A Very Exclusive Engagement(54)

When she’d asked Ariella to get her a cab, her friend probably thought she was upset about having her reception ruined. The truth was that she just couldn’t pretend anymore. If she’d had to be in that ballroom one more minute, she would have blown everything for Liam and ANS.

Now that she was back at Liam’s place, in a pair of jeans and a light sweater, she felt better and worse all at once. Boxes of her things still sat around the ground floor of his town house ready to be incorporated into her new life with him. But they might as well go back onto the moving truck.

She poured herself a glass of wine to calm her nerves and went upstairs to the master bedroom to repack. The only things of hers that had been put away were her clothes and personal effects for the bed and bath. Those could easily be rounded back up, and she intended to do it right now.

If she hurried, she would be sleeping in her own bed tonight. Not quite the wedding night everyone was expecting her to have.

She had one suitcase filled and zipped closed when she heard the front door open.

“Francesca?” Liam called.

“I’m upstairs,” she answered and pulled another bag onto the bed. She was stuffing it with lingerie and pajamas when he came through the doorway of his bedroom.

Francesca tried not to think about how handsome he looked in his rumpled tuxedo. His tie was undone, his collar unbuttoned. She liked him tousled. Despite everything, she felt her body react to his presence. Her pulse started racing, and her skin tightened in anticipation of his touch. But thinking about how much she wanted Liam wouldn’t help. It would make her want to stay. And she needed to go.

“What are you doing?” he asked. His voice wasn’t raised. It was quiet and tired. They’d both had a long day and didn’t need any more drama. But this had to happen tonight.

“I’m packing my things and moving back into my place.” Francesca shoved another few items into her bag and looked up. “Don’t worry, I’ll lie low until Aunt Beatrice leaves town on Monday, but then I’m calling the moving company to come get my stuff.”

Liam took a few steps toward her. She could feel the magnetic pull of him grow stronger as he came closer. She wanted to bury her face in his lapel and forget about everything that was going wrong. But she couldn’t.

“Why?”

Francesca put the last of her clothes into the bag and zipped it closed. She looked at the bag as she spoke to ensure she could get all the words out. “I’m sorry, Liam. I thought I could do this. But I just can’t.”

There was a pause before he answered, his voice a touch strained. “Do you want an annulment?”

She looked up at him and shook her head. “No. I’ll remain legally married to you for the sake of the network. Hopefully that will be enough because I can’t play house with you. It’s too hard on…” Her voice started to falter as tears rushed to her eyes. She immediately turned from him before she gave away how she really felt. “It’s too hard on my heart, Liam.”

He took another step forward, but stopped short of reaching out to her. “What do you mean?”

Francesca took a deep breath. “I want more.”

“More than the five million?”

At that, Francesca jerked her head up to meet his gaze. “You just don’t get it, do you? I don’t want your money. I never did. I have plenty of my own. I want the things that you can’t give me. I want love. A real family. A marriage like my parents have. I want a man who cares for me more than anyone or anything.”

She shook her head and hoisted the strap of the bag over her shoulder. “This isn’t your fault. You were right when you said I was a true believer. I am. But I’ve been lying to myself. First, I told myself that I could be with you and it would be fine. That I could spend the next year pretending. But I can’t because I was stupid enough to fall for you. Then I kept hoping that maybe, just maybe, you would fall for me and this could become more than just a business arrangement. Silly, right?”

Liam reached out to her, but Francesca sidestepped him. “Don’t,” she said. “Just don’t. I know you don’t have feelings for me. Anything you say right now will make it worse.”

She extended the handle of her suitcase and rolled it to the bedroom door.

“Francesca, wait.”

She stopped and turned to him. This was the moment everything hinged on. If she was wrong and he did care for her, this was the time for him to say it. She looked into his dark blue eyes, hoping to see there the love she wanted so desperately. Etched into his pained expression was desperation and confusion. He didn’t want her to go, but he didn’t know how to ask her to stay.