Page 107 of L.O.V.E

My cell chimed in my hand. I jumped. Screamed. Dropped the phone. The cursed thing taunted me from the floor.

Newtoy?

Not for long

The room spun. She was dead. Someone was playing a cruel joke.Oh,God.They never found her body. Had she even been in the car?

Victoria was dead.

She had to be dead.

Curled in a ball, phone to my ear, I waited, every ring a reminder of the distance, every second ticking another chink in my armor.

Four painfully long rings before he answered.

“Gorgeous. You’re early.” Heavy breaths blew through the speaker, traffic noise in the background.

“I couldn’t wait,” I said, my voice not my own and inaudible through the heavy rap in my chest.

“I know the feeling.” He laughed. “Been a crazy day, and I can’t stop thinking about seeing you next weekend.”

“Cole?” My voice quivered, and I forced a deep and slow inhale, exhale.

“Natalie. What’s wrong?”

“I…um.” I considered spilling my guts. But at what cost? Those texts couldn’t have come from Victoria. She was dead, right? God, what if I was wrong? I refused to drag Cole through that hell. Not without knowing for sure. He’d suffered her cruelty too much already.

No denying, though, I was shaken. My heart and head were a bloody mess of warring emotions. Cole would come to the rescue, I had no doubt. My white knight. My dimpled hero. A simple, “I need you,” and he’d come running.

But girl power and all that jazz. “Nothing. I’m fine. Just feels good to hear your voice.”

“You sound upset.”

“You sound busy.” I shouldn’t have called.

“On my way to a meeting.”

“I won’t keep you. Call me tonight. Our scheduled time.”

A door slammed, and the street noise disappeared. “Talk to me.”

“Really, I’m a thousand times better now that I’ve heard your voice.”

A huff. “This won’t work if we aren’t honest with each other.”

“I possibly landed a stellar account today,” I blurted, hoping to divert the conversation. “We’re meeting with the clients tomorrow. If they like my proposal, it would be a game changer for our division.”

“That’s great, sunshine. I’m proud of you. But you didn’t answer my question.”

“Really, I’m fine. I don’t want to make you late for—”

“Goddamn, Natalie!” A hard slam. “Don’t do that.” Weighted silence. A deep inhale, loud exhale. “Fuck. I’m sorry I yelled. But I’m going out of my fucking mind here, okay? It’s hard enough trusting someone again. I need transparency. All the time. I can’t do this if… I can’t live like…” The phone crackled like he was changing hands. “You’re far away, and I need to know you’re okay.”

He wasn’t asking too much. Honestly, I loved that he worried. Worry meant he cared, right? Or maybe it wasn’t worry for my wellbeing but for his own piece of mind. We were hundreds of miles apart, and I could betray him in countless ways if I were so inclined.

Victoria’s infidelity had done a number, the wound still raw. Cole wanted to trust in us, in me, but he couldn’t and, yes, that truth hurt, but I understood the root of his misgivings.

“Okay. You’re right. Something happened today. But I’m safe, in one piece, and I’ll tell you, but not while you’re at work. Full disclosure tonight. I promise.”

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