Chapter 3

That night, Sophie fled the dinner party, sobbing. Her hands were pressed to her stinging cheeks.

Chloe was blowing up my phone all night.

Chloe: [Babe, that was better than reality TV! Dinner is on me for a month!]

Chloe: [OMG! He actually did it! And he did not hold back. I felt those slaps from across the table.]

Chloe: [Wait, is this girl part of some new kinky roleplay you two are trying out?]

Chloe: [The gossip about this will be epic tomorrow. If I were her, I'd want the earth to swallow me whole.]

Chloe: [Girl, you have got to teach me your ways. How do you have him so well-trained?]

I texted back a simple truth: [It's easy. When you stop loving him, you start owning him.]

Her enthusiasm died instantly as she texted: [Oh. Never mind then. I could never.]

Of course she couldn't. She and her husband fell in love in high school. And they still called each other cutesy nicknames that made everyone around them want to gag.

Chloe: [By the way, your husband looked murderous all night. Is he going to fight you when he gets home?]

Olivia: [A fight? The only question is who's fighting whom.]

Chloe sent back a single line: [Go easy on him.]

Half an hour later, Edward stormed back in.

He burst into the bedroom and grabbed my wrist, his eyes spitting fire. "Where is it?"

I just stared back at him blankly.

"Olivia, I asked you, where is it?" he demanded, his grip tightening.

I didn't flinch. I just held his gaze.

The standoff lasted a full minute before his shoulders slumped in defeat. He collapsed on the bed. "I did what you asked. I humiliated myself tonight. I'm lucky she didn't call the police and press assault charges. What more do you want from me?"

"Was it me who humiliated you?" I shot back. "Or was it you who decided to bring another woman to a dinner party? Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

After a tense silence, he finally spoke, "She's just a kid, fresh out of college. I swear, there is nothing going on between us. What do I have to do to make you believe that?"

I snapped, "Edward, belief isn't about what you say. It's about what you do.

"A million dollars might be nothing to you, but to a girl from a normal family, it's a life-changing fortune. Don't you dare pretend you don't understand that.

"You threw a million-dollar necklace at another woman like it was a party favor. Why in the world would you think I'd be okay with that?"

He explained, "She was crying over a mistake she made at work! I was just trying to comfort her, so I gave her the necklace. It was impulsive. It meant nothing!"

I sneered, "You gave her something most people could never earn in a lifetime as an 'impulsive' gift. Do you have any idea what kind of message that puts in her head?

"A million dollars is nothing to you, but to a young girl just starting out, it's a weapon. A temptation. You think she doesn't know that?

"And if you hadn't encouraged her, would she have dared post that on social media? Did she think I wouldn't see it?

"You took her to that dinner. You put her in my seat. What did you think people would say? What did you expect me to think? Did any of that even cross your mind?

"She took selfies at the table, and you didn't just allow it but posed for her. At that moment, did you ever consider that I would make you pay for that public disrespect?

"You've fired secretaries for a single misplaced text. Why is she different? Why is she still here?

"It's your indulgence that gave her the courage to provoke me. It's your hypocrisy that made her think she had a chance."

My voice was a scalpel, cutting away his excuses. "I saw her resume. She's not remotely qualified to be your secretary. You hired her for one reason and one reason only: because she looks just like the girl who died saving you.

"Edward, you're chasing a ghost. You're trying to find solace in a stand-in, trying to recapture a past that's dead and gone. Aren't you?"

He went utterly still, the atmosphere in the room freezing.

"Edward. Look at me."

He slowly lifted his head, his haunted eyes meeting mine.

I cupped his face in my hands and pressed my lips to his in a possessive kiss. "I love you," I said against his mouth. "Now, you tell me. Do you love me?"

"I love you," he rasped, his voice cracking.

I pulled the faded pink envelope from the nightstand drawer. "I wasn't there for your past. But I refuse to be written out of your future."

I placed the letter gently in his hand. "I love you. So I will never touch the past you hold so sacred. But you had better not give me a reason to stop loving you. Do you understand?"

His breath hitched. In one swift motion, he pushed me back onto the bed, his body covering mine. He was like a starving wolf, his mouth finding the soft skin of my neck in a hungry kiss.

A jolt of electricity shot through me, and my involuntary whimper only seemed to make him more frantic.

He ripped my nightgown, his hot skin pressing against mine, every touch burning with a desperate need.

I bit my lip, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck. "Edward, this is the first time. And it will be the last."

His movements grew rougher. "I promise," he growled into my skin. "Never again."