Page 199 of Divine Obsession

“How much time?”

“Almost a…” I trailed off, looking down.

“Month?”

“A year…”

“A YEAR?!” She repeated, shock in her voice.

“Most recently,” Zach murmured, cutting in.

I shot him a death glare before I could stop myself.

“This is not the first time?” Maria asked, confused.

“They started seeing each other when Natalia transferred to Columbia,” Zach answered for me, his voice soft but insistent. He sat down next to Maria, his hand settling on her lower back.

She gasped. “That’s like, what? Five years ago?!”

“We hooked up a couple times in college,” I corrected, my voice tight, hating the situation. “Then didn’t see each other until my birthday this year, when he came back to New York.”

“He came back for you?” Maria asked, her voice softer now.

I scoffed through the tears, hating how raw my emotions were. “Yeah, right.”

The moment I said it, I realized how it sounded – like Trevor had come back because of Zach. That’s not what I had meant at all.

Maria straightened, slowly turning to Zach. “You knew the whole time, and still got them involved?”

Zach opened his mouth to explain, but before he could, Maria smacked him upside the head. He rubbed the back of his head, looking like a hurt puppy, even though she hit him lighter than a feather. The way he looked at her – so innocent, yet guilty at the same time – made my heart ache for a love like that.

She turned to me. “I’m sorry you and Trevor got dragged into this, Nat.”

“It’s not either of your fault. Trevor should’ve never involvedme.”

Chapter 52

Present

The doorman at Zach’s building greeted me with a nod, but that didn’t stop the panic boiling beneath my skin. I stalked toward the private elevator in the lobby, the one I’d used a dozen times to get to Zach’s penthouse without question. Tonight, though, the elevator panel blinked red, denying me access.

My jaw tightened. I didn’t need to check the tracker in Natalia’s necklace to know she was here. Where else would she be when Maria was her closest friend?

Zach appeared a minute later, stepping out of the public elevator and crossing the lobby toward me. His expression was wary, almost apologetic.

“Trevor,” He started, one hand in his pocket, the other scratching the back of his neck. He exhaled through his nose, meeting my gaze evenly. “I can’t let you up.”

I scoffed, looking away as I rubbed a hand over my jaw. “That’s funny.”

“It’s not my call.”

“It’s your elevator,” I snapped.

“And it’s Natalia’s decision,” He countered, voice low but firm.

I took a step closer, lowering my voice but not my intensity. “I need you to have my back, the way I’ve had yours. Or do I need to remind you of all the times I’ve cleaned up your messes?”

Zach’s jaw twitched, but he didn’t back down. “What did you tell me when I wasn’t good with Maria? Give her time and space. That’s what I’m asking you to do now.”

---