LOGINSERGE’S POV My thumb hovered over the screen of my phone as the message still stared back at me. “I’ll be out of town for a few days. I’ll be back soon.” A low grunt escaped my throat in irritation. “What in fucking hell was that?” I locked the phone and tossed it onto the polished conference table a little harder than necessary, making it slide several inches before coming to a stop. I leaned back in my chair, pinching the bridge of my nose before breathing out, I couldn’t even explain why I’d sent it. For two months, I’d never once updated Ava about my whereabouts or told her when I was leaving and when I was coming back. So why now? The answer irritated me more than the question itself because somewhere in the back of my mind, I still hadn’t liked the idea of her spending the next few days alone with her husband. Pathetic. I scoffe
LEO’S POV The warehouse buzzed with chaos as forklifts rumbled across the concrete floor, some of my men shouted inventory numbers over the loud engines and I cold almost taste the scent of diesel mixed with damp timber filled the air. I stood with a clipboard tucked beneath one arm, watching two cargo trucks slowly reverse toward the loading bays. “The border clearance papers?” I asked. One of the supervisors immediately handed me a folder. “Everything’s here, Mr. Sterling.” I flipped through the documents, my eyes scanning each page. There were Two shipments, both arriving from the northern border, carrying enough cocaine to make millions before the week was over. Everything appeared to be in order, at least in the outside yet I had already read the same page three times. I sighed quietly. “You missed a signature.” I said quietly and the
AVA’S POV The first rays of morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, creating lines across our bedroom as I slowly opened my eyes. For a moment, I simply lay there, listening. Matthew’s slow, steady breathing filled the quiet room. Still asleep. Carefully, I lifted the blanket and slipped out of bed, making sure not to disturb him. The old wooden floor creaked beneath my feet, and I froze, glancing over my shoulder. Matthew shifted slightly before settling back into sleep. I smiled to myself. “Close one,” I whispered. Grabbing my phone from the bedside table, I quietly padded toward the bathroom and gently closed the door behind me. The silence suddenly felt much louder. I leaned against the sink and stared at my reflection.
AVA POV I quickly filled a glass with water, my trembling fingers almost slipping against the smooth glass. The cold water slid down my throat in hurried gulps, but it did nothing to wash away the lump sitting stubbornly there. I reached for another sip. “Hey.” Matthew’s gentle voice came from behind me. I stiffened. A second later, I felt his presence as he stopped beside me, close enough for our shoulders to almost touch. “You sure you’re okay?” He asked but I kept my eyes on the sink. “Mhmm.” “You don’t sound okay.” I forced another mouthful of water, hoping it would save me from having to answer. It didn’t. Matthew leaned his hip against the kitchen counter, quietly studying me. “You’ve been somewhere else lately.” His words weren’t accusing, if anything, they were full of concern. I
AVA POV. “You’re unbelievable.” A small laugh escaped me. “I know.” He smiled. “But admit it.” I paused, staring at him. He looked around proudly before responding. “It’s romantic.” I looked around too, lingering my gaze from the flickering candlelights , to the homemade dinner steak I was from preheating, then to our tiny apartment that suddenly felt warmer than it had in weeks then back at him. “…It is.” I whispered out. And his smile grew even wider. We settled into our chairs and quietly began eating but for several minutes, neither of us spoke and the only sounds were the soft clinking of cutlery against our plates and the crackle of the candle flames. Silently, I kept my attention on my food, looking anywhere but him because every time I even considered looking into Matthew’s eyes, my truth just clawed at my throat. A silent voice yelling and beg
AVA’S POV “…A complication.”I whispered out and the words floated quietly around my apartment, sounding even more strange the second time I said them aloud. I frowned. “What the hell does that even mean?” Frustrated, I pulled out my phone from the couch, unlocked it and quickly typed the word into the search bar. A second later, the definition appeared. Complication: A person or thing that makes a situation more difficult than it already is. I stared at the screen. Then read it again and again but much louder this time, trying to make it make sense to me. “‘A person or thing that makes a situation more difficult than it already is.’” Silently, I blinked once. “…Seriously?” I scoffed bitterly. “So I’m difficult now?” My thumb hovered over the screen as I reread the definition. A person… that makes a situation more difficult. My brows slowly pulled together.“Or…” I whispered to myself.“…Did he mean I’m making his life difficult?” The thought ling
Staring at the note one last time, I tucked it into my apron before switching on the vacuum machine. Its loud hum echoed throughout the entire room, helping me to shut off the chaotic voices in my head. Matthew had left earlier in the evening to meet with Leo and Mr. Sterling to discuss some busin
If someone ever told me that I would be seated around three men, one being my husband, another being my husbands’ childhood friend. And the other being the brother to my husbands’ friend. Who also happened to be a man I just had sex with less than three hours ago, I would have laughed in their fa
My ride back home felt almost unbearable. I watched the city pass in a blur through the taxi window as tried to hold back my tears. I couldn’t seem to rub this feeling of disgust off of me How could I? Why could I? I was a cheater. I had silently betrayed our marriage a few months before w
A sharp spike of heat shot through my entire body like lightning. It was a terrifying sensation. Breaking apart from the breathless kiss, he didn't give me a single second to collect my scattered thoughts, he bent over, gripped me firmly around the waist, and flipped me effortlessly over his







