Page 1 of Recipes for Life

Prologue

Odette

I gripped the certified letter in my hand and squealed in excitement. I did it! I finally did it! I passed my certifications and boards to become a PA. While it took a bit longer than I expected, I wouldn't change anything for the world. An excited garble that matched mine sounded from behind me, and my eyes locked with the one thing that held three-fourths of my heart. Lux, my baby girl.

Man was she a surprise. Finding out I was pregnant at twenty-one with my long-term boyfriend—now husband—came as a shock, not an unwelcome one by any means, but just a shock, nonetheless. I finished with my Bachelor’s, but justbarelybefore Lux was born. Murphy went on to become a lawyer, and now, three years later, he was a damn good one. Once he started making some real money, we were able to hire a part time nanny, and I went to night school. It was hard for me at first to be okay with leaving Lux alone; I felt like a bad mom leaving my newborn with a nanny. Murphy assured me that it was okay, and we would be okay. I was very tired, my hours mixed with his, and there wasn't a lot of family time. I spent a time or two crying to my husband about how much I felt like a failure since I wanted the best of both worlds—to be a kick ass mom and a kick ass PA. Holding this letter in my hand made it all worth it: all the latenights, all the date nights that never happened. I couldn't stop grinning.

Murphy was spending the night in the city since he had to wine and dine with some clients this weekend. I knew my results would be coming shortly, but I had no idea they would be today. An idea struck me and before I knew it, I was calling my mother-in-law to see if she would watch Lux for the night so I could surprise my husband with the news and a nightalonefor once.

I desperately missed the intimacy we had been lacking for the last few months. I chalked all his late nights up to the fact that he was the only one supporting us at this time. I knew he made good money, but he paid for everything and never told us no. I didn't ask for much; I preferred the quieter side of life, but he always insisted that we have the best, like designer clothes and handbags. Lux had toys she would never play with and furnishings that cost more than some people make in a year.

While waiting for my mother-in-law to get here to pick up Lux, I packed an overnight bag with the raciest lingerie I owned, and Murphy had yet to see. I wracked my brain, trying to think of the last time we had sex, and it had to have been over a month ago. That thought made me frown; we used to have sex at least once a day, if not multiple times. I sighed, parenthood. I wouldn't change it for the world, I just hoped now that I was done with my schooling, we would go back to spending more time together. Murphy had been my entire heart since I was sixteen years old, but I felt so fulfilled sharing all my love between him and Lux.

The drive to the city was quiet since it was late enough for rush hour traffic to be long gone, but I couldn't help the anxiety that was rising inside. I kept tapping the steering wheel trying to find an outlet for the energy. Looking back on this moment, I knew there was something in the universe that was preparing me for what I was about to walk into, for what I was about to see...

Chapter 1

Odette

It had been a while since I'd been to the apartment Murphy and I owned—his company owned a few in this building, and when he made junior partner, it was part of his perks. It made sense, getting an apartment in the city, since his hours could be unpredictable. I'd like to say we didn't argue about it, but that would be a lie. I wanted more of his time and attention; I wanted him to know his daughter. He was a great dad when he wasaround.We were lucky to get two evenings during the week together and always Sundays. Sundays were family days; he hadinsistedon them. He woke up early, cooked breakfast, and always had an amazing day planned for us. It was those Sundays that made up for all the missed meals, conversations, intimacy. It was that day of the week that reminded me of how much I loved my husband and my daughter; sometimes I thought my heart would burst at the seams with how much I felt for them.

A giddy smile crossed my face as I made my way across the parking lot, and my hands shook as I searched for the keycard that would gain me access into the building. I didn't know why I couldn't shake this anxiety.

Maybe it's just nerves... Nerves because we haven't had alone time in so long.

Yes, nerves. Finally, I got the keycard and swiped myself in. The place was modern, and it was definitely not my taste. There was no soul, no love here, it reminded me of a stay over hotel. I shuddered. Murphy had mentioned that he would be going out to dinner and unreachable until later this evening, but he'd call around eleven. A quick glance at my phone told me it was 9:42 p.m., so that gave me more than enough time to order a takeaway meal and get dressed up, or rather,dressed down.

Reaching the third floor, I grabbed my key set, knowing I'd need to let myself in. There was a moment of panic, and I was unsure why.What if Murphydoesn't want to see you? He has been spending more time away from you lately.No, that can't be it. When he got home yesterday, he excitedly told me about the day he had planned for us on Sunday, driving to the nearest zoo. Lux was still a baby in my eyes, barely three, but she wasthrilledto be going.

Turning my key in the lock, I opened the large, dark mahogany front door, surprised it didn't creak with the weight. The first thing I noticed was the soft music that seemed to be playing over the surround system that covered the apartment. It was sensual,sexy,and my stomach dipped. I took a closer look at what was taking place around me: the hallway was dim, but there were a few candles lit in the entryway, the music... Stillness engulfed my body, my mind immediately rationalizing what I was seeing.

There's clearly another associate using the apartment. Maybe Murphy is just letting a friend or client use it.

A light switch went off in my head. My mother-in-law must have called Murphy and gave him a heads up. That's it. He'd planned this for me.

I slipped off my shoes so I could at least surprise Murphy with the fact that I had arrived, but a sense of dread coated my skinthe closer I made it to the bedroom. It felt like being covered in slime and walking through quicksand. My skin wasstillbuzzing with anxiety, and saliva started to coat the back of my throat as bile rose. I heard a woman moan, and it soundedreal—not that fake shit you hear on porn nowadays, but the moaning where you can tell a woman is about to explode. Her moan was followed by a deep husky sigh...a sigh I knew.Tears sprung into my eyes.

I have to see.

I'm not sure how I did it, but I pushed the door open without making even a whisper of a sound. Keeping up with the romantic ambiance, multiple candles illuminated the dimly lit room, it smelled like marathon sex, sweat, and cum. My eyes caught the white sheets on the floor; they looked as though they were thrown in a heap as if they couldn't contain themselves and ripped them off in their haste. My perusal of the scene had me finding my husband, all six foot two of him, muscled, tattooed, dark hair, and dark eyes, slamming his cock in and out of another woman's cunt.

Objectively speaking, she was gorgeous, the opposite of me. IknewI was good-looking with my five-foot-four frame, size eight ass and thighs, my D-cup, long wavy dark hair, and electric green eyes. But she was porn hot, with fake white-blonde hair, size two, fake double-d's, probably five foot nine.Maybe that's why he’s fucking her. My first instinct was to exit the room quietly, go home, and pretend this had never happened, but before I could, I took in his features. His eyes were closed, and he was grunting.I'd always found it so sexy when he grunted.Now I forced the vomit that was threatening to make its appearance known back down. His face was etched into something that looked like pure bliss.How dare he find paradise in someoneelse? How dare he do this to me? How dare he be happy while I'm falling apart over here. How could he do this to Lux?

I picked up the standing lamp next to me and hurled it against the opposite wall, screaming in my rage.How fucking dare he?I grabbed the chair that used to be sitting next to the now-shattered lamp and desk and hurled it over my head toward the side of the wall that hadn't seen my wrath yet.

That must have sprung Murphy into gear, because he moved his body away from the woman—who was now screaming—so fast and grabbed the once passion-filled sheets to wrap around his waist as he reached for me.

I side-stepped him.

"If you think you'll ever be allowed to touch me again, you're sorely mistaken."

Devastation crossed hisfeatures, and I wanted to slap him. I wouldn't give him that kind of satisfaction again.

"Baby..." the girl from the bed chimed in.

He looked at me helplessly before turning to address her, "You need to leave."

She sputtered, "What? Why?"

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