Novels by Arthur St. Lean

142 Nicodemo Harrington “Where are you, Nicodemo? Brianna has been in a car accident!” “I'm at home,” I murmured, my voice flat. “Do you hear me, Nicodemo?” I set the phone face down on the side table. “Nicodemo?” Lydia called my name at least five more times more before the line went dead. “Where were we?” I asked. “Nico, I'm scared,” Brenda whispered. “Scared of what?” I furrowed my brow. “What if she dies?” “She's not going to die. Don't worry. It's just a minor injury, Lydia's overreacting.” Brenda pulled away slightly, her eyes wide with fear. “How do you know that?” “How do I know what?” I scoffed. “You're ruining the mood. Come on.” She looked down, nervously wringing her fingers. “I can't do this. I'm terrified that everything that happened before is going to repeat itself.” “What? Like the pregnancy, with Brianna going into a coma again, or worse, dying this time? And you, having a second baby for me? Is that what you're afraid of?” I raised my eyebrows at her.

141Nicodemo Harrington“Where are you going?” I asked.She froze in her tracks. I knew this day would come.“Nowhere. Just going out with a friend.”“A friend?”Hmm. Since when did she start keeping friends I didn't know about?“Mm-hmm.”“Which one?” I asked. “Do I know them?”She laughed, a dry, mocking sound. “Oh, no. You don't know them. Why are you even asking me? Don't start questioning me, Nico.”Total bitch. The nerve to act self-righteous right to my face, as if she wasn't worse than I ever was. I had tried my best for her. I had tried to make this marriage work, tried to redeem myself, yet she went right ahead and ruined everything.Good luck to her for backing me into a corner like this. “When you get back, do you mind going somewhere with me?”She stopped halfway down the stairs and looked back at me with a furrowed brow. “Where?”“To buy a car. For you,” I said, pointing down toward the driveway.“For me? Wow. Why?”I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Because I love you?

140Nicodemo HarringtonHearing what sounded like her voice, I quickened my pace. “Brianna?” I turned the corner, only to hit another empty hallway.Were my eyes playing tricks on me? There was no way. I had seen her go this way. I'd seen her cross right into this wing. How the hell had she vanished just like that? How was that even possible?“Brianna Pounds?” I hurried forward to take another turn, and before I reached the corner, I heard a door slam shut followed by a dull thud behind it.Could that be her? I rushed over and pressed my ear against the wood.“Shh,” a voice whispered inside.It sounded so much like Brianna. But why was she hiding from me? And if it was her, hiding for God knows what reason, who was she shushing? Who was she in there with?Brianna didn't know anyone here. Even though this was completely outside our office wing, I was positive she didn't know a soul.Shifting away from the door, I took a few steps further down the hall, making sure I didn't miss her if

139Brianna Pounds“Baby, do you like this one?”My eyes trailed away from the sight of Zeus standing across the showroom floor with another woman, my nose wrinkling as I shot a bewildered look at Nicodemo.Baby? “What?”“Do you like the car?”I glanced at the sleek, silver Porsche before bringing my eyes back to his face. “Yeah, sure.”His gaze flicked swiftly over my shoulder before settling back on me with quiet intensity.Clearing my throat, I readjusted my posture, turning my attention toward the car dealer standing in front of us. He flashed me a polite, professional smile, and I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes.What on earth was Zeus doing here, and who was the woman beside him? I was dying to glance over my shoulder again, but Nicodemo's eyes remained locked onto me, watching my every move.“What?” I asked.He furrowed his brows. “What is what?”“You're staring at me,” I said, gulping as I looked away. “A bit too much.”“Well, can't a man admire his wife?”It took everyt

138Nicodemo HarringtonShe fucking smelled like another man. My nose wasn't playing tricks on me. For weeks now, my mind had been going completely haywire. Brianna must really think I'm a fool.“Ready?”“Almost. Give me a minute.”“Sure, love. Take all the time you need.” I offered a tight smile, my phone ringing right on cue. I held up a finger. “Excuse me, love.”She gave me one of those fake, tight-lipped smiles I knew all too well. She really thought she was so smart.Glancing down at the screen, I swiped the green icon and brought the phone to my ear.The contact on the other end knew better than to waste my time. “I looked into it. He'll be there.”“Good.” My heart settled into a calm state before the impending storm. I hung up, tapping the screen to open the files he had just sent over.Watching the paper trail of this man she'd been obsessed with lately, a wave of pure disgust twisted in my chest.Did she honestly think our marriage meant nothing anymore? How dare she? It had

137Brianna Pounds“Zeus?” I whispered, my back beginning to ache under the sheer weight of his body.He didn't answer right away. He took a few harsh, steadying breaths before he suddenly jolted off me.Uprooting my torso from the cold wood of the table, I spun around to find him buckling his belt and zipping up his pants.“What are you doing?”“What does it look like I'm doing?” he deadpanned, keeping his focus entirely on fixing his pants and smoothing out his shirt.A heavy wave of shame washed over me as I reached down, readjusting my underwear to cover myself, my hands coated in a sticky mix of our fluids.“Zeus...”I barely finished his name before he shot a razor-sharp glare at me.My heart exploded into a wild, frantic rhythm.“I've given you what you wanted, so stay out of my life,” he said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. “I don't ever want to see you again. Whether by accident or by you stalking me, I don't care. Just make sure our paths never cross again.”My mouth