Behind His Eyes - Truth
Read Behind His Eyes - Truth Online
Authors: Aleatha Romig
Tags: #Romance, #Suspense, #Thriller, #Contemporary
Behind His Eyes-Truth
Published by Aleatha Romig
2014 Edition
Copyright ©2014 Aleatha Romig
ISBN e-book: 978-0-9914011-0-9
Editing: Lisa Aurello
Formatting: Angela McLaurin –
Fictional Formats
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book is available in print from most online retailers
2014 Edition License
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the appropriate retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
GLOSSARY OF CONSEQUENCE SERIES
THE CONSEQUENCES SERIES TIMELINE
BOOKS BY NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ALEATHA ROMIG
Thank you to everyone who has made Claire and Tony’s story real! Thank you for your support and devotion. I’m constantly awed by your dedication to my make believe friends. If it weren’t for you, your questions, and your messages, I would never have continued with these reading companions. Thank you also for telling your friends and family about THE CONSEQUENCES SERIES and introducing them to the voices in my head! I am indebted to each and every one of you.
And finally, thank you for encouraging me to experience the Truth from behind Tony’s eyes. I hope you enjoy seeing Anthony Rawlings’ world rocked as much as I enjoyed writing it!
The CONSEQUENCES series contains dark adult content. Although there is not excessive use of description and detail, the content contains innuendos of kidnapping, rape, and abuse—both physical and mental. If you’re unable to read this material, please do not purchase. If you are ready, welcome aboard and enjoy the ride!
~Aleatha Romig
Dear Readers,
Before purchasing, please understand that this is
not
a standalone book. It was not meant to be read independently of THE CONSEQUENCES SERIES. It was meant as a
companion,
to be read following the experience of the ENTIRE CONSEQUENCES SERIES.
This was not designed as a
retell
of the entire novel TRUTH from Anthony Rawlings’ perspective, and therefore will not make sense on its own. It was meant as a companion to expand upon significant scenes and unveil behind-the-scenes information.
Therefore,
after
you have completed CONSEQUENCES, TRUTH, CONVICTED, AND BEHIND HIS EYES CONSEQUENCES please join me for a dark journey into the mind of a man who believes that he controls everything and controls nothing.
Join me for an insight into the man who…
Once upon a time, signed a napkin that he knew was a contract. As an esteemed businessman, he forgot one very important rule—he forgot to read the fine print. It wasn’t an acquisition to own another person as he’d previously assumed. It was an agreement to acquire a soul.
—Aleatha Romig,
CONVICTED
This companion centers on TRUTH and includes chapter references to that novel. The end of this companion also contains a glossary of characters and a timeline of significant events in CONSEQUENCES and TRUTH. Soon, BEHIND HIS EYES CONVICTED: THE MISSING YEARS will be available. The glossary and timeline will continue to grow with each companion.
Thank you again for your support!
~Aleatha
Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change
.
—Mary Shelley,
Frankenstein
As the car slowed, Tony looked up from his tablet. He’d been so lost in the document that he hadn’t realized they were almost home. Sighing, he watched as his house came into view. A man’s home was supposed to be his castle.
Why, then, did he dread coming home each night?
It was the same as it had always been, and this evening would be the same as the one before. When Eric would open his car door, his staff would be ready to greet him. Dinner would be warm and ready whenever he desired. If he wanted a drink, it too would be prepared. Anthony Rawlings had all the comforts money could buy, and he couldn’t remember being more miserable.
At first the doctors attributed his lethargy to the lingering effects of the poison. The cardiologists ran every test and scan possible. They concluded that Tony’s heart muscle was as healthy as that of a man in his thirties and reassured him that physically everything was repaired; nevertheless, Tony felt an unfillable void deep within his chest. It was like nothing he’d ever known. As time passed and his divorce finalized, Tony decided that dating would help to fill that void. Shelly agreed, saying it was a sign of strength to the world. It showed that Anthony Rawlings was invincible and able to overcome any obstacle. She also said it would be good for Rawlings Industries: the CEO was back to his old self. It helped that Catherine also encouraged dating. Her reason was less business-oriented. One evening she came to his office and told him without hesitation that he needed to stop spending so much time alone. Tony agreed. He was ready for some companionship.
When the invitations to benefits, galas, and other social gatherings began to trickle in, Anthony Rawlings returned to the dating scene. Each outing was similar to his dates before
her
. Most of the women who accompanied him were high-profile and high-maintenance. They looked perfect and knew the importance of appearance. It didn’t take long for Tony to realize that these dates felt more like business meetings. He listened to the women’s words, responded appropriately, and smiled for cameras—but it was all superficial and meaningless.
Tony never took any of these women to his friend’s home for a barbeque. He didn’t sit with them for hours and talk nor go on long walks hand-in-hand. He didn’t know or care about their lives or a book they’d read. They fulfilled one need—appearance. These women were nothing more than an ornament to dangle from his arm. Everything had come full circle: he was living the life he created before
her
. It was a life that used to satisfy—it no longer did. The outings left him feeling more hollow than his empty house.
How could something—like a house, a date, or a life—that was virtually the same as it had been when it had been fulfilling, now seem empty?
He was Anthony Rawlings. He ran a billion-dollar industry. The ornaments—women—who accompanied him offered more than just public companionship with no desire of commitment. He had every man’s dream.
Lately, it had become worse, and Tony knew why. Had Tony realized the time of year and mentally prepared, he wouldn’t have been so affected. However, with all of his work and recent travels to Europe, he hadn’t given the pseudo-holiday any thought. Then without warning, at a large benefit in Chicago, with a beautiful blonde on his arm, he heard her say, “Anthony, you should have worn a green tie.”
