Page 45 of Donut Overthink It

Fuck!

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” Hadley asks her, tilting her head to the side.

“Not officially but Aiden has told me so much about you.” She walks over to her and reaches out her right hand.

I clear my throat. “Eve—”

“I wanna thank you for all that you do for him. I know that he can be a real prick to work for,” she says, interrupting me.

Hadley looks back and forth between us again, and I can see the gears turning in her mind. Trying to figure out what she has walked in on. “I’m sorry, but who are you?” she asks.

“Oh, my apologies. I’m Eve Kyle. Aiden’s wife.”

I close my eyes as my jaw tightens. Motherfucker… I open them and look at Hadley.

There’s a silence that settles on us.

“His wife?” she asks with wide eyes, taking a step back from her.

Eve nods and then lifts her left hand to show off her six-carat rock that I gave her.

I clear my throat as the air thickens in my office. My heart pounding. “Eve…”

“I’ll let you guys get back to work,” Eve says, turning to face me. I stand stiff as a board as she gives me a kiss on my cheek, then pulls away. “I’ll go wait for you up in the penthouse.” And then she walks out, leaving me standing there with Hadley needing to explain myself.

I run a hand down my unshaven face before I turn to look at Hadley. The look on her face makes my chest tighten. I never meant to hurt her …

She takes a step back as she lifts her hands and starts to shake her head at me. “Don’t …” Then she turns around and storms out of my office.

“Hadley?” I call out, causing everyone to stop and look at us. “Hadley?” I shout as she starts to run down the hallway.

“Go to hell, Aiden!” she growls before ducking into her office and slamming her door.

I open it up and walk in right behind her, slamming it myself. When she turns around to face me, I’m not sure why I chased her in here. I should have let her go to avoid the conversation that I see written all over her face.

“You’re married?” she demands. “You’re fucking married?” she asks, this time more in disbelief. Then her eyes lower to my left hand, and I run my thumb along the soft skin where my ring should be.

“It’s complicated,” I tell her. God, I never wanted to have this conversation with anyone, let alone her here in the office of all places.

She lets out a rough laugh. “Complicated? What the hell is complicated about are you married?” she shouts. “Tell me that that woman is just another one of your crazy exes who you spent one night with and then threw to the curb?”

I say nothing. I hate that I’ve hurt her. That was never my intention. I should have just fired her.

She steps up to me and demands, “Are you married or not?”

My jaw tightens as I look down into her narrowed eyes. Taking a deep breath, I let it out and say, “Yes.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

HADLEY

MY EYES WIDEN, AND I KNOW my mouth is on the floor, but I can’t seem to pick it up. I can’t wrap my head around what he just told me.

He’s fucking married!

My heart starts to pound in my chest at the thought I slept with a married man. Does that make me a whore? God, I’d rather be the prostitute I was arrested for than the other woman.

“Hadley.” He reaches out and places his hand on my arm.

---