Page 44 of Beau

It was on the hip strip and close to all the museums and theaters as well as the best restaurants. She hated solitude, something she had in common with Beau in the past. Now he was living in suburbia.

He had shown her the place while they were dating and told her that it was a gift from his mother.

“I don’t spend a lot of time here," he had told her.

“For obvious reasons," she responded with a laugh. They had never entered the building but had stopped at the gate. “You would hate it here.”

Now he was married and living at the very place he had derided. He had even gone corporate. He must really love her, Miriamthought as she splashed the bourbon into the glass. More than he loved her.

He had refused to come with her to the UK and even when she left, she had called and begged him to reconsider. He had not done that. She had heard about his wedding while she was away, and it had broken her heart.

When she reached out to him, he had told her curtly that he had another life, and he was happy.

Seeing him tonight had made her realize how much of a mistake she had made. Yes, the part had been appealing and netted her a lot of money and recognition. It was a part she had been looking for her entire career and it would serve to cement her place as an actress. But she had lost the man she loved. She still loved him.

That had hit her squarely in the chest as soon as she saw him tonight. Another blow had been when she saw him with his wife. They looked great together and it was clear that he adored her. He had never looked at her like that.

Perhaps if he had, she would not have been so eager to leave. Swirling the liquor around, she stared at it bleakly. She had also seen him rushed from the room with her in his arms and wondered what that was all about.

She had heard the whispers as the crowd speculated on what was happening.

“She might be ill,” one woman had whispered.

“Or pregnant.” Another added with a laugh. “But then again, Beau finds every opportunity to hold his wife. Or they might just have been rushing home to satisfy their cravings.” The laughter had stopped when they spotted Miriam. Everyone in the room knew she had been involved with Beau.

She had pretended that she was not affected by sipping her champagne nonchalantly. That was when she had accepted Brad’s invitation.

Finishing the drink, she poured some more and took it with her upstairs to her bedroom. She had told him she would be seeing him, and she would. She had to find out if everything between them was lost.

She contemplated calling him right now, but knew instinctively that he would not appreciate her timing.

Sitting on the love seat at the foot of the bed, she cradled the tumbler between her hands. “Soon, Beau. Soon.”

Chapter 10

“Hyperemesis gravidarum.”

“Severe nausea,” Beau interpreted grimly. The lines of strain around his mouth were more pronounced and his expression was bleak. The past two weeks had been pure hell for them. A rift had been driven in their relationship because of his past.

Miriam kept showing up wherever he happened to be and had called several times on the phone, because she just wanted to talk.

He was conflicted, that much was evident. He knew he no longer loved her, but there was still something between them and that had prompted the constant argument between him and his wife.

Now she was sick. Everything she tasted came right back up. “Now what?”

“She is going to have to stay here at the clinic where we can monitor her closely.”

“For how long?”

Lucien shrugged helplessly. “Her blood pressure is elevated, and she has lost a lot of weight. It might be several weeks.”

They were in his office having the discussion. And Beau was not alone, Blake was with him, both men looking fit to be tied.

“I want to see her.”

“I understand–”

“No, you don’t!” Beau, who had been standing at the window, whirled around, his face harsh.