Page 32 of Heart of Frost and Scars

In the attached bathroom, I find all the same items I left behind in Monty’s bathroom. Shampoo, conditioner, perfume, skincare—all my favorite brands are here, including razors and hygiene products for the guys.

It’s been so long since I’ve moisturized. My skin will probably soak up a full bottle of lotion.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I touch my gaunt face. I look haggard, pale, weathered by harsh conditions and stress. Older. My cheekbones protrude sharply, making the hollows beneath them more pronounced.

Monty should’ve taken one look at me in the hospital and moved on. He can have any woman he wants.

When Leo and Kody start venturing out in public, they’ll turn heads and attract female attention just like Monty. It will only worsen after they take advantage of the gym and return to their beefed-up, chiseled physiques.

Once the world sees how potent and irresistibly sexy they are, they’ll be propositioned, chased, objectified, and idolized. How will they handle that?

Adultery runs in the family.

My face burns, and my ears pressurize.

Oh, the irrational fears of a scorned woman.

I have a long way to go to rebuild my confidence, but I will, despite the hard truth staring back at me.

I’m not the sweet, healthy, fresh-faced girl I was nine months ago. That girl died in the hills, and a battle-hardened, half-starved, bloodthirsty woman rose in her place.

A woman with a lot of baggage.

Which makes Monty’s obsession with me suspicious and worrisome.

He kept all my things in his bedroom like some love-sick widower, only to set up a room for me to share with my lovers.

I can’t make sense of it.

The man I married is an over-the-top, jealous, possessive male who always gets what he wants.

Evidently, he wanted me on that plane badly enough to agree to our sleeping arrangements.

I’m no longer his to share, but that’s precisely what he’s doing.

He’s sharing me with his brother and his nephew.

It’s fucked-up.

Deep down, I hope his intentions are genuine. If his generosity is steeped in a need for atonement, or even if it’s a harmless obsession with the woman he lost, I can deal with that. Or rather, a therapist can help him deal with it.

But if there’s something else driving him, something malicious and evil…

No. I can’t accept that. The man has his faults, but he’s not Denver.

Among the bathroom supplies, I don’t find any condoms, lubes, or performance enhancers. Thank God. That would cross the line of acceptance and make it really fucking weird.

In the drawer, I find the ointment that Kody needs for the burns on his leg.

Overwhelmed once again by Monty’s thoughtfulness, I reach for the perfume and spray it on my wrist.

The scent explodes in my memories before it reaches my nose—a balance of sweetness and tartness, fruity and floral, with a bloom of cherry as the top note.

Cherry perfume might be the sexiest fragrance in existence, and Monty loved to inhale it from my skin.

As I return the bottle to the counter, a click snaps my head to the doorway.

Standing just outside the bathroom, Kody holds his phone low, the camera lens angled at me, with his coal-black eyes focused on the screen.

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