Page 20 of Tempted By Sin

I nearly choke on my saliva. No way she is insinuating what I think she is…

“Mom,” Liam cuts in from beside me, stealing his mother’s attention away from me. “Pae isn’t pregnant. If she was, you would know.” Well, at least he heard that part of our conversation.

Angie clicks her tongue and leans back in her chair, turning to regard her son. “I would hope so. If my future daughter-in-law is pregnant, I want to be the first to know about it.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to say,My mother would be the first to know, but I grit my teeth to keep the words from tumbling out. Liam doesn’t seem to notice my clenched jaw as he looks between his parents. He’s dressed just as nicely as them in a black two-piece suit, matching Pat’s. Like father, like son.

Liam rubs the back of his neck. “Can we change the subject, please?”

“Yes, let’s do that.” Pat shifts on his chair and focuses his attention on me. His gray eyes are more intense than Liam’s, and I can’t help but shrink a little under his gaze. “How has it been going back to work, Paetyn? I’m sure it’s been a lot to adjust to.”

After I was released from the hospital, about two days after I was rescued, I spent one day resting before I told Liam I had to get out of the house. Not only were my memories of the masked man consuming every waking moment, but the reporters on the front lawn were a nightmare to deal with. Every time I stepped foot outside, they were right there to snap a photo and throw multiple questions at me. I felt like a zoo animal, gazing around in stunned silence.

I knew if I stayed in the house for a second longer, I would lose my mind. Well, more than I already have.

“I was happy to be back,” I answer, fiddling with the silver engagement ring on my left hand. The diamond in the center is far larger than I would choose for myself, but Liam insisted it be that big so everyone around me knew I was taken. “My clients were very understanding about my absence, which I was grateful for. But now I’m playing catch up with rescheduled appointments while sticking to my normal schedule. It’s a lot of work, but I’m enjoying the distraction.”

“Good, good,” Pat says, nodding his head. Although, by the way his eyes shift from me to Liam, I know he doesn’t care in the slightest what I’m up to. I might be marrying his son, but he has zero interest in my life. “I’m sure you’ve heard the good news about Liam.”

The corner of my mouth twitches as I slip a tight smile onto my face. “Yeah, he told me all about how well he’s doing in the polls against his opponent. I’m sure his popularity will only gain with his next rally.”

Liam rests his hand on my thigh, squeezing gently. “I couldn’t have done it without you by my side, Pae. Your love and support is what gets me through each day.”

“The news of your kidnapping and Liam’s part in rescuing you certainly helped,” Angie chimes in. She dabs her mouth with the thick cloth napkin on her lap, her lips set into a thin line.

Silence settles over the table as I stare at her, too stunned to speak. Liam coughs awkwardly beside me, his hand still resting on my thigh. “Mom, that’s not really appropriate to say one week after Pae was brought home.”

Angie shrugs, not an ounce of shame on her aged face. Money has certainly bought her some Botox over the years, smoothing out most of her wrinkles. “I’m just saying, honey.”

I blow out a long breath and put my napkin on the table next to my plate. Although anger bubbles in my veins at Angie’s implication that Liam is gaining popularity in the polls because he helped rescue me from my kidnapper, I can’t let them know they’ve rattled me. I don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of Liam’s parents by speaking my mind or putting Liam in a difficult situation.

Instead, I stand and smile. Nothing about the gesture is genuine. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to step outside to get some fresh air.”

Liam grabs my hand, his palm slightly sweaty against my skin. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” I answer. “I’ll be back soon.”

I feel their eyes on me as I walk away from the table but make no move to stop or look back. When I step into the brightly lit hallway, I exhale a long breath. My heart races in my chest as I continue walking. The pristine white walls feel as though they’re closing in on me, but I manage to reach the front door.

The air is cool against the exposed skin of my arms, but I welcome it. Anything to distract me from the disaster of a dinner I’ve been sitting through or the masked man taking up far too much space in my mind.

My black heels click against the wooden boards on the porch as I walk to the large swing. As I take a seat, I close my eyes and focus on my breathing. I wasn’t lying when I said I needed to get some fresh air. If I sat in that room any longer, I fear my head may have exploded across the room.

I have never liked visiting Liam’s parents for family dinners each week because they mostly consisted of me listening to them talk politics and answering the same questions about work. The wedding planning comes up quite a lot, but it's a tired topic at this point. I would rather they ask me questions about my interests or my goals and dreams for my future with their son.

The Aster family live in their own wealthy world where they have zero interest in getting to know anyone they consider beneath them—including me. It makes it hard to connect with them, but over the years that I’ve known them, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s best I be civil instead of trying to get into their good graces. As long as they approve of me being with Liam, I won’t have any problems.

Well, as far as I know.

I sigh and open my eyes, gazing up at the stars twinkling high in the sky. It’s peaceful out here. With the house being on a piece of property outside of New York City, it provides a sense of calmness one can’t find in the city. It’s one of the main reasons why I tolerate these family dinners.

My phone dings in my lap, disrupting the serene feeling of sitting alone among the stars. It’s likely Raya checking in on me again. She visited me while I was in the hospital, but work has been crazy this past week, so we haven’t had a chance to catch up yet. When we finally do get the chance to catch up, especially because we didn’t get a chance to before I was kidnapped, I’m sure we’ll be talking for hours. But I’m not mad about it.

The light from my phone screen is nearly blinding in the depths of the darkness swirling around me. When my eyes adjust to the light, my heart stops beating in my chest as I read the words on the screen.

UNKNOWN:Found you, little bird.

With trembling hands, I lower my phone and stare ahead at the vast darkness before me. Nothing but trees line the property, keeping it somewhat hidden from the rest of civilization.

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