“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.
Pepper forced her lips to curve up into some semblance of a smile, accepting the plastic container. “Thank you.”
And she walked out of Dimitri’s home so that he could get on with his life.
Chapter 12
“Pepper!” Dimitri called out, tossing his jacket over the back of the couch in his penthouse. He’d thought about hiring another decorator, someone who could add a bit more color. He knew that Pepper preferred a brighter, more vibrant décor and, he had to admit that he liked Pepper’s place more than his penthouse. Besides, maybe if he got more color into this penthouse, it would brighten Pepper’s mood.
To that end, Dimitri put the bag onto the dining room table. It was filled with fettuccine Alfredo and lobster ravioli from Tony’s place, along with bread and salad. He’d stopped by on his way home from work, suspecting that it would be too hard to entice her out of the penthouse for dinner. So, it made sense to bring dinner to her instead.
“Mr. Bosalis,” his housekeeper called, looking anxious and worried as she walked towards him from the kitchen. “She’s gone, sir.”
“Gone?” he asked, not understanding the word. “Who is gone?”
“Your wife, sir. She’s gone. She left for work about an hour after you did this morning and she hasn’t returned.”
Dimitri’s stomach loosened and his shoulders relaxed. “Ah. I’m relieved that she decided to get back to work. That might be good for her. But don’t worry about it,” he told his housekeeper. “I’m sure that she’ll be back later. I’ll just text her and let her know that I have dinner ready for her.”
The housekeeper’s shoulders relaxed. “Oh, that’s good. If you don’t need me tonight, I’ll just…”
“That’s fine. Take the night off,” he assured her, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He was relieved that Pepper had finally gone back to work. She’d been sitting in a chair staring out the window for too long and he suspected that it would be good for her to concentrate on something else for a change.
And maybe she’d let him hold her at night. He didn’t even need to make love to her. Not yet. He knew that she wasn’t ready for that. But he wanted to hold her, to talk about what had happened.
The man who had punched her had pleaded guilty to assault and had received a jail sentence of only ten days. He was already out and roaming the streets. But Dimitri didn’t think that the sentence of only ten days for assault was good enough. He’d put into place various plans that would ensure that the man would understand more completely what he’d done.
He dialed Pepper’s phone, intending to call her and tease her about…something. Anything! Hell, he was so completely worried about Pepper that he could barely concentrate on work these days. She wouldn’t go to work, wouldn’t talk to him, and barely ate. It was almost as if she were punishing herself for losing their baby. But that was ridiculous, he thought, tamping down his rage at the bastard who had swung wild and missed his target, hurting his precious Pepper instead.
After five rings, he accepted that Pepper had probably left her phone on silent. Ending the call, he dialed her office number.
“Hello?”
Dimitri scowled because it wasn’t Pepper’s voice. “Hello, this is Dimitri Borsalis. Is this Nancy?”
“Yes,” the woman replied. “How are you today, sir?”
“I’m fine, I was just…”
“We heard what happened to Pepper. Is she okay? Is there anything that we can do to help?”
That was odd, Dimitri thought.
