ZORA'S POVFinn held unusually still while I brushed his hair. He was better this morning, but I could still see the terror of last night lurking in his eyes. "Off you go now," I said as cheerfully as I could. "The driver will drop you off at school but I promise to come pick you up myself. Freya will join you at school tomorrow. Is that okay?"He nodded and glanced briefly at Freya who sat on the living room sofa looking a bit pale and wan. "Off you go, Finn," she said and waved her hand imperiously in the direction of the door. Finn rolled his eyes and shouldered his backpack. "Bye, Mum."I bent and he planted a kiss on my cheek. He was almost out the door when he hesitated, turned back, ruffled Freya's neatly combed hair, and ran outside before she could react. Freya smiled and looked fondly after him. It felt as though she wanted to go after him but couldn't. I was still worried about her and that was why I did not want her to go to school today. I wanted to take her to the

ZORA'S POVAs soon as I opened my eyes the next morning, I knew I was in big trouble. My head was banging like crazy. It felt like the world's biggest band practice was going on there. Thankfully, the room was in darkness. The electric lights were off and the drapes were drawn. But even the little sunlight I could see from a tiny portion of the drapes sent waves of pain through my skull. I moaned softly and held my head in both hands as I struggled to remember what had happened last night, and how I had ended up in this pitiable condition. I remembered drinking, ordering for more drinks from the barman, and downing the drinks faster than he could pour them. Then I remembered trying to get to my feet, with the vague intention of somehow getting myself back home. I recalled that I had staggered and almost fallen. Strong hands had effortlessly held and kept me upright. The rest was blank. I looked around the room which was mine. I took in the familiar objects in it and muttered silen

ZORA'S POV I was so shocked that I could not even pull away. A part of me was wondering what had brought this on. A larger part of me was thrilled at the prospect of rediscovering the taste and feel of Elliot's lips. His tongue probed my lips, urging them to open and let him in. I tried to remind myself of where we were and why we shouldn't be doing this. He was married and I was a model who had just been in the news for the wrong reasons. But the more I tried, the more my objections to returning his kiss flew out the window. Elliot had a trick of flicking his tongue across my lips when kissing. As soon as he did that, I was lost. Someone moaned and seconds later I realized it was me. My hands of their own volition crept up and fisted themselves in his hair. I massaged his scalp and drew him even closer. His scent filled my nostrils, leaving me feeling light-headed. My response seemed to be the signal Elliot had been waiting for. He deepened the kiss and continued with such inten

ELLIOT'S POV I groaned and shut my eyes in frustration, wishing that I would open them and the woman standing in front of me would disappear. I had no such luck. I had known this day was coming, right from the moment I saw the pictures of Zora and I in the papers. I had dreaded this conversation and now here it was, rapidly spiraling out of control. As usual, Sharon had barged into my office, totally ignoring the protests of my secretary. My secretary had barely left the office before she had started on me. Thankfully, she had not started creating a scene before she got in. Her fist slammed on the table again, ruffling some sheets of paper there. "Are you even listening to what I have been saying? Answer me, dammit!" Sharon demanded. Sharon was like a hound when she wanted something. She would gladly go to the ends of the earth to get whatever it is she wanted. I didn't care where she went. All I wanted was for her to leave me alone. "I am not in the mood for this," I mutte

ZORA'S POV From the glass window of the restaurant, I could see that there were very few customers in the place. I felt myself relax a little. The place was just what I needed. I was not in the mood to be in the midst of a whole lot of people just yet. Before we got out of the car, I looked around and arranged the shawl across my face. "We are here at one of my favorite spots," I said, turning to Cheryl and smiling. "You will like the food here, I promise." "At this point, I could eat anything." As we stepped through the door, a waiter, in the crisp white shirt and black bow tie of the establishment, darted forward to usher us to a table. "Good day, ladies," he said. "Please, step right this way." As though he could read my mind, he led us to a table at the rear of the restaurant, a little away from the see-through windows. When we sat down, he handed us two menus and whipped out a notebook and pen from his back pocket. "What would you ladies like to have?" he asked. I ord