e's

n my mouth as hot tears streamed down my cheeks, smudging the already

ce will give us

air like the stench

n on the man you swore you could vouch fo

s him g

at was what

e act

nwilling to take respon

a divorce, it ought to be me. I

glittered beneath me in a thousand indifferent lights, each mocking my unraveling sanity. Jus

a block from here," one woman's v

d a drink and a distra

ed. Club Mevron

stra

s an impulse. And right

slipped into the red cocktail dress I'd never worn

ighing down inside me. The doorman barely glanced up as I stepped onto the si

ushed through the gilde

nges, silver-trimmed tables, and mirrored ceilings gave the place an il

y curves on full display. I didn't care how many people stared. Let them. Let them

told the bartender when h

probably noticing the

sharp. "You coul

st nodded and slid

welcomed it. It was familiar, the kind of pain I could control. I wasn't

roached. Slick suits. Colog

rst one drawled. "What's a beauty

murder," I

ly, the other still cock

flashing. "Now run along before I

bled something about 'cra

d anothe

o know how to

rom behind me-de

urn

idn't try too hard. He didn't smile like the oth

" I asked, ey

e said. "An

ad like a drawer I'd long

ing harder now, trying to focus o

off the sharp edge of his jawline. Everything about hi

-deep, bitter, complicated. "Used to be. Childhood f

And you just happened

omething expensive and dangerous trailing behind him. "I sa

ngratulations. You f

r, deliberate. "I found th

silen

t him. He

a way Nathan never had, not even on our best days. And that terrified me. "How

eadable. "Not enough to have all the pieces... j

gaze. "That's

people talk. And when they do, they talk to me. Your name came up. Rumors

qual parts alcohol and emotion. "So what,

No. I came because I know exactly what betrayal tastes like. And because I

de it impossible to tell if

have a propos

ck to full alert.

ving mine. "More like a contract. Between you and me. On

in buzzing beneath my s

e smooth but firm. "We get married. For two

d-a short, breathless

m n

sked, barely believing the

ly, eyes never leaving mine. "Th

nst N

Nathan's got resources, connections, lawyers who would bleed you dry in a real divorce. I have

d racing back to Nathan

s protecting. His investors, his board, his empire. He's not as clean as

ll watches...

I mu

his life he couldn't fully control. Now,

cohol and the weight of his wo

ir from my face with an ease that sent a flut

im, stupefied

ys. Cleanly. No pressure. No strings. But by

t, neither

d-not boldly, but gently, like

whispered, my voice barely above the p

slow, feather-light strokes over my knuckles, gr

because... I think you deserve someone in your corner. So

oat ti

safety of sarcasm or silence. But another part-on

ative at first. No

war

t h

, and I let myself sink into the kiss-soft, stea

ess moment, Nat

ayal did

the b

nd didn

just hi

question hover

let myself beg

ZZ

the table, loud agai

nced

R ID:

caught in

o

no

d to be