She Was Never Just a Pretty Face novel Chapter 93

Luther stared at the message.

He fell into a deep silence.

Nathan leaned over and snatched the phone. "What is so important that they have to call you today of all days?"

The next second, he saw the text.

Nathan slowly raised his eyes, fixing Luther with a dead-serious glare. "Luther, I don't care what you thought in the past, but right now, Hilda and Annie have returned to this family. We are celebrating the holidays together. It's tragic that she's in emergency care, yes, but you are not a doctor. Going there won't change anything; it will only drag you deeper into that mess. No matter what, you are not leaving this house tonight."

Eleanor echoed the sentiment. "You're a married man with a family. Start acting like one."

She was hinting heavily that he needed to make a choice.

Luther's Adam's apple bobbed.

Then, he turned to Hilda and murmured, "I'll go check on her and be right back."

Hilda knew he was asking for her permission.

If she agreed, Nathan and Eleanor would have no grounds to stop him. But she didn't agree. She said very softly, "You promised to take Annie out. You told her you'd let her play with sparklers."

Luther's gaze grew deep and unreadable.

He hadn't seemed to anticipate her choice.

After a long pause, he took his phone back. Without even grabbing his coat, he headed for the door. Behind him, Eleanor's angry voice rang out. "Are you out of your mind? Leaving your wife and child at home on New Year's Eve to run off to a woman with no sense of decency? How do you expect Hilda to feel?"

In the foyer, Luther put on his shoes.

"I'll be right back."

Annie ran over, wrapping her little arms around her father's leg. She looked up at him with her sweet face, letting out a soft, pleading sound.

Luther stroked her cheek.

Hilda walked over. He handed Annie to her, his gaze intense. "Two hours at most. Then I'll be back."

Hilda lowered her eyes. "She's going to be disappointed."

Even though she knew what the outcome would be, she still wanted to fight for it—for Annie's sake, and for the little girl inside herself who had been left out in the rain all those years ago.

But she and Annie couldn't make him stay.

Nor could his parents.

Luther left anyway.

Driving his black Bentley out into the New Year's Eve night, straight to Jolie's side.

Hilda held Annie, staring out into the dark night. A sinking premonition settled in her chest—a quiet night like this would never happen for them again.

As her in-laws, Nathan and Eleanor did their best to comfort her, vowing that Jolie would never set foot in their home.

Hilda merely offered a polite, distant smile.

It was late, though the streets were still bursting with noise and life.

Hilda carried the little one on her back toward the parking lot.

The young girl rested her head on her mother's shoulder, fast asleep.

Hilda's heart, however, was filled with a bitter, sour ache.

It had been three hours, and Luther hadn't called once. She pretty much knew what his choice had been, and what direction things would take from here on out.

Was she disappointed? A little bit, yes.

In the midst of those passionate, breathless nights, how could her heart not have fluttered even a fraction?

Returning to the Sanford Estate, she moved quietly, settling Annie into the master bedroom.

Eleanor stopped by once.

Likely out of an urge to compensate her.

She handed over a phenomenally generous gift envelope.

Hilda accepted the kindness.

—On a New Year's Eve like this, she didn't want to drag anyone else's mood down. If the ending was destined to be miserable, what was the point of making everyone unhappy right now?