"I should wait," he said. His thumb brushed the curve of her hip. "I should wait until you're ready."
It was a gentleman's answer. The right answer. But the way he said it told her waiting didn't mean surrender.
"I… I am. I…" May stammered, the words tripping over her tongue. She could feel Mark's gaze on her, steady and far too perceptive for her comfort. Her heartbeat was frantic. And she knew—oh, she knew—every syllable was a lie. It wasn't just the fact that she wasn't ready; it was that she didn't know if she ever could be. Not with the ghost of Kade's touch still haunting her skin.
"No, you are not. I think maybe… when this matter of you being married is settled."
She forced a thin smile. "Yea… of course… maybe." She glanced away, she just didn't want him to see the conflict in her eyes.
*****
"Well, this isn't good," Miss Nelly said later, after May had laid the situation out. They were in the kitchen.
"To annul a marriage, both parties have to sign, am I right?" Nelly asked.
May shrugged. "I don't know."
"Well then, we get a lawyer," Nelly continued. "You do not have to see him. The lawyer will take the document to him and have it signed."
"Miss Nelly… if he's still looking for me, then this is all he needs to find me." She was terrified. If Kingsley found her… gods, if he found out where she was living now…
"Doesn't have to be," she said, waving her hand as though she could swat away the thought itself. "The lawyer would be informed that your whereabouts cannot be divulged. It's simple." She leaned back, folding her arms in that way that suggested she wasn't asking for permission to be right—she already was.
May opened her mouth to protest, but Nelly cut her off with a smile. "Come on. You don't have to worry about a thing. Go make dinner. This can be resolved with just a few phone calls."
May got to her feet, pushing the chair back. Her hands itched for something to do—something physical, something that would keep her mind from spiraling into dark corners. She reached for the chopping board and a small basket of vegetables, the bright greens and reds offering a sharp contrast to the murky knot in her chest. Cooking, at least, was predictable.
"How did Mark feel about this?"
May's knife paused for a fraction of a second before resuming its steady rhythm. "You know Mark," she said with a soft smile. "He was an angel. He understood."
Nelly let out a low chuckle. "Boy has got more stomach than I give him credit for."
"Yeah," May replied, shrugging as she slid the diced onions into the pan. "Maybe he just loves me that much."
Nelly didn't miss a beat. "Yeah, HE loves you."
The way she said he made May suspicious. May's hand hesitated over the frying pan, but she didn't turn to look at Nelly. She'd learned quickly that Nelly had a way of seeing straight through her—through the careful smiles, through the assurances, right into the restless, conflicted heart May tried so hard to keep locked away. Asking what she meant would be an admission in itself. So she kept her eyes on the sizzling onions, telling herself the steam was the reason her eyes were stinging.
*****
A few days later, May sat stiff-backed in the chair across from the lawyer's wide desk.
Mark sat beside her, his large, warm hand resting casually over hers. His thumb moved in small, reassuring circles, and May was painfully aware of the promise in that touch. He was grounding her just like he always did.
They'd agreed beforehand not to give the lawyer too many details. Every extra piece of information was a loose thread someone could pull on, and May had lived too long running from Kingsley to make that mistake.
"Well," the lawyer began, peering at them over the rim of his glasses, "we cannot ask for an annulment unless you can prove beyond reasonable doubt that the marriage is invalid…Were you under duress?"
May leaned forward, her pulse thudding in her ears. "You don't understand," she said. "My signature was forged. I don't remember signing any document."
The lawyer's brows rose slightly, interest flickering in his eyes. "Forged?" he repeated.
Mark squeezed her hand gently. He hated this—having her sit here, reliving a moment of her life that was steeped in fear.
May forced herself to meet the lawyer's gaze. "It was like I was married without even knowing it. I never agreed. And I'll swear to that under oath."
"Did you live with this man?" the lawyer asked, leaning forward in his chair.
"Yes…" she said slowly, her gaze dropping to her clasped hands. "For about six months before I could then escape." Her mind pulled her back to those suffocating rooms, the drawn curtains, the metallic taste of fear that never left her tongue. She didn't mention the nights she'd stared at the locked door, counting her own breaths just to stay sane.
The lawyer made a small, noncommittal sound and scribbled something down. "Is there anyone who can be a witness that you were being held against your will?"
May let out a humorless laugh, one that surprised even her. "No one would want to go against him." The truth was, it wasn't just wouldn't—it was couldn't. Kingsley had a way of making people's spines melt into water. She'd seen strong men go silent in his presence.
Mark shifted beside her, and she felt his fingers twitch against hers. He wanted to speak, she could tell, but he was holding himself back, letting her have her voice. That was one of the things she loved about him—how he could be silent when she needed it, even when every muscle in him was screaming to step in.
"In that case," the lawyer continued, "all we can ask for now is a divorce. There isn't much else we can do. An annulment doesn't require him to be present, but without proof that the marriage is invalid, there is nothing much we can do except file for a divorce."
May's heart sank a little.
"Let's do that then," Mark said.
The lawyer nodded briskly. "Okay. I will get started on that and send to him as soon as you sign your part. Just give me your address and I will have it forwarded to you, and then you can return it here."
May nodded, forcing a polite smile, and reached into her bag. Her fingers brushed past her wallet, her notebook, and finally found a pen. The click of the ballpoint felt too loud in the quiet office. She scribbled her address on a small notepad sheet—or rather… Miss Nelly's address.
Mark pushed his chair back, and stood. His palm rested briefly on the small of her back.
******
A Week Later
Mark guided May through the revolving glass doors of the law office.
They approached the front desk, where a young secretary sat with an efficient posture and a headset framing her face. She looked up with a bright smile.
"We'd like to see Mr. Schott, please," Mark said.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Mr. Schott is not available at the moment."
Mark's brows drew together slightly. "Oh… okay. Do you have an idea when he will be back?"
The secretary hesitated, glancing around the lobby as if checking for eavesdroppers. "Well… uh… the truth is… Mr. Schott has been missing for three days now."
May's eyes widened so fast she almost forgot to breathe. "Excuse me?"
The woman's fingers fidgeted with the edge of a notepad. "We reported it to the police yesterday. He hadn't been at home and hasn't been in the office. No one's heard from him."
A small pulse started in May's temples.
"Thank you," Mark said to the secretary. He felt May stiffen beside him, her arm tense against his. "Come on, babe. Let's go."
But as they turned toward the doors, Mark glanced back over his shoulder. "Would you please keep us updated if he shows up?"
"Of course," the secretary replied, her eyes softening with sympathy.
Outside, the city was loud and bright. But May barely noticed. She stopped just past the doors, grabbing Mark's sleeve and forcing him to face her.
"He did this," she whispered.
Mark's jaw tightened. "Who?"
"Kingsley." She swallowed hard, her stomach flipping with fear. "Oh my God… I gave the lawyer Miss Nelly's address. Jesus… help me." Her hands were shaking now, and she hated that he could see it.
Mark caught her by the shoulders, his touch firm. "Calm down. We cannot jump to conclusions. No one in their right mind would kidnap a lawyer." His lips curved in the faintest hint of a smirk.
"That's the point. Kingsley is not a man in his right mind."
Her chest rose and fell with uneven breaths, the anxiety in her eyes burning hotter than the August sun.