Chapter 46

CHAPTER 46

ZAYN

I sat in my car outside Marigold's apartment, staring at my phone like it might hold the answer to everything. Two days. Two days of radio silence. She wasn't answering my calls. She was ignoring my texts, and she wasn't answering her door. It was like she fell off the face of the earth.

I knew I'd messed up, but this was unbearable. I needed to know she was okay. I needed to hear her voice, to explain, to fix this somehow. But how could I fix it when she wouldn't even talk to me?

I couldn't even find her. New York was a big place. She didn't have a job, so I couldn't show up there. I didn't know where she did her shopping or spent her free time. It was like looking at random. I was tempted to call the cops and put my tax dollars to work finding her, but she wasn't missing. She was just avoiding me.

There was one last person I could turn to, but just thinking about it made my stomach churn. Elaine. She was going to tear into me the second I called, but I was desperate. I needed to know Marigold was safe, and Elaine was my only option.

With a deep breath, I pulled up Elaine's number and hit call. The phone rang a few times before she answered, her voice cold and clipped.

"I wondered how long it would take before you called me." She scoffed. "The fucking nerve of some people."

I cringed at the annoyance in her tone. It wasn't hard to figure out she had been in touch with Marigold. I was on the shit list, and I wasn't entirely sure why. Marigold had gone into this situation with her eyes wide open. Then it was like a switch had been flipped and she wanted nothing to do with me.

"Elaine, I'm trying to find Marigold," I said calmly.

"I'm sure you are." Her voice was snappy, revealing her frustration.

"Is she safe? Where is she?"

There was a pause, and for a moment, I thought she might hang up on me. Then, she sighed. "She went home, Zayn. She's staying with her dad for a few days to clear her head."

Relief washed over me, but it was quickly overshadowed by guilt. She'd gone back home. To her dad. To get away from me. I knew the last place she wanted to be was Green River. If she chose to be there rather than in the same city with me, I knew I had fucked up.

"Is she okay?" I asked, the words catching in my throat.

"She's okay," Elaine said, but there was a sharpness to her tone that made it clear she wasn't happy with me.

"I've been trying to reach her," I said. It was a flimsy attempt to make myself look better. I knew it wasn't working.

"Look, Zayn, I know listening and following directions isn't your strong suit, but if you cared about her, you'd leave her alone and let her get her bearings without you influencing her to do what you want. I warned you this was going to happen. You ignored me and now look what you've done."

I bit back a retort, trying to keep my frustration in check. "I'm not trying to influence her, Elaine. I just want to make sure she's alright. I'm not even really sure what happened."

Elaine's laugh was harsh, cutting through the phone. "Oh, please. You're not fooling anyone. You and I both know that Marigold had just as much of a choice as you did to get into this situation. But you?—"

"I didn't force her hand." I interrupted, my patience wearing thin. "I merely?—"

"Gave her an offer she couldn't refuse," Elaine snapped. "An offer so good that it blinded her to the consequences and made her do something she normally would never do. Now her life is in upheaval, and she has to figure out what to do about it."

"Her life is not in upheaval. I gave her a chance to change her life. I pretended to be her fiancé at your wedding. No one had a problem with that."

"Don't even pretend this is the same thing." She scoffed.

"Which is why I paid her," I said.

"She's going to be fine without you. Back off, Zayn. Seriously. Leave her alone. Let her pick up the pieces of her life. She can't do that if you keep harassing her."

"I'm not harassing her." I felt just a little defensive. She was painting me as a monster. I had done nothing wrong. She could have said no. "I actually care about her."

"Then leave her alone," Elaine said.

Before I could respond, she hung up, leaving me staring at the phone in disbelief. I replayed all of her words. She accused me of being a real prick.

The worst part? She was right. I had given Marigold an offer that she couldn't refuse, and now it was all falling apart. Maybe I had come on so strong that she had no choice but to say yes.

I wanted to give her enough money to make her life better as well as enough that she couldn't say no. Maybe that was wrong. At the time, I didn't see how it would hurt anyone. She had literally asked me for the same favor two months before. Prolonging the lie a little longer hadn't seemed like a huge deal.

Angry and frustrated, I threw my phone onto the passenger seat and started the car. There was no use dwelling on what Elaine had said. I had a meeting with Hudson and Hayes. I needed to keep it together. But her words stuck with me as I drove.

