Lily carried the cup of tea from the kitchen toward her bedroom, where Jack was sleeping. The hall was pitch-black. But she’d long since grown used to the blackouts. The darkness didn’t bother her. She felt as if she’d been living in darkness for a very long time.
She was midway down the hall when a flash of lightning illuminated Robert’s silhouette standing in the doorway of her room. The sight of him startled her. She stopped, felt the kick of adrenaline in her blood. In the instant his face had been illuminated, she’d seen something in his eyes. Something dangerous and primal and as unpredictable as the storm.
Her heart rolled into a hard staccato. Another flash of lightning revealed that Robert was moving toward her at a determined clip, his gaze hard, his jaw taut. She knew it was ridiculous, but for the first time in her life she was afraid of him. She felt the fear crawling inside her. Adrenaline burned in her muscles like acid. The urge to flee was strong, but his stare held her suspended, like an insect in amber.
She stepped back. It unnerved her that she couldn’t see him. Something had changed in the minutes since they’d talked. She was sure of it. She could feel the volatile zing of his thoughts in the air between them.
She heard herself utter his name, but her voice came out as little more than a whisper. She couldn’t see him, but she heard the steady progression of his footfalls. She could feel him getting closer, the raw energy pouring off him in electric waves.
Her back encountered the wall, and she realized belatedly she’d taken several steps back. Her brain raced for explanations for his silent approach, but none of them fit. Lightning flashed outside her bedroom window. He’d stopped several feet away from her and stood there, unmoving, as if he were made of stone.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.
For a moment the only sound came from the wind tearing around the cottage. Thunder crashed, and she jumped. A strobe of lightning illuminated his face. And in the depths of his eyes she saw…devastation. She saw the fury of a man who’d been betrayed. A man who’d been lied to. A man she’d hurt terribly.
A man who knew the truth.
“How old is he,” he snarled.
“I—I told you. N-nine months.”
“You’re lying, damn it.”
“No.”
“He’s mine.”
His words vibrated through her brain like the chiseled point of a jackhammer. They pounded her until she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. The cup of tea slipped from her hand. It hit the floor and shattered. Hot tea spewed onto her bare ankles, but she barely felt the scald. Vaguely, she thought of the glass and made a mental note to clean it as soon as possible.
“He’s a year old, isn’t he, Lily?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“You kept him from me.”
“Robert—”
“I want to know why, damn it. And I want to know right now!”
But the only information her brain seemed capable of processing was that he’d discovered her secret. The one secret she’d sworn to keep no matter what the cost to her.
“It’s n-not what you think,” she managed after a moment.
“You don’t know what I think.”
She struggled to calm her racing mind. “H-how did you know?”
“The blood test.” His jaw flexed. “But it should have been obvious from the beginning. You must think I’m a pretty big fool.”
“That’s not the way it was.”
“You took something precious from me.” He started toward her.
She raised her hands as if to fend him off, but knew they wouldn’t stop him. “Please, Robert. Just…calm down.”
“I want an explanation,” he snarled.
“I—I tried to contact you.”
“You didn’t try very hard.” He stopped scant inches from her. So close she could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. She heard a heartbeat, but for the life of her she couldn’t tell if it was hers or his. But it was beating so fast she felt certain it would explode. Or maybe they’d both just go up in flames.
“You lied to me,” he said, slamming his open hand against the wall next to her with the last word.
A jab of real fear sent her back hard against the wall. The urge to run was strong, but Lily had never been a coward. She had to face this. Had to face him. Had to face what she’d done. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“That’s not good enough,” he said between clenched teeth.
Lily stared at him, aware of her breath rushing raggedly from her throat. “Please, don’t. Not like this.”
“Don’t do what? Ask for the truth?”
She felt trapped, like a rabbit in the crosshairs of a high-powered rifle. “You won’t like it.”
“Maybe I like being lied to even less. Did that ever cross your mind?” Leaning dangerously close to her, he put his hands on the wall on either side of her. “Why did you keep my son from me? Why didn’t you tell me you were alive?”
“I couldn’t,” she choked.
“Do you have any idea what it did to me thinking you were dead?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry won’t cut it, damn it!”
“Robert—”