Free The Billionaire from Her Past by Leah Ashton

was certain.
    Instead of answering, Mila kicked off her shoes and swung them in her fingers as she headed with purpose towards the beach.
    She heard the rustle of Seb removing his own shoes behind her, but didn’t slow her pace. He’d follow her—she knew that.
    She stopped when the sand became damp beneath her feet. There was enough moonlight that she could watch the small waves stretching towards the empty beach, although it wasn’t warm enough that the brush of the water against her skin was anything but extremely cold. She didn’t care.
    Seb was now beside her, his feet also sinking into the sodden sand.
    â€˜Well,’ he said, ‘that sucks.’
    A short laugh burst from Mila’s lungs.
    â€˜Maybe I should tell myself I told you so ,’ she said. ‘Because I did.’
    â€˜That doesn’t matter.’
    â€˜No,’ she said. ‘My continued delusions when it comes to my father are of absolutely no cause for concern.’
    â€˜This isn’t your mistake,’ Seb said. ‘Not at all.’
    Mila shook her head, staring out at the total blackness of the horizon. ‘Of course it is. You’ve heard the saying, right? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...’ She laughed harshly. ‘Fool me a hundred times. Shame on me.’
    â€˜Your dad should be ashamed—not you.’
    She wrapped her arms around herself, holding tight. ‘He should be a lot of things,’ Mila said. But, really, she’d only ever wanted him to be one thing.
    â€˜He’s an idiot for not realising how lucky he is to have you.’
    â€˜He doesn’t have me,’ she said. A sharp breeze whipped over the waves, dragging tendrils of her hair out of place. ‘I’m done.’
    As she said it she realised it was true. Even silly, hopeful Mila had a limit. This, it would seem, was it.
    â€˜You sure?’ Seb asked.
    Mila was so surprised that she finally turned to face him. His dark suit was stark against the pale sand, even in the moonlight. His face was shadowed.
    â€˜Why did you give him so many chances?’
    Her gaze dropped. His white shirt was bright in the gloom. ‘I just said why. I’m delusional—obviously.’
    â€˜No, you’re not. I’d say you’re the least delusional person I know.’
    â€˜You don’t know me all that well, then. Not any more.’
    There was a bit more bite in her words then she’d intended. But it was the truth.
    â€˜Maybe,’ he conceded. ‘But I remember a Mila Molyneux who never let herself be stomped on.’
    He was right. Maybe that was the part of her mother she had inherited—an accurate radar for all things deceitful and fickle. An intolerance for pretence. It had served her well in business, although clearly it had taken her a little longer to learn to apply it to her relationships. But now she knew exactly how important it was to walk away before she was walked all over.
    â€˜My father is my blind spot,’ she said. A pause. ‘ Was , I mean.’
    Her throat felt tight, but she wasn’t able to concede to the tears April had forecast.
    â€˜Ivy told me that he wasn’t all that great a dad when he was around,’ Mila said, hoping that talking might help. ‘That he wasn’t all that interested in us. That he was away a lot. But I was too young when he left. I only remembered the good bits—big bear hugs, stories in bed. I can’t remember how often they happened.’ She turned back to the ocean again, closing her eyes and focusing on the sensation of the breeze against her cheeks. ‘You know, I’ve asked myself the same question. A hundred times. Ivy and April keep on asking, too.’ Another pause. ‘Not Mum, though. Maybe she gets it—she seemed to persist with Dad...with Blaine...for a really long time, too.’
    It was completely silent except for the soft little rumble of waves.
    â€˜It