"My name is Beth!"
She stared at him as if he were a stranger until he lowered his arm.
His voice was a whisper when he tried again. "I can explain-"
"Explain what?" she demanded. "That you stole the picture from my brother? That you walked across the country to find me? That you fell in love with an image…"
"It wasn't like that," he said, shaking his head.
She didn't hear him. All she could do was stare at him, wondering if anything he'd said was true.
"You stalked me…" she said, almost as if talking to herself. "You lied to me. You used me."
"You don't understand…"
"Understand? You want me to understand"
"I didn't steal the photo," he said. His voice remained steady and even. "I found the photo in Kuwait, and I posted it on a bulletin board where I thought it would be claimed. But no one ever claimed it."
"And so… you took it back?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Why? Because you had some sick and twisted idea about me?"
"No," he said, his voice rising for the first time. The sound startled her, slowing her thoughts, if only for an instant. "I came here because I owed you."
"You owed me?" She blinked. "What does that even mean?"
"The photo… it saved me."
Though she heard him plainly, she couldn't comprehend the words. She waited for more, and in the steady silence that followed, she realized she found them… chilling somehow. The hairs on her arms prickled, and she took another step back. "Who are you?" she hissed. "What do you want from me?"
"I don't want anything. And you know who I am."
"No, I don't! I don't know anything about you!"
"Let me explain…"
"Then explain why if this was all so pure and true that you didn't tell me about the photograph when you first came here!" she shouted, her voice echoing in the room. In her mind's eye, she saw Drake and all the details of the night the photo was taken. She pointed a finger at him. "Why didn't you say, 'I found this in Iraq and I figured you might want it back'? Why didn't you tell me when we were talking about Drake?"
"I don't know…"
"It wasn't your photo to keep! Don't you get that? It wasn't meant for you! It was for my brother, not for you! It was his and you had no right to keep it from me!"
Logan's voice was almost a whisper. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
Her eyes bored into him, piercing him with the force of her rage.
"This whole thing is a sham, isn't it? You found this photo and came up with some… twisted fantasy in which you could play the starring role. You played me from the moment we met! You took your time to find out what you could do to make it seem like you were the perfect guy for me. And you thought that because you were obsessed with me, you could trick me into falling in love with you."
She saw Logan flinch at her words, and she went on.
"You planned all this from the very beginning! It's sick and it's wrong and I can't believe I fell for it."
He rocked back slightly on his heels, stunned by her words.
"I admit that I wanted to meet you," he said, "but you're wrong about the reason. I didn't come here to trick you into falling in love with me. I know it sounds crazy, but I came to believe that the photograph kept me safe from harm and that… I owed you somehow, even if I didn't know what that meant or what would come of it. But I didn't plan anything after I got here. I took the job, and then I fell in love with you."
Her expression didn't soften as he spoke. Instead, she slowly began to shake her head.
"Can you even hear what you're saying?"
"I knew you wouldn't believe it. That's why I didn't tell you-"
"Don't try to justify your lies! You got caught up in some sick fantasy and you won't even admit it."
"Stop calling it that!" he shouted back. "You're the one who's not listening. You're not even trying to understand what I'm saying!"
"Why should I try to understand? You've been lying to me since the beginning. You've been using me since the beginning."
"I haven't used you," he said, forcing his back straight, regaining his composure. "And I didn't lie about the photo. I just didn't tell you about it because I didn't know how to tell you in a way that wouldn't make you think I was crazy."
She raised her hands. "Don't even think of blaming this on me. You're the one who lied! You're the one who kept secrets! I told you everything! I gave my heart to you! I let my son become attached to you!" she shouted. As she went on, her voice broke and she could feel the tears beginning to form. "I went to bed with you because I thought you were someone I could trust. But now I know that I can't. Can you imagine how that makes me feel? To know this whole thing was some sort of charade?"
His voice was soft. "Please, Elizabeth… Beth.;. just listen."
"I don't want to listen! I've already been lied to enough."
"Don't be like this."
"You want me to listen?" she screamed. "Listen to what? That you obsessed over a picture and came to find me because you believe it kept you safe? That's insane, and the most disturbing thing is, you don't even recognize that your explanation only makes you sound psychotic!"
He stared at her, and she saw his jaw clench shut.
She felt a shudder run through her. She was done with this. Done with him. "I want it back," she gritted out. "I want the photo that I gave to Drake."
When he didn't respond, she reached over to the window ledge and grabbed a small flower pot. She threw it at him, shouting, "Where is it? I want it!"
Logan ducked as the pot whizzed overhead and crashed into the wall behind him. For the first time, Zeus barked in confusion.
"It's not yours!" she shouted.
Logan stood straight again. "I don't have it."
"Where is it?" she demanded
Logan paused before answering. "I gave it to Ben," he admitted. Her eyes narrowed. "Get out."
Logan paused before finally moving toward the door. Beth stepped away, keeping her distance from him. Zeus swiveled his gaze from Logan to Beth and back again before padding slowly after Logan.
At the door, Logan stopped and turned toward her. "I swear on my life I didn't come here to fall in love with you, or try to make you fall in love with me. But I did." She stared at him. "I told you to go and I meant it." With that, he turned and strode out into the storm.
Chapter 29
Thibault
Despite the rain, Thibault couldn't imagine going back to his house. He wanted to be outside; it didn't feel right to be warm and dry. He wanted to purge himself of what he had done, of all the lies he had told.
She'd been right: He hadn't been honest with her. Despite the hurt he felt at some of the things she'd said and her unwillingness to listen, she had been justified in feeling betrayed. But how to explain? He didn't fully understand why he'd come, even when he tried to put it into words. He could see why she interpreted his actions as those of an obsessed madman. And, yes, he was obsessed, just not in the way she imagined.
He should have told her about the photograph as soon as he'd arrived, and he struggled to remember why he hadn't done so. Odds were, she would have been surprised and asked a few questions, but it would have ended at that. He suspected that Nana would have hired him anyway, and then none of this would have happened.
More than anything, he wanted to turn around and go back to her. He wanted to explain, to tell his whole story from the beginning.
He wouldn't, though. She needed time alone-or at least time from him- Time to recover and maybe, just maybe, understand that the Thibault she'd come to care for was the only Thibault there was. He wondered whether time alone would bring forgiveness.