005

~YVONNE’S POV~

I went back to work, pretending nothing had happened. What else was I supposed to do? Arthur told me we were fine. He said he forgave me for overreacting, that things would be okay as long as I stopped making such a big deal out of it.

So I did. I got dressed. Fixed my hair. I tried to hide the circles under my eyes with concealer, but honestly, it didn't fool anyone. Then I headed in.

The office felt off. Or maybe it was just me. I sat at my desk right outside Arthur's door, pretending to read emails. The words kept sliding around - ten minutes staring at the same one, not a clue what it said.

Across the room, Holly strolled by. She didn't look at me. Didn't even fake it. But I caught the corner of her mouth curling up over her coffee, that smug little smile she tried to hide.

My stomach clenched. Did she know I'd figured it out? Had Arthur told her I caught them? Maybe they laughed about it - maybe I'd never really know.

I forced myself to stare at my computer again. I told myself it was fine. Everything's fine. Keep repeating it like somehow saying it would make it true.

Lunch break rolled around. I didn't eat. Couldn't. My throat was so tight, even water felt like too much.

So I went to the church. Not some big thing - just fifteen minutes away, wedged between a laundromat and a corner store. It was plain, but for a long time it felt like home. Used to, anyway.

Sister Margaret was there in the kitchen, lining up snacks for the kids. She looked up when I came in. "Yvonne! Wasn't expecting you today."

"Had a bit of free time," I said, knowing full well it was a lie.

She gave me this look - worried, but trying not to make it awkward. "You alright, dear?"

"I'm fine." I don't even have to think about it anymore. The answer just comes out.

She didn't really buy it, but she let it drop, just handed me a tray of juice boxes. "The children will be happy to see you."

I spent the hour with the kids - reading, playing games, talking about cartoons and pencil cases and whatever else popped into their heads. For a bit, I forgot everything. Arthur, Holly, the way he looked at her, even that ache in my chest. It all faded for a while.

But then I had to leave. And all of it came rushing back.

I was halfway back to the office when I spotted him.

Liam.

He was just leaning against a black car on the corner, arms folded, sunglasses on even though the sun wasn't anywhere to be seen.

He looked like he'd be more at home in a magazine ad. Or up on a billboard. Definitely not here. Not in this part of town. I tried slipping past him, eyes down.

"Yvonne." I stopped dead. How did he - ? I glanced over my shoulder.

"How do you know my name?" He pushed off the car and strolled closer. Nice and slow. Like there was no rush at all.

"I know plenty of things," he said. His tone was easy, almost lazy, but there was an edge hiding underneath. I took a small step back.

"What do you want?" He stopped a few feet from me, tilting his head a little, and just looked at me - like he was piecing something together.

"I want to help you." I stared.

"Help me?"

"Yeah." He slipped his sunglasses off and tucked them away. His green eyes didn't move from mine. "I saw what went down yesterday. At Arthur place." My face went hot.

"I'm not talking about that."

"I'm not telling you to talk." He took another step in. "I'm offering you a fix." My eyes narrowed.

"A fix for what?"

"For keeping him." That hit. Hard. I just blinked at him.

"What?" Liam's face didn't budge.

"You want Arthur to stop cheating, right? To look at you the way he looks at her." I winced. He didn't let up. "It's not that he doesn't love you, Yvonne. It's that you don't know how to keep him interested."

My hands balled up. "You don't know anything about me."

"I know enough." His eyes dropped down, then slowly back up. Measuring. "You're trying. You do everything he asks, but it's not working." Tears stung at the corners of my eyes.

I blinked hard.

"Why do you even care?" For just a second, something flashed across his face. Maybe pity? No, not pity. Colder. Something else. "Let's just say I have my reasons," he said. "But here's my offer. I will teach you."

"Teach me what?"

"How to seduce him. How to make him obsessed. How to make sure he never even thinks about another woman."

A laugh escaped - flat, shaky. "You're out of your mind."

"Maybe." His shrug was unbothered. "But I'm still right. You know I am." I shook my head and started away.

"Fourteen days," he called. I halted. "Give me fourteen days," Liam said. "Let me show you. If nothing changes, you can forget I exist." I shot him a look over my shoulder.

He just waited, those green eyes impossible to read. I kept my voice low. "Why are you even doing this?" His mouth twisted into the kind of smile that sets off alarms.

"Because watching my brother lose is honestly the best part of my week."

I should've just said no. Should've grabbed my bag and left without looking back. But instead, what came out was -

"Okay."