Page 69 of Endgame

‘No, she doesn’t,’ Caleb says, coming through the door, before hugging me from behind. He plants a kiss on my shoulder and I smell the whisky on his breath. He’s been hanging out with Lydia. I don’t know why, but it makes me smile.

‘Hi,’ I say, enjoying his closeness.

‘Did you have fun today, considering the circumstances?’

‘It wasn’t horrible. Before I forget, we may have two potential new clients. The two guys outside? I’ve emailed you their details.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Shhhhhh!’ Lara scolds us.

‘It’s in French!’ Caleb complains. ‘You’re reading the subtitles.’

‘Come on,’ I interrupt before they start attacking each other. I lead Caleb into our room and he leans in to kiss my lips as soon as he shuts the door behind us.

‘You’re still in your dress. Nice.’

‘You did promise to help me out of it earlier,’ I suggest.

‘I did, didn’t I?’

Standing behind me, he slowly unzips my dress, his fingers leaving little sparks down my back. ‘I forgot about your little lingerie surprise.’ He strokes my bum as the dress drops to the floor. I turn round to help him out of his suit.

Everything with Caleb feels final since we reunited. Like we can take our time with each other because we know that neither one of us is going anywhere. I want him to feel safe with me, likeI have always done with him, no matter what external forces may be at play.

After he fulfils his promise, we shower, locate bathrobes and sit in bed to catch on how bizarre today has been.

‘So, I’ve got three weeks on Melissa and Kevin,’ he bets casually.

‘They’ll go the distance. This wedding was a contract. As long as they stay away from each other, keep their affairs discreet and don’t attempt to have a loving home, they’ll stay together.’

‘Ariella Mason, you romantic.’ Caleb tickles me and I yelp. ‘I have something to tell you but before I do I’m going to need you to tell Icy Ariella to back off. I want to share everything with you and I need you to try to understand.’

Oh no. I close my eyes, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. This is Caleb. It could be anything. When I’m ready I open my eyes to his worried face.

‘Okay. I’m listening.’

‘I met Melissa tonight. Privately.’

I feel the familiar numbness start to creep over me. ‘Wait, please.’ I take a few more breaths before I feel it dissipate. ‘Okay, continue.’

‘I needed to find out how much Kevin knew and if it was going to cause any further problems. Do you want the details or the highlights?’

Normally, Caleb telling a good juicy story is my happy place, but this isn’t a good or juicy story and the thought of him being alone with Melissa makes me deeply uncomfortable. Especially after what she did.

‘Highlights, please.’

‘Kevin knows everything. He was going to go public unless Melissa married him. She’s not coping well.’

‘How does that have an impact on you, me or Ivory Bow?’

‘It doesn’t and it won’t – it’s baked into the prenup. They can’t “embarrass” each other.’

‘Anything else that directly or specifically affects us?’

‘No, but Icy Ariella just showed up,’ Caleb says, then strokes my face. It’s true. I’m numb.

‘I don’t know how to deal with this, Caleb. You sound almost…sympathetic. Kevin Wong’s extortion plot doesn’t seem anywhere near as egregious as what she has been getting up to.’

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