Page 8 of Faithless

My throat is so tight I can’t speak without showing her how close I am to tears.

She walks out and shuts the door softly, and those gentle, angel steps sound on the wood floor and slowly fade away.

CHAPTER 4

Whitney

* * *

“Did you have any more questions?” Stephen asks.

Wow, he’s a good-looking man with inky-dark eyes and square jaw. How am I just now realizing it after we’ve spent the last hour together? I suppose I’ve been in my head until now.

I lift my hand and tuck a strand of hair behind my ears. “No, that pretty much covers it.” I manage a polite smile, even though my lips are trembling.

His eyes soften. “Can I get you anything before you leave? Something to drink?”

I huff out an almost hysterical giggle. “Do you have any vodka?”

His smile warms his entire face. My lord, this man is attractive. “Unfortunately, no.” He leans forward. “You’re doing great, Whitney. It’s normal to be anxious. This is a big life change. One of the biggest there is.”

I manage a jerky nod. Why does my name on his lips make my stomach flutter?

Now is not the time to think about dating. This man may be close to my age, but he has Mark’s level of attractiveness, and the world always favors older men. He’s probably drawing from the same dating pool where Mark finds all of his mistresses. They’re probably all influencers and servers in their mid-twenties.

Oh God, what is this physical ache in my chest? Where is it coming from? I became numb to Mark’s affairs long ago. Why is the divorce resurrecting this long-ago buried pain?

Maybe it’s because I know that one of those mid-twenty-somethings will own him soon. She’ll get his worshipful looks and affectionate kisses. She’ll probably even be called his darling girl, like I used to be.

No. I can’t think about it.

I manage a tight smile while I grab the stack of papers in front of me. “Thank you. That’s comforting to hear from someone who deals with this every day.”

I’m so in my head on my way back home that the ten-minute drive passes in an instant. As soon as I open the door to our house, I find Mark standing right in front of me. I gasp and step back. “Are you on your way out?”

He shakes his head. “I heard the garage. I need to talk to you about something.”

I avert my gaze. “I’m not telling you anything about my meeting today.”

Even without seeing his face, I know his jaw is clenching and his eyes are boring into me. “I wasn’t going to ask.”

I roll my eyes. “Maybe not directly.”

“Not at all.” He can’t keep the bite out of his voice. He takes a deep breath, and I can feel him trying as hard as he can to regain control. “I need you to come with me to an event tomorrow night.”

I whip my head in his direction. My eyes roam his face as I try to gauge his expression, and what I see makes nervousness flutter in my stomach.

Oh God.

He’s determined.

He’s going to do everything in his power to keep me.

I swallow. “What event? We don’t have anything on the calendar.”

“I had Lily RSVP for a few we weren’t planning on making.” He takes a step in my direction. “You said you’d be willing to go to these until we announce our separation.”

When I clench my jaw and lift a brow, he smiles.

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