Page 1 of His Secret Obsession

Maddison

“If this is a joke, I don’t find it very funny.” My shaking fingers smooth out the crumpled letter onto the kitchen table where my boyfriend and I stand on opposite ends. The silence in our shared apartment is heavy and awkward as he watches me, his face blanching. The wordevictionjumps out at me, and it makes my heart gallop. My fingers pull on the necklace nestled between my breasts as I gaze with pleading eyes at Luke.

“Why were you going through my things?” he asks.

Because I do your laundry every week, duh.

A snort escapes me. “Why did you leave it in your pocket?”

“I was going to tell you.” He stares at the paper with a guilt-stricken expression, and panic flutters in my belly.

Peering down at the letter, my lips flatten into a hard line when I see the date. It was sent about two weeks ago, and my skin goes clammy when I look at the calendar pinned to the refrigerator. That leaves us roughly two more weeks to find another apartment.

Hurt cuts through me like a cold knife.

“I called your work, and they said you were fired a month ago.”

“Fuck, Madds.” His eyes squeeze shut. “You weren’t supposed to find out like this.”

“Are you cheating on me?” The thought has bile rising in my throat.

“No!” His green eyes fly open, giving me an appalled look.

“Then where have you been going every day for the past month?” My fingers continue twisting the necklace.

“I would never do that to you.”

There was a time when I would have believed him. Now, I’m not so sure.

“Where have you been going every damn day?” I repeat, my voice harsh.

“Madds…”

He steps forward with a desperate, panicked look about him. His eyes are wide, his chest expanding as he gulps down a steadying breath. I shake my head, watching as he runs a hand through his shoulder-length, dark blonde hair. It’s pulled back into a loose bun today, and his fingers catch on the hair tie. Loose strands tumble out to frame his sharp, smooth jaw.

My heart used to flutter every time I looked at his slender, athletic frame. The way his black, skinny jeans hug his slim hips. The rips in the fabric that show off just a hint of smooth skin along his strong thighs. The red and black plaid jacket with thesleeves pulled up to his elbows and the black shirt that clings to the light dusting of abs beneath it.

My body doesn’t react much at all to him anymore.

“I fucked up—I know that, okay?” His hands wrap around my waist, gently pulling me forward until I’m flush against his chest. Despite my anger and disappointment, his body heat feels good and I soften against him. I rest my forearms on his shoulders and stare up at him. “I’ve been job hunting every day. I was going to tell you as soon as I found something else.” He sighs. “I just didn’t think it would take this long.”

“But why?” I ask softly.

His eyes slide down to the floor. “I didn’t want you to think that I was a loser,” he mumbles.

A rush of sympathy washes over me, my resolve to be firm with him crumbling. “Luke Parker, you are not a loser.” I pinch his chin between my index finger and thumb, making him meet my resolute stare. “These things happen to everyone, baby.”

He shakes his head. “They don’t happen to you.”

I frown.

“I’m a dropout,” he continues, “and now I can’t even hold down a job. You deserve someone better.” He scoffs.

It’s true that Luke has been struggling.

Despite never being the most studious person, I still struggled to understand his decision when he dropped out of college. I watched in silent concern as he gave up a degree in graphic design and began waiting tables at a local sports bar instead. I believed him when he said he was burnt out and just needed some time off. It was only supposed to be one semester, but that was six months ago.

A few late-night parties here and there quickly turned into a never-ending string of parties, booze, and hangovers. Then he started missing work. And not long after that, the sketchbook that accompanied him everywhere was forgotten. By the timemy graduation rolled around, I was celebrating alone—just as I did when I got accepted into a once-in-a-lifetime internship with an interior design company right here in Crestwood Heights, Virginia.

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