Page 55 of Girls Night
He hadn't thought of her.
"Okay," she whispered, tucking her dark hair behind her ear.
"You don't look too happy to see me. Are you okay?"
She met his gaze. Did he really want to know what she was thinking?
"Newsflash, dear husband," she snapped, angry with how his actions had affected her. She was basically the property of a rich woman because he had stolen from her, and she was the debt that must be paid. "You stole from a powerful woman who demanded you sign your wife over to her to repay the millions you stole. Why did you even need to steal? We make great money, lived a great life. We didn't want for anything, and you became greedy."
Since finding out what he had done, she had been going through the motions and barely able to comprehend everything. Her first thought was: how could she protect her husband? How could she help him through this? Keep him out of jail?
If he had just taken a moment to think of how his deception would affect her—but he never thought of her.
Always making decisions first, sharing them with her later.
In the past, she hadn't minded. She thought it was cute, and just Brandon's way of taking care of her.
“Just calm down, baby. I'm trying to make this right," he proclaimed, exasperated.
"Are you?" she snarled, brushing her hair from her face. "What could you possibly do to make this better? I signed a contract to keep you out of jail. Six months I'm to be here."
"I'm going to meet with Hadley and offer to pay the money back—"
"We don't have millions just sitting aside somewhere, Brandon." They had a nice amount in all of their accounts, and paying Hadley back would take everything they had. She ran a hand along her face before focusing on the phone again.
"Trust me, Raya. I'm going to make this right."
Tears blurred her vision. Blinking them back, she blew out a deep breath.
"I have to go. I need to pack."
His brows furrowed. "Where are you going?"
"Hadley needs to go to Paris for a business meeting, and I'm to go with her."
"Why?"
"Because I signed a fucking contract that says I have to go anywhere, whenever she wants me to. Remember the one word I can't utter?"
"Okay, okay, calm down.” She narrowed her gaze, knowing that if she were standing in front of him right now, her hands would be wrapped around his neck. "How long are you going to be in Paris?"
"I'm not sure. A week?"
"I'm sure you will have fun in Paris." A look of worry briefly crossed his face, but then it was gone. "I love you so much, Raya. I can't wait to hold you in my arms again."
Raya paused. "I love you too, Brandon."
She hit the red button on her phone to disconnect the call. She was faced with a heavy feeling settling in her chest.
Did she still love Brandon?
Chapter Six
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Hadley murmured. Raya turned from where she stood on the balcony of their suite. The luxury hotel faced the Eiffel Tower, giving her a front-row seat of the beautiful light display.
Darkness had fallen on the beautiful city. They had arrived that morning, and had spent the day sightseeing, shopping, and dining at the finest restaurants.
Raya turned to Hadley, who held two glasses of wine in her hand. "I think standing here gazing onto the tower is my favorite part of the day."
