave like this, Elle.”
“How could you do this to me?” she asked. He stared at her without saying a word. “If you loved someone, no matter what, you could never lie to her like you did me. I never lied to you.”
“I do love you.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve got to go.”
Noelle ran out of the hotel room. The taxi she’d left was still there waiting. She jumped inside the cab.
“Could you take me back to my apartment and keep the motor running? I’ve got to find a place to go.”
“Sure, lady, but it will cost you.”
“Not a problem.”
She put on her seatbelt and stared out the window. Brad rushed out of the hotel and charged after the taxi. She ignored him, sat back and watched the world go by. All too soon, she was at her apartment door with Brad not too far behind. Instead of stopping to have the argument with him, she went straight to her room and began packing.
“Noelle, you don’t have to do this,” Brad said from her doorway.
“I don’t? You could have fooled me. When my best friend gets his older brother who’s stuck in a rut to f**k his scarred best friend, I would consider leaving the best thing to do.”
“Where are you going to go?” he asked.
“The money I paid him is back in my account. I’ve got enough to get by. I don’t want to see you, Brad. What you’ve done has hurt me more than anything else.” She packed her suitcase and made her way out of the apartment. Brad followed her all the way down to the taxi.
“This is ridiculous.”
She whirled round on him. “You should have thought about that before you pimped your older brother out on me. I never wanted anyone’s pity, Brad. I wanted love.”
“Isaac loves you. Give him a chance.”
Shaking her head, she handed her suitcase over to the taxi man.
“If only you hadn’t asked him to be that man. Isaac Welch is not the man I know and never will be.”
Leaving her friend stood on the pavement, she got into the cab, and then he drove away.
“Where do you want to go, miss?”
“To an available apartment.”
Laying her head back against the head rest, she stared out at the city. In less than a few weeks the everywhere would be alight with Christmas decorations. She thought about her family and the festive times they used to spend together.
From her own personal problems she’d lost so much. Closing her eyes, she hugged herself to try to keep the last little bit of warmth she had left inside her.
****
Isaac paid for the room, a dull ache hurting inside his chest. She was gone, and there was no way he would be able to get her back. Pulling his debit card out of the machine, he gave a quick smile at the man on the desk before he left.
The moment he stepped out into the cold air, he welcomed the chill. The frost biting at his toes was welcome and let him know he was still alive.
What had happened was the biggest mistake of his life. Not telling Elle who he was had been the problem. Nothing else. Pulling the collar of his coat up to his neck, he called for a taxi to take him to his penthouse apartment. He would go home, to his empty apartment and empty life with only the sweet memories of Elle to keep him company.
The woman on the reception desk gave him a welcoming smile, which he ignored. On the way up, he rubbed his chest. The pain increased with every step he took. Every step reminded him of what he’d lost.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The next two weeks passed in a blur for Noelle. The media went into a frenzy over the woman Isaac had been seen eating a meal with. She’d rented an apartment on the other side of town. Switching on the television the evening news came on. Isaac, walking away from his office building, was being badgered by a well dressed reporter.
“Mr. Welch, could we ask about the woman you were pictured with?”
“No comment,” Isaac said.
“What about news of a meeting with your father?” another reporter asked.
“Why is she a scarred beauty?”
At the last question Isaac turned to the media. He looked fierce and every one of his forty years. A hand went to her mouth as she gasped at the change within him. He looked angry.
“I never want to hear these questions again after this. Am I understood?” Murmurs echoed from each member of the press. “The woman I was having dinner with is a budding artist whose work is the best I’ve ever seen. Noelle Evans is an up and coming star. Our relationship is nothing more than a business one. Good day.”
Hearing her full name from his lips was a heady experience if not a little upsetting. She was angry with him for the lying, but to completely blank their relationship as nothing but business ... hurt. Turning the television off, she went and stood next to her window. As she had known would happen, the city was alight with the approaching festive season. A month was still to go before the big day. The city would work for a few weeks to get every light looking perfect.
More than she liked to think about, her thoughts drifted back to Brad. She knew there would come a point where she would have to talk to him again.
Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her coat from the door. She intended to go see her best friend. The ringing of the telephone stopped her in her tracks. Frowning, she waited for the voice mail service to pick up.
“This is Noelle Evans. I’m not in right now, but please leave a message after the beep.”
The sound of the machine beeping kicked in.
“Noelle, honey. It’s your dad.” A cough and the sound of muttering came over the line. “I spoke to your friend Bradley, and he gave me this number. He said you two had a fight and had moved out. Well, I guess I’d better tell you why I called. We want to see you, honey. Me and your mum. We want you to come home for Christmas.”
A pause and more rustling around.
“I better go. Take care, Noelle. Love you.”
The click of the message finished. She pulled away from the door and went over to the phone. She pressed the play button, listening to the message again. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about her father. She would have to visit him soon. Sitting down in the seat beside the phone, she stared at her hands. In the space of two years so much had changed. She wasn’t the eighteen year old woman who’d run out of her home to get away from the man she felt was responsible for ruining her life. The relationship she had with her father had been an excellent one at one point. When she had gone to school, and after the accident which had given her the scars, that relationship had been tested.