Page 136 of Desperate Actions

“Appreciate it,” I reply before disconnecting.

Five minutes later, I’m opening the front door, and I don’t even get a chance to greet everyone before Michaela and Leanna barrel inside, squealing like they just stepped into a palace.

Which, to be fair is kind of accurate.

“Oh my God! Aella! This is gorgeous!” Leanna practically shrieks, twirling in the foyer like she’s trying to take in everything at once.

“I know!” Michaela echoes, her eyes as big as dinner plates as she glances toward the high ceilings and the grand staircase. “Holy shit, girl. This place is unreal. I have got to get Liam to move us out of the city. Especially with baby number two here on the way!”

I laugh, closing the door behind them. “Thanks. But your condo rocks. Anyway, it’s not me. Sammy just has good taste.”

“Yeah, blame our mom,” Andrea interjects, a teasing smile playing on her lips as she trails behind her sisters.

But then she stops.

Right in front of a painting hanging near the entryway.

I turn to look at it—sunflowers against a golden, dusky sky, the brushstrokes bold and evocative.

I love this one but never really thought too much about it.

“I always wondered what happened to this,” Andrea murmurs, her voice quieter now.

“What do you mean?” I ask, stepping closer.

She glances at me, something unreadable in her expression. “Sammy painted this. Back in college.”

My heart stops.

“What?”

I blink at the painting like I’m seeing it for the first time.

Sammy painted this?

My Sammy?

“Are any of his other pieces in the house?” Andrea asks, her fingers lightly ghosting over the frame.

I swallow, suddenly feeling off-kilter.

“I—uh, I have no idea,” I admit, my cheeks heating.

Because how did I not know this?

Sammy paints?

Andrea offers me a small, almost sad smile, and it hits me then.

How much don’t I know about my husband?

I mean, I knew we had things to learn about each other.

But this?

This feels like a whole world I haven’t even touched.

Chapter 31-Aella

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