Page 11 of Free

“But here’s the best part,” Davis says. “I barely had to push to get her to give up her stupid excuse for a job teaching yoga and promise to pump out babies starting as soon as physically possible.”

“How is that the best part?” Aaron asks and I nod in vigorous agreement.

“That’s the kind of wife you want, when you work at a conservative firm like ours. Get the cocks twitching when she walks into a room and the hens clucking their approval of our strong family values. Makes me very promotable.”

I lean against the wall, breath shallow. Each word Davis said hits me like a slap, the sting sharp and unrelenting. Hot. Smart. Funny. He’d reduced me to bullet points on his professional résumé. Not a partner. Not a person. Just an accessory to make him look good

The warm fuzzies bleed away and I’m just empty. No shock. No outrage. There’s just… nothing.

And that doesn’t seem right.

There should be…something.

Why isn’t there something?

“What happens when your brand new wife finds out you can’t keep your dick in your pants?”

“Lower your fucking voice, dammit!” Davis hisses. “She’s not gonna find out. I’ve been fucking Brandi for longer than I’ve been dating Charlotte, and Brandi, man? We’ve never gotten close to finding a boundary in the sack. And don’t get me wrong, I know things with Serena won’t last, but she’s a fun distraction from all the emotional crap with the others. Charlotte’s been oblivious up to this point. She’ll be oblivious moving forward. I’ve got this in the bag.”

And… there’s the shock, outrage, and a whole lot ofsomething.

I drop my shoe.

It hits the floor like a gunshot.

“Shit,” whispers Davis. “What was that?” He pokes his head around the corner and the look on his face when he sees me says it all.

It’s not regret.

Or anguish.

Or desperation.

The man laughs like he’s ready to explain it all away.

I hold up a finger and open my mouth, ready for the insult to end all insults to fly into his face. I always have something to say. Always.

Except not today. Not now. I grit my teeth and shake the finger in frustration before stabbing it into his chest. He stares in confusion before I spin and take several exaggerated limps in the opposite direction before yanking off my other shoe, gathering my skirts, and running down the hallway…

…right into the brick wall of a chest that belongs to Nicholas Hutton.

SIX

Nick

I can’t be here. I don’t know why I thought I could. Even Angela said she’d understand if I pulled a no-show and that’s saying something. There isn’t a situation she can’t make the best of.

But…

I mean…

This is Charlie.

She asked me to come to her wedding. So I came.

I thought seeing her happy would counteract the pain of watching her marry someone else. After all, I’m the reason we’re not together.

But, oh, was I ever wrong.

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