Chapter 5: Complications

Camille's POV

"Pass the salt, please." Vincent requested casually, as if we weren't all sitting at dinner pretending the last twenty-four hours hadn't happened.

I handed him the shaker, avoiding eye contact with both Kieran and Nikolai across the table.

"How was everyone's day?" Vincent asked, as he picked his meat.

"Fine," I muttered, pushing my food around my plate.

"Productive," Kieran said, his eyes finding mine. The heat in his gaze made my stomach flip with the memories.

Nikolai stayed silent. He'd barely looked at me since the argument where I didn't give him an answer. After he asked me to choose, I just brushed past him and went to Vincent's room.

Vincent smiled like he knew exactly what was happening. "I'm glad everyone's settling in. This arrangement is working better than I hoped."

My fork clattered against the plate. "Is it? Because from where I'm sitting, it feels like a disaster."

"You guys will adjust." Vincent's hand found mine on the table, squeezing gently.

Before I could respond, Nikolai's hand landed on my thigh under the table possessively. His fingers pressed into my skin through the fabric of my dress, a clear statement of intent.

I froze, my fork halfway to my mouth. Kieran noticed something was wrong immediately, he the. tracked Nikolai's arm beneath the table and scoffed.

"Is something wrong?" Vincent asked.

"Nothing," I managed to say, but my voice came out strained as Nikolai's hand slid higher.

This was insane. We were at dinner with my husband, and Nikolai was touching me like he had every right.

I grabbed his wrist under the table, trying to push his hand away, but he only gripped me tighter. His eyes finally met mine, challenging me to make a scene.

"Actually," Kieran said, breaking the silence, "I think there is something wrong."

Nikolai's hand stilled but didn't retreat. The tension at the table ratcheted up to unbearable levels.

Vincent looked between the three of us, his expression looking concerned. "What's going on?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Nikolai said smoothly, his hand finally withdrawing from my thigh. "Just a difference of opinion."

"About?" Vincent pressed.

"About boundaries." Kieran stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "And respect."

Before the situation could escalate further, the doorbell rang. We all turned toward the sound, and I was so grateful for the interruption.

"I'll get it," I said quickly, desperate to escape the table.

I practically ran to the front door, pulling it open without checking the peephole.

A woman stood on the porch, beautiful in a way that made me suddenly conscious of my simple dress and unmade face.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Is Kieran here?" Her voice was cool and it sounded cultured. "Kieran Elijah?"

I stared at her for a few seconds, then asked her a question instead of answering hers. "Who are you?"

"Adriana Matthias." She extended her hand for a handshake. "His fiancée."

"His what?" I found myself yelling.

"Ex-fiancée," Kieran's voice came from behind me. I turned to see him standing in the hallway, his face pale. "Adriana, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." She pushed past me into the house like she owned it. "You haven't returned any of my calls or messages. So track you down through your assistant."

"We broke up six months ago." Kieran said looking frustrated already. "So there's nothing to discuss."

"Isn't there?" Adriana's eyes found mine. "Or did you forget to mention me to your new…?"

"She's nothing," Kieran interrupted. "And this isn't the time for this conversation."

"When is the time?" Adriana moved closer to him, her hand reaching for his arm. "When you finish playing house with the married woman? When you get bored and come crawling back like you always do?"

"That's enough." Kieran pulled away from her touch. "Leave. Now."

"Why?" She asked, smiling. "Are you afraid she'll figure out you only want her because she belongs to someone else? Or you only do married women, that was the reason we broke up?"

My heart stopped. "What?"

"Don't listen to her," Kieran said quickly, but the guilt on his face told a different story.

"It's true, isn't it?" I looked between them. "This is a pattern for you."

"It's not like that." He reached for me, but I stepped back. "Camille, please…"

"Does Vincent know?" The question came out barely above a whisper. "About your preference?"

But before he could answer, Vincent wheeled into the hallway, taking in the scene. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Adriana.

"Ms. Matthias," he said carefully. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"You know her?" I stared at my husband.

"We've met." Vincent's expression remained neutral. "At a charity event last year. Kieran introduced us."

"Do you know?" I said to Vincent. "Why am I asking, you knew what kind of man he was and you invited him to…" I couldn't finish the sentence.

"It's not what you think," Vincent started, but I cut him off.

"Then what is it? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you set me up with someone who makes a habit of seducing married women."

"That's not fair," Kieran protested. "What we have is different."

"Is it?" I looked at him, seeing him clearly for the first time. "Or am I just another challenge? Another married woman you can add to your collection?"

"Camille…"

"Get out." My voice shook with rage and humiliation. "Both of you. I don't want to see either of you right now."

Adriana smiled, satisfied. She'd gotten exactly what she came for.m.

"This isn't over," she said to Kieran, then turned that cold smile on me. "He'll get bored of you soon enough. He always does."

She moved and opened the door, went outside and slammed it shut. Kieran stood there, looking like he wanted to say something, but I couldn't hear it.

Nikolai appeared in the doorway, having watched the entire scene. He looked at Kieran with barely concealed satisfaction.

"I guess this makes the choice easier for you Camille," he said.

"Shut up," Kieran snapped, but there was no heat behind it, because he already looked defeated.

I turned to Vincent, needing answers. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it doesn't matter." He wheeled closer, his expression pleading. "His past doesn't change what he feels for you now."

"How would you know what he feels?" My voice was already shuttering. "How would you know anything