When I arrived at the office, Hudson and Hayes were already there, sitting with our PR rep, Kate. The tension in the room was palpable, but it wasn't the kind of tension I was used to. This was different. Lighter, somehow.

"Zayn." Hudson greeted me with a nod as I walked in. "We were just talking about the latest public favor numbers."

I forced a smile, trying to push the conversation with Elaine out of my mind. "And?"

Kate grinned. "Your relationship with Marigold has done wonders for your image, Zayn. Public favor is up, and you're being seen as more trustworthy, more likable. Just like the board hoped."

I nodded, but the news didn't fill me with the satisfaction I thought it would. Instead, it felt hollow, like a victory that wasn't really a victory at all. "That's good," I said, my voice flat.

"Those pictures were great," she said. "She's a very normal woman. She's not some airhead or social climber. People can relate to her. You look humble."

I forced a polite smile. It was clear they saw Marigold as a strategic asset, not a person who had feelings that could be hurt. Had I been guilty of thinking the same way?

"We want to use this momentum," Hayes said. "We think a public appearance together will consolidate your image in the public eye. Something, you know, romantic but not overly flashy. A restaurant opening or a charity gala."

"No."

"Excuse me?" Kate asked.

"No. I don't think that can be arranged."

Hudson frowned. "We'll be in touch," he said to Kate. "I think we need a moment."

She must have caught the change in atmosphere. "Let me know as soon as possible," she said as she got to her feet.

After Kate left, I sank into one of the chairs, running a hand through my hair. Hudson and Hayes exchanged a look.

"What's going on?" Hayes asked.

"Marigold is gone."

"Gone?" Hudson asked.

"She doesn't want to do this. It was too real. Elaine told me to leave her alone. It's over."

They looked at each other again. I could see the silent communication between them, but I wasn't privy to what it was they were thinking.

"Alright," I said, looking between them. "Spit it out."

Hudson leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "Zayn, you can't possibly be this dumb."

I frowned. "Pretend for a second that I am."

"We saw how you were with Marigold at Thanksgiving," Hayes chimed in. "And how she was with you."

I clenched my jaw, not liking where this was headed. "What's your point?"

Hudson sighed. "The girl is falling in love with you, Zayn. She's doing a death march to the end, knowing she's told this huge lie to everyone she cares about and everyone you care about. She's probably worried she'll be a social pariah when this is all said and done, and you'll get off scot-free. On top of that, she'll be heartbroken."

The words hit me hard. I'd known Marigold was struggling, but hearing it laid out like this helped put things in perspective. It was like seeing the wreckage of a car crash you'd caused. "I didn't want this to happen," I said quietly.

"But it did," Hudson said, his voice firm but not unkind. "And now you have to figure out how to make it right."

"I don't know how to make it better," I admitted, the confession feeling like a lump of lead in my throat.

"You have to be honest, Zayn," Hudson said. "With yourself, with her, and with the world. This whole lie is costing too much and isn't worth the benefits. Not if it costs you a shot at real happiness."

I glanced at Hayes, who nodded in agreement. "Hudson's right. You've got to come clean. This is spiraling out of control, and the longer you wait, the worse it's going to get."

"But the nonprofit—" I started.

Hudson cut me off. "We'll figure it out," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "If public favor is what's standing in our way, we'll fund a different nonprofit that doesn't have our name on it. What matters is the people we help, not our legacy. Right?"

Hayes chuckled, shaking his head. "Diana is rubbing off on you, man."

Hudson smirked, but his gaze stayed on me. "This isn't about the company anymore, Zayn. It's about you and Marigold. If you care about her—and I know you do—you'll do the right thing. Even if it's hard. Don't pretend this isn't bothering you. You put yourself on the line because my reputation is beyond fucked. I'm telling you now, let it go. Do the right thing. Do what makes you happy. What makes her happy."

They were right, of course. I'd let this lie go on too long, and now it was hurting the person I cared about most. Marigold deserved better. She deserved something real and forever.

But the truth wasn't going to be easy. It was going to hurt her, maybe even destroy the fragile trust we'd built. And that scared me more than anything.

"Look," Hayes said, his voice softer now. "No one's saying this is going to be easy. But you've got to be honest with her. You owe her that much."

I nodded slowly, knowing they were right. "I'll talk to her," I said. "If she'll let me."