Novels by Reina Del

POV: RomanI wake up, reaching across the mattress to pull Audrey into my arms like I usually do, but my hand hits flat sheets that feel completely empty, so I sit up quickly and look over at her side of the bed."Audrey?" I call out into the room, but no one answers, and when I stand up and walk over to the walk-in closet, I notice half of her clothes and shoes are completely gone.My heart drops into my stomach as I rush down the stairs to my study, and right there in the middle of my desk sits our wedding ring, resting next to the unsigned divorce papers."Damn it, Audrey, where did you go?" I mutter to myself, grabbing my phone off the bedside table to call her cell, but it goes straight to voicemail after a single ring.I dial her number again and listen to the monotonous ringing tone, my frustration boiling over into pure panic because she cannot just walk out of here in the middle of the night."Pick up the phone, Audrey," I say through clenched teeth, hitting redial before to

POV: AudreyI stare down at the white envelope sitting on the coffee table, my hands trembling as I pick it up and pull out the pages of the divorce petition, and even though my mind tells me to tear them apart right now, I just stand there holding them because the weight of the words feels like a physical blow to my chest."Are you planning to sign those right away, Audrey, or are you waiting for my attorney to come over and explain the terms to you?" Roman asks, walking into the living room with his jacket over his arm and his expression completely blank."You actually filed for divorce while I was sitting in a holding cell accused of a crime I did not commit?" I ask, turning around to face him with tears stinging my eyes, waiting for him to show some kind of remorse."The board of directors forced my hand because of the active criminal investigation, so signing those papers is the only way to protect the franchise from total collapse right now," Roman replies, his tone entirely pro

POV: AudreyThe kitchen lights stay on for hours while Roman and two men from the Vipers security team question me at the kitchen table, and I sit there with my hands folded in my lap, answering every question they throw at me because I have nothing to hide."Mrs Hayes, the security log shows your specific login credentials were used to export the playbook at eight-fifteen tonight, so we need to know who else knew your password," the head of security says, leaning forward and staring at me like I am already guilty."Nobody else knew my password, because I keep it in my head, but my computer stays docked in the performance lab during the day, and anyone on the coaching staff could walk into that room," I reply, keeping my voice steady while I look right at Roman to see if he is even listening to me."Were you in the building at eight-fifteen tonight, Audrey?" Roman asks, his voice sounding completely cold as he sits at the end of the table with his arms crossed over his chest."I told

POV: AudreyThe kitchen lights stay on for hours while Roman and two men from the Vipers security team question me at the kitchen table, and I sit there with my hands folded in my lap, answering every question they throw at me because I have nothing to hide."Mrs Hayes, the security log shows your specific login credentials were used to export the playbook at eight-fifteen tonight, so we need to know who else knew your password," the head of security says, leaning forward and staring at me like I am already guilty."Nobody else knew my password, because I keep it in my head, but my computer stays docked in the performance lab during the day, and anyone on the coaching staff could walk into that room," I reply, keeping my voice steady while I look right at Roman to see if he is even listening to me."Were you in the building at eight-fifteen tonight, Audrey?" Roman asks, his voice sounding completely cold as he sits at the end of the table with his arms crossed over his chest."I told

POV: AudreyI stare at the gold ring on my finger and adjust the strap of my dress, watching the clock hands creep past eight o'clock, while the candles on the table burn down and the chair opposite mine remains completely empty, because two years ago I never thought I would stand in this apartment waiting for Roman Hayes, let alone care whether he showed up for dinner, and back then he was just the owner of the Boston Vipers who forced my hand with a business contract by buying out my father's agency and demanding my hand in exchange, so I hated him for it and expected our marriage to last twelve months before we parted ways, but one year quietly stretched into two, and the walls I built around myself started crumbling because Roman changed the rules without telling me, starting to come home early, waiting for me outside my lab, remembering how I take my coffee without me saying a word, staying beside the bed when I caught the flu last winter, and glaring at anyone who insulted me at