Later that night, Arabella came home, her head still full of the day's happenings. Brooks is back. The old feelings that had come racing back, the old draw she felt for him. Scarlett's statements. The uncertainty she had always carried.
Then Grant, his presence in her life, his comeback awakening something profound inside her.
Hoping for a few minutes of calm, a time when she could think properly, she entered her flat. But as she got in, everything seemed wrong. The air was heavier, imbued with a feeling of discomfort.
Arabella's gaze landed on a lone envelope resting on the table, causing her breath to catch in her throat.
Her name is written in black ink over the front.
The weight of it in her hands was considerably more than any envelope should be. Arabella's fingers shook as she scooped it up. Tearing it open, her heart pounding in her chest, she drew out one sheet of paper.
It was brief. Straightforward. Chilly.
"Stay out of my path, Arabella, or you will regret it." Hudson.
The words sank in, and Arabella's blood ran cold. Hudson wasn't only menacing her. He was moving, and she was in his sights.
Her heart pounding, she crumpled the note in her hand. How far would Hudson travel?
Standing in her apartment, the weight of the danger pushed against her chest, her body frozen in place, and her mind racing with dread and uncertainty.
Hudson had finished with gaming. This was personal now, not only about control. Arabella was there in the center of it all.
Apart from the slight hum of the city outside, the flat was quiet. Standing at the window, Arabella gazed over the huge, sweeping Houston.
The vista was an unending stream of headlights on the street below, sleek glass towers, and old brick structures mixed with one another.
The years after she left Grant behind, it was a scene she had come to know.
Alone with her ideas, she had spent many evenings here. Alone with the void that accompanied her every step, the burden of all she had lost. The distant, low hum of the city seemed to taunt her, telling her that even if her life had stopped dead, others carried on.
But today seemed unique. There was something in the air that made her skin crawl with expectation. She could not get rid of the impression that something was going to change.
For weeks, Grant had been attempting to contact her; she kept ignoring him. Convinced she couldn't afford to let him back in, she stayed away. But today was unique. She was going to face him today.
She had to know the truth; no more lies or half-truths. She had to understand why he had treated her this way.
The air between them was thick with the strain of all unspoken things. Grant had been waiting at the door for her to make the first move; now, as Arabella walked forward, his gaze fixed on hers. He kept staring. His face was still, almost too quiet, but Arabella could sense the tempest churning underneath.
"Grant," she began, her voice calm despite the chest constriction. "The truth is something I need to know. Every bit of it. What caused you to fake your death? What did the cartel want from you?"
The mention of the cartel made Grant's face stiffen, but he remained unflinching. He moved closer to her, reducing the distance.
"Arabella, I had to do it. I didn't want to, Arabella, but they endangered Everything. I could not take the chance of you being caught in the crossfire."
Arabella's eyes sharpened as she scanned his face for any indication of dishonesty. "You believed the greatest approach to safeguard me was to allow me to believe you were dead? To leave me alone, carrying our kid?"
"I believed it was the only option," he said quietly. "They were pursuing me. Should they find out you were linked to me, they would have pursued you. I could not survive with that. I could not lose you."
Arabella felt her throat constrict. Though she had heard these words before, they had never felt so empty. His eyes showed genuine grief, but so did the treachery she experienced.
Her voice shaking, she enquired, "So, what now, Grant? What do you expect of me? Do you believe I can forgive you? That everything will be alright since you claim it will be?"
Grant tried to take her hand; Arabella quickly withdrew. Though the burn was no longer desired, his touch was like fire.
"Arabella, I don't anticipate pardon, he said gently. All I need is for you to know I acted as I believed best. I did it to protect you. But I am here now and won't depart once more. I promise it."
Arabella, though, was no longer paying attention. Too many times, her heart had been broken. She could not let herself fall for the same falsehoods once more.
The reality was she didn't know whether or not she could ever trust him again.
Turning away with her thoughts racing, she found the phone again as her fingers grazed the desk's edge. She grabbed it fast and unlocked it to see another message waiting for her. Reading it made her heart sink.
"Grant isn't the guy you believe him to be. He never was."
The words flashed in her head, and all at once, everything Grant had said, everything he had promised, seemed like a meticulously planned deception.
As Arabella entered the softly illuminated corridor, the door clicked behind her. She had to escape from him, from the heavy burden of his falsehoods and promises.
Reaching for her phone, she saw her screen glowing with yet another unanticipated message.
"I can assist you. I understand your situation. Hudson"
Her heart leaped. Hudson Willsow Grant's half-brother. The man who had always appeared to have his own purpose but who now, it seemed, was extending his assistance.
Arabella paused. Though she had always mistrusted Hudson, everything about Grant now seemed false. Perhaps Hudson's proposal wasn't so terrible.
Her fingers quivering a little, she breathed deeply and called Hudson. The call went through; he responded after a while.
"Arabella," he continued, his voice soft, almost too smooth. "I knew you would call. You don't have to go through this by yourself."
Arabella's tone was frigid. "Hudson, what do you want?"
"Nothing you haven't heard," he said, his voice dripping with certainty. "I only want to assist you. I know what Grant is capable of, and I believe you do as well."
Arabella shivered. She had heard murmurs of Hudson's aspirations about how he had always despised Grant. Desperate as she was, Hudson's comments appeared to fit at the time. She required someone to support her.
She inquired, "What do you suggest?"
Hudson's voice became lower. "A clean break. You, Liam, far from all this. Away from the turmoil Grant has caused in your life. Arabella, I can make that occur. I will defend you two. You will never have to worry again."
The lure was great. A niggling voice in the back of her head, however, warned her that Hudson's protection had a price.
"Why should I believe you? What is your angle?"
Hudson laughed, a gentle, menacing noise. "My angle? Easy. I desire Grant's domain. Your support will help me to have it. But I will provide you, Arabella, peace of mind. If you choose correctly, I will ensure you and Liam's safety."
Like a thundercloud, the heaviness of his offer hovered in the air; Arabella's pulse beat as she battled with herself. Could she leave behind all she knew? Could she abandon Grant for good?
The idea of what she might have, a life free from the risk, away from the lies, was alluring. The price, however, was more than she was willing to pay.
Hudson, though, was not finished.
"Arabella, your lack of cooperation will lead me to inform the press of your pregnancy. Your reputation will be ruined. Do you truly want that looming over your head?"