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We settle in to watch some cheesy made-for-TV movie while eating ice cream.

Lil stays by my side the whole time. She doesn’t speak, offering a silent comfort that soothes my jagged edges. Exhaustion washes over me, and my eyes drift shut.

The buzzing of my phone jolts me awake while Lil sleeps beside me on the couch. Seems like we both dozed off.

Still hazy, I reach for the buzzing phone and glance at the screen, only to see Oliver’s name flash before me.

“Hello?”

Chapter 32

“Ah, lovely.” Oliver’s tone drips with malice. “I hope you’re not too busy tomorrow. I thought we could go out for dinner together.”

“Do I even have a choice?”

“No.”

“Fine,” I choke out. “Where do you want to meet?”

“I’ll pick you up at 8 and wear that little black dress I like.”

“I burned it.”

“Then get a new one.”

The line goes dead.

My hands tremble. A sour taste spreads in my mouth at the thought of sitting across from him, pretending I want to be there. Pretending I’m still his happy wife.

“Everything okay?” Lil rubs the sleep from her eyes.

“Some unexpected plans. Don’t worry about it.” I’m unable to meet her gaze as I lie, the guilt gnawing at my insides.

“Okay…” She’s unconvinced, but she doesn’t press further.

And she doesn’t have to because a few minutes later, Lil finds me hunched over the toilet, emptying the contents of my stomach. She gathers my hair and rubs my back until the heaves subside.

“Oliver wants me to meet him for dinner tomorrow,” I say.

Her hand stills against my back. “You’re not going.”

“I have to.” Even to my own ears, my voice sounds dead and defeated. “It was only a matter of time.”

“He can’t do this to you. You need to tell Sebastian and Elijah the truth.”

“I can’t do that.” I wipe across my mouth, my hands still shaking. “As long as I don’t know what Oliver has… I won’t risk it.”

Lil opens her mouth, no doubt to argue further, but closes it with a snap. I won’t budge on this. Protecting them and my family is the only thing that matters, even if it means sacrificing my own happiness for a short time.

The next day, I brace myself for playing the dutiful wife.

Stalling to avoid the inevitable, I spend longer than necessary getting ready. I apply my makeup and change outfits more than twice after picking a little black dress. It’s best not to provoke him further.

But as I stare at my reflection in the mirror, all I can see is a stranger, a woman who once held power over her own life, now trapped again. The bags under her eyes, covered up with concealer. The hope gone.

What happened to me?

I’m right back where I started.

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