111As I pulled up to Eduardo's sprawling estate, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over me. The last time I had seen him, he had tried to convince me to sell my shares in our joint business venture. I had refused then, but now he had new demands, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to hear them.But at this point, I really didn't care very much. I just wanted to get this over with and leave this damned state for good. Standing in front of the door and taking a few deep breaths, I promised myself to be on my absolute best behavior today. I couldn't risk antagonizing him and making the situation worse for myself.I rang the doorbell and waited nervously for someone to answer.The door finally swung open and burly looking guard in a black suit walked out. "Miss Montgomery?" He asked"Yes.""Raise your arms please, this will be brief." He replied, waving a sleek, black metal detector around me.As I raised an eyebrow inquisitively, he face an apologetic smile. "Standard proced

113I sat in my car, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. I couldn't believe I had tried to kiss Chloe. It was completely inappropriate, and I felt like a fool. With all the drama going on around us now, I shouldn't be entertaining these kinds of thought about her, much less acting on them. And with her connections to Eduardo, I was playing with fire. I could almost see Cameron's disapproving face in my mind.As I drove home, my mind was filled with thoughts of Chloe. I couldn't deny that I was attracted to her, but I also knew that nothing could ever happen between us. When I pulled up to my house, I saw Lily's car parked in the driveway. I sighed, knowing that this was going to be a difficult night. Lily was my mistress, I reminded myself and she was heavily pregnant with my child. I knew that what I was doing was wrong, but I couldn't help the way I felt. I had to tolerate her, if not for nothing but my child's sake.I walked into my bedroom, and Lily greeted me with a sm

115I slowly made my way towards her, restrained by the heavy crowd. Despite my attempts to be discreet, as though she was warned, she turned around and had me, our eyes meeting for a second. I saw the shock in her eyes turn to apprehension before she turned away hurrying up the stairs. I hurried on after her, getting to the top of the stairs and realizing she had disappeared.I walked into a passage way, hoping to find a few doors I could try but was disappointed when I was met with a row of doors on both sides of the passage. Sulking , I turned around to go back and try another route when I heard a faint whisper. It was Chloe's voice, apparently arguing with a man. Fighting of the urge to barge into the room and demand her attention, I walked back into the stair well and waited patiently for her to appear.Soon enough, I heard the door open and shut and her footsteps echoing down the hall as she approached. I allowed myself to enjoy the look of genuine surprise on her face when she

117I stared out the window into the rain, my heart pounding mercilessly against my chest. Three nights ago, in the guise of completing my mission, I made a mistake I had promised myself I wouldn't ever make again. I normally consider myself a reasonable person, but with Nathan, all reason seemed to jump out the window. I couldn't resist the urge to contact him, despite the potential consequences. And yet somehow I did resist.I could still taste his lips on mine, still feel him inside me, still feel the warmth of his body, the texture of his air, the smell of his cologne. It was all too intoxicating. Sighing and standing up from the couch, I decided I needed to get out of the house.As soon as the damn rain let out, it was contributing to my very depressed mood.I also needed to speak with Addison.Walking into her room, I heard her in the shower, singing very loudly, and very off key to Beyoncé's single ladies."A little bit on the nose? Addison?" I called out sitting on her bed. "A

119My heart was beating faster and faster as I leaned in to kiss Nathan. As our lips met, a rush of emotions flooded my senses. His touch sent shivers down my spine and made my heart skip a beat. Remembering we were still outside, under the rain, I broke away from him for a moment, dragging him with me into the back seat of my car. Not minding the our wet clothes, we collapsed on each other, his hands roaming my body and heating me up in ways only he could.But just as the intensity of the moment grew, Nathan pulled away, leaving me feeling confused and vulnerable. I looked at him, trying to decipher what he was thinking. He looked back at me with a pained expression, and I could tell that he was struggling with something."Are you sure this is what you want?" Nathan asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.My mind raced as I thought about his question. I knew I wanted him, but at the same time, I couldn't ignore all the pain he had caused me in the past. We had been estranged for s