Page 110 of The Trouble With Her (The Forbidden Love 4)

“I’ll make sure our girl knows she’s loved by her entire family, including you.”

As Noah walks away, I pull my phone out and see a text message from Jessa sent three hours ago.

Jessa:We miss you too.

I pace the area around the pool, willing the tightness inside my chest to dissipate. When I can’t take it anymore, I pull out my phone and dial her number. It rings on loop, but no answer. I desperately want to try again but decide against it.

The sangria is too tempting, so I drink it all, willing my nerves to calm down. Nothing seems to work, so I tell everyone I’m heading back to the hotel where I’m staying.

Inside the lobby, I run into Anastasia at the counter. I quickly head over to tell her I’m calling it quits for the day, but she’s trying to talk on one phone with her other phone on the counter when I get there. Why this woman carries both phones is beyond me.

When she sees me, she motions for me to wait one minute while she walks toward the exit for better reception, leaving her purse and phone behind. I can’t leave now, so I wait impatiently until her screen lights up, catching my attention.

Benedict:I can’t fly out. My mother had a heart attack.

Curiosity consumes me. How many Benedicts does Anastasia know? Quickly glancing to where Anastasia stands with her back toward me, I touch her screen, which has no password stupidly enough, then slide the message up to read the trail.

Anastasia:How dirty do you want me tomorrow night? I can be a good girl like your precious wife or bad just the way you liked it last week.

Benedict:I’ll fly out after Bentley’s party and tell her it’s for work. Not that she’ll care.

I turn away, not wanting to read more. It’s enough evidence to prove her husband isn’t a complete victim in this mess we’ve found ourselves in.

Anastasia rushes back. “Sorry, I had to take that call. Is everything okay?”

With a hard smile, my eyes fall upon hers with contempt. Did she know how much I’d suffered being apart from Jessa so she could do the right thing when all along, Anastasia was also a part of this tangled web?

“I’m heading up to my suite,” I tell her, gritting my teeth, then shift my eyes toward her phone. “I’m sure somebody needs your attention.”

She tilts her head in confusion, then glances at the screen. Her eyes widen as she shakes her head. “It’s not what you think.”

“I don’t think anything. I’m leaving now.”

Inside my suite, I sink into the lounge and close my eyes. The exhaustion begins to weigh heavily on my shoulders caused by the sleepless nights and the worry over Jessa’s safety. After her admission about him almost forcing himself on her, I can’t help stressing if he would try again.

I would kill him.

With my fucking bare hands.

The phone rings, only to startle me as I see her name appear.

“Jessa?” I’m barely able to breathe. “Are you okay?”

She falls into a digestive silence, but then she breathes heavily.

“Yes, no. I don’t know.”

“This isn’t your fault,” I remind her firmly. “You had no idea this would happen.”

“I know, but I yelled at her in front of everyone. She wanted to take my son away,” Jessa’s voice begins to crack. “I was so angry.”

My eyes close for a brief moment, trying to understand how it all came to this, but no answer comes to mind. My head is clouded and full of irrational thoughts.

“You had every right to be angry. Do not apologize for protecting your son.”

“Andy?” Jessa calls softly. “He knows about us.”

The bombshell comes as a surprise, and so many questions come to mind. But I can hear the tremble in her voice, knowing she’s overwhelmed and the last thing she needs from me is an interrogation.

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