The Tycoon's Unexpected Baby (The Abbot Sisters #3) - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,42
a physical as well as emotional way.
Angrily, he bent down and locked eyes with her. “You’re not fine, Pepper. You’re melting away! You’ve lost too much weight and you’re not sleeping well.”
Pepper looked down at her clothes. She’d pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt this morning. Gone was the woman who loved clothes and had so much fun choosing something daring and outrageous from her extensive wardrobe. She used to love showing off her designs, her eyes glowing whenever she’d created something special.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Dimitri pressed his lips together, not wanting to yell at her for apologizing yet again. He didn’t understand why she kept doing that, but every time he asked, her eyes closed and tears poured down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry, agape mou,” he whispered, pulling her into his arms. This time, she didn’t fight him, but nor did she hold him back. For a long time, he continued to hold her, trying to tell her how he felt, but she was so cold, so distant.
So instead, he released her and sighed with frustration as he turned to leave. “I’ll be home early for dinner tonight. Maybe we could eat at Tony’s.”
Pepper nodded vaguely, sitting back down in the chair, gazing out at the New York sky. It was grey and dreary today and Dimitri ran a hand through his hair, frustrated and not sure how to get through to her.
Pepper heard the front door close and knew that Dimitri had gone to work. Again.
She shouldn’t blame him. Every time he touched her, she pushed him away. Not because she didn’t love him, but because he shouldn’t love her. And because feeling his arms around her felt…too good.
Pepper didn’t deserve to feel good. She deserved to be punished. She’d lost their child. Lifting her chin, she looked around at the beautiful luxury of his penthouse. It wasn’t her taste, but she could objectively see that it was luxurious.
She didn’t deserve to be here, she thought.
“Ms. Bosalis?” a voice called out.
Pepper never corrected Dimitri’s housekeeper about her last name. She was still Pepper Abbot. They’d been married for three weeks now, but she hadn’t changed her last name. Should she?
Probably not. It would just be a pain in the butt when she had to change her name back to Abbot. Eventually, Dimitri would tell her that their marriage was a mistake and they needed to divorce. He’d only married her because of the baby and…well, there wasn’t a baby now.
“I’ve made breakfast for you, Ms. Bosalis,” the kind housekeeper told her from the doorway of the kitchen. “Would you like to eat in the kitchen or in the dining room?”
Pepper turned her head, trying to decide if she was hungry. Yes, perhaps she was, but then again, it took too much energy to eat something. “I’m not hungry,” she muttered, ignoring the sympathy in her eyes. Pepper didn’t deserve anyone’s sympathy.
Guilt burned like acid down her throat. Looking around, she shivered at the cold. “I should…go to work,” she announced.
The housekeeper smiled, relief evident in her eyes. “That’s an excellent idea, Ms. Bosalis. I’ll pack a lunch for you. Something healthy will give you more energy.”
Pepper didn’t bother to explain that she probably wouldn’t eat it. Lunch was…too far away. She didn’t have the energy for lunch, much less breakfast. But instead of explaining, she simply nodded and walked up the stairs to the bedroom. Dimitri didn’t share this room with her. He hadn’t slept with her since that first night, when she’d told him that she was too sore to sleep together. She’d tried to sleep in one of the guest rooms, but he’d promised that he’d leave the master bedroom, urging her to sleep in his bed until she felt better.
Felt better. That was such a strange term. Would she ever feel better? Would she ever feel alive again? Or warm?
Probably not. But that was okay. She didn’t deserve to feel warm. And feeling better…well, she didn’t deserve that either. She’d lost their baby. She’d been distracted that morning. If she hadn’t been so distracted, typing in those damn notes to her cell phone, her baby might still be alive, still thriving inside of her. She’d failed their baby so completely! She’d known about their child for a week and…she’d failed as a mother. She’d failed to protect their child!
Grabbing her purse, she headed for the door.
“Here you go, Ms. Bosalis,” the housekeeper said, hurrying to intercept Pepper before she walked out the door.