No Strings Attached

Chapter Twenty Eight

Norma stood behind the desk, double-checking the books for the night as the last light faded from the sky. The motel parking lot was quiet, and Emma and Norman had left hours ago, heading up to the farm for dinner and an overnight stay. She'd been looking forward to a peaceful night and Alex's arrival.
But her peace shattered when she saw headlights cutting across the lot. A sleek, black car pulled in, stopping directly in front of the office. Norma's brow furrowed as she straightened, tension immediately prickling her skin. When the driver's door opened and Bob Paris stepped out, her heart sank.
Bob's smile was wide and disarming as he walked into the office, but the malice in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Good evening, Norma," he said pleasantly, leaning casually on the counter.
Norma tightened her grip on the edge of the desk, keeping her expression neutral despite the chill running down her spine. "What do you want, Bob?" she asked, her voice steady but sharp.
"No pleasantries?" He tilted his head slightly, his smile unwavering. "You know what I want."
She frowned, genuinely confused. "No, I don't. So why don't you just tell me?"
Bob let out a soft chuckle, as if they were sharing a joke. "I want Alex."
Norma stiffened, her breath hitching, but she forced her expression to remain neutral. "Why are you coming to me, then?" she asked carefully, her mind already racing for an escape from this conversation.
Bob's eyes gleamed with amusement, as if he appreciated her effort to play dumb. "Come on, Norma," he said, his voice low and almost patronizing. "We both know you two have become...quite close."
Fear began to creep in, clawing at her chest, but she kept her face blank, her tone firm. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Bob sighed dramatically, shaking his head as if disappointed, then reached into his jacket. When his hand emerged, he placed several glossy photographs on the desk between them.
Norma's stomach plummeted as her eyes fell on the images. They were of her and Alex.
One showed them kissing on the motel porch in the shadow of dusk. Another was taken through the window of Alex's living room, where they sat close, laughing together. A third showed Norma kissing his cheek in her car, in the grocery store parking lot the day after he was shot.
There were others, each one a moment they thought they'd shared in private, now laid bare in stark, undeniable clarity.
Her mouth went dry as she stared at the evidence of their secret, the love they had worked so hard to keep hidden. She couldn't even fathom how Bob had managed to get these photos.
Bob studied her reaction, his smirk growing wider. "You see," he said smoothly, tapping one of the photos with a finger, "there's no point in pretending anymore, Norma. I know everything."
Norma's hand trembled as she reached for the photographs, pulling them closer as if to confirm they were real. Her mind was spinning, but she forced herself to meet Bob's gaze.
"I can't force Alex to do anything," she said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "And I'd never force him to work with you. So you have pictures of us, so what?"
Bob's smirk didn't falter. Instead, he picked up one of the photos, holding it between his fingers as he examined it with faux admiration.
"It's funny," he began, his tone almost conversational. "Looking at this picture, you really wouldn't guess the kind of woman you really are. You hide it well, don't you?"
Norma stiffened, her confusion evident in her furrowed brow. "What are you talking about?"
Bob didn't answer immediately. He set the picture back down slowly, deliberately, his eyes never leaving hers. Then, with a smile that sent a chill down her spine, he said, "I had an interesting talk with your brother. Or was it...Dylan's father?"
The floor felt like it had been ripped out from beneath her. Her chest tightened, her heart racing as panic clawed its way up her throat.
Bob's smile widened as he caught the flicker of fear that bled through her carefully composed mask.
"How do you think Alex would react," Bob asked, his voice low and almost pitying, "if he knew who he was really dating? How would the town react? He is a public figure, after all."
Norma's chin began to tremble despite her efforts to hold it together. "Please," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Don't do that. Please don't do that."
Bob chuckled softly, savoring her desperation. He gathered up the photos, taking his time, as if her torment was a game he was thoroughly enjoying.
"You get him on my side," Bob said, tucking the pictures neatly under his arm, "or your hidden past is on the front page of every newspaper. With his face right next to yours."
Norma felt like she couldn't breathe, the weight of his threat crushing her.
Bob straightened his jacket, his expression as smug as ever. "Have a good night, Norma," he said with mocking politeness before turning and walking out the door.
She stood frozen, her mind spinning with the implications of what just happened, the silence of the office pressing in on her like a vice. She leaned against the counter, her legs feeling like they might give out.
Her mind raced, replaying Bob's words over and over again, each repetition making her chest tighten further. She clutched the edge of the desk, her knuckles white, as the weight of what she had to do sank in. Her throat burned, and tears pricked her eyes before spilling over, trailing down her cheeks as the reality of her situation came crashing down.
She would have to break things off with Alex.
The thought made her gasp as if someone had knocked the wind out of her. She pressed her hand to her mouth, trying to stifle the sobs that bubbled up, but it was no use. The pain was too deep, too raw.
She couldn't force Alex to work with Bob. She couldn't drag him into her past, the dark, shameful secrets that she had worked so hard to bury. If Bob followed through on his threat to expose her, she would have to bear the shame of it alone. She would not let Alex, with his reputation and his integrity, suffer because of her.
But the thought of losing him...
Norma slid down to the floor, her back against the counter, her head falling into her hands. She wasn't prepared for this. She had never even entertained the idea of them not being together. In her heart, her future had become so entwined with his that the idea of separating felt like tearing herself in two.
Her sobs came harder as she thought of him. His gentle smile, the way he looked at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered. The way he made her feel safe, loved, whole.
She didn't know how she would do it. How could she look him in the eye and tell him it was over without breaking? Without hurting him? She didn't even know where to start. But she knew it had to be done.
Norma wiped her tears with trembling hands, forcing herself to take a breath. She decided then, in the stillness of the office, that she would give herself one more night. Just one more night to hold onto him, to love him with everything she had.
And then she would do what needed to be done, no matter the cost to herself.
Her hand went to her heart, clutching at it as if she could soften the pain as a fresh wave of tears threatened to spill. She would protect Alex, even if it meant breaking her own heart. Even if it destroyed her.