Now not only was she completely alone, but she had no phone to boot.
The Elir’s grandiose, brick form made her heart leap. Adelie took the next stop and got off, scuttling her way along the street, inside the hotel—stopping in the gift shop to purchase a European phone charger—and up to their room. At least she still had her key.
She hoped Maddox might be there waiting for her, but the room was quiet and empty. Carved and hollow as well, Adelie shuffled in, inserted her key into the hub above the light switches to activate the room’s electricity and lights, and closed the door behind her.
“How did it get like this?” she asked the quiet.
Behind her, the key sounded, and the door flung open. It would have knocked into her if she hadn’t taken several astonished steps away.
Maddox appeared in the doorway, a look of desperation on his handsome face.
“Adelie?” His voice sounded so frantic. So afraid.
Guilt wrenched her as cold, stark relief washed over him at the sight of her. “Maddox!”
In a moment, she was in his arms. “Oh my gosh,” he said, bending his nose to her shoulder. “I thought you got kidnapped. I thought something had happened to you. Why didn’t you answer my calls and texts?”
He pulled her away, holding her at arms’ length to get a better look at her face. “I considered searching the city, but decided to head back here right away, just in case.”
“I—I’m so sorry,” she said, touched by his alarm and intensity. This wasn’t the reaction of a man who didn’t care about her. The realization only made her regret worse for taking off the way she did. “My phone died on the way back to the hotel.”
He stared at her as though he’d never seen her before. “Why did you leave like that? I asked you to wait for me, I thought you’d be there, but I turned around and you were gone. I’ve been hunting all over the place trying to find you.”
Adelie ducked her head. She was such an idiot. All over jealousy, over stupid, trivial jealousy and pride. She’d never battled with pride before now. Why did it have to go rearing its head? She didn’t even know who Ruby was. Why did she have to go and jump to conclusions about her?
Still, they were on a honeymoon. A weird, platonic type of honeymoon, but Maddox had said he wanted them to get to know one another. How could they when he was clearly keeping this other woman a secret from her?
Then again, it never occurred to her that she didn’t know the name of Duncan’s assistant. She thought Maddox had mentioned it, but was it Ruby? If so, why didn’t he just tell Adelie as much, or answer the calls?
“I’m sorry. I guess…”
“Why didn’t you wait for me?” he said again.
“Why should I?” Her voice was deadly soft. “Why did you marry me at all when you’re clearly in another relationship? Who is Ruby?”
Maddox groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. He ambled past her toward his couch instead of answering.
Adelie trudged to her own bed in the next room. She and Suzie had gotten in plenty of fights, but this was so different. Suzie was her sister. She knew her sarcastic habits and personal tendencies to defend with throwing things back at Adelie.
Adelie had never gotten into a disagreement with someone who wasn’t family before. Not serious, not like this. Why did it matter who Ruby was? Why couldn’t she just let it go?
Saying vows to Maddox in the Westville City Hall made it matter. She didn’t realize how seriously she’d taken this marriage until now. She wanted this to be a real honeymoon.
But it wasn’t. This wasn’t a real marriage, where people wedded out of love for the other and a deep, serious commitment to honor the other person in sickness and in health, in both answered and ignored phone calls. This was another brand, another billboard, a way for Maddox to assuage his guilt for having put Adelie in an uncomfortable situation.
So, she’d gone and married him on a whim. Good grief. She needed some serious therapy.
This was the photo shoot all over again. Yet again, she’d made the mistake of settling. Of jumping into something she didn’t really want. This wasn’t how a honeymoon was supposed to be. He was supposed to adore her, not be constantly interrupted by another woman.
More than that, he was supposed to have already loved her enough to present her with a lock, ready to throw away the key that would open his heart to anyone else but her.
It wasn’t real, and it never had been.
The thought panged inside of her, the way it had been doing all day. They couldn’t force this, no matter how hard they tried to make it look like they had. Suddenly, she wanted to go home. Why did Vermont have to be an ocean away?
Maddox was sitting on the couch he had yet to pull out. Hunched over so his elbows rested on his knees, he held his head in his hands and stared at the floor.
“Are you okay?” Adelie asked, approaching. She’d jumped to conclusions. She’d made assumptions instead of being open from the start. Worst of all, she’d mistreated him, worse than she’d even realized. He’d been scared, worried for her safety. She should never have done that to him.
“I’m so sorry, Maddox.”
Maddox sat up. His eyes were sad, and frustration furrowed his brow. Regardless, he offered her a hand. “Will you sit with me?”
Adelie took it, allowing him to lead her to take the empty cushion beside him. She expected him to release
