Page 133 of Theirs to Corrupt

I blink in surprise. “How can you be sure of that?”

“He’s a reasonable man.”

Reasonable?She must be talking about someone other than the person I married.

“To start with, I recommend we verify the existence of any inheritance, along with any details you might need. Then we’ll look into how your brother obtained your number. Anything else?”

“I want to know the truth about Axel. Is he going to be murdered?”

“I’ll look into it.”

Part of me wants to believe Axel is trying to scare me. But I’ve learned the mob is real. So no doubt the consequences of not paying them back are as well.

Celeste is quiet, waiting for me to go on.

After taking a deep breath, I do. “And my marriage?”

“Legally, you have options, of course. Separation. Divorce. Potentially annulment.”

My cheeks flood with heat. Isn’t it too late for that?

“But I sense that’s not what you’re really asking,” she guesses.

Celeste is right, and tears sting my eyes.

Am I ready to end this?

Since the question scares me, I shove it aside.

One thing is certain; I can’t go on being manipulated, treated as if I don’t have an opinion or the opportunity to make my own choices.

“Tessa,” Celeste says gently, “this will come down to only one thing. What do you want?”

I open my mouth to respond, but no words come out.

What do I want?

The safety and security Link and Pax offer? The passion and connection I felt with them in Vegas? Or the freedom to make my own choices, free from manipulation and secrets?

Or maybe the one thing that matters more than any other. The one thing Link is incapable of offering.

Link

Jesus.For the first time in my life, I don’t know what the fuck to do.

My thoughts racing, I pace the length of my office.

With Tessa, I’m out of my element.

Ever since she received the text from her asshole brother, she’s been emotionally distant.

After pulling herself away from me in our Vegas suite, she went into her bedroom, then closed and locked the door behind her.

The sound of running water reached me, so I guessed she took a bath. Then…I heard nothing else.

The next morning, she didn’t emerge until Pax knocked on her door to let her know that we were getting ready to head home.

Though she sat with us on the plane, she angled her body to look out the window, grabbed a book, then slid in earbuds that she’d picked up at the airport.

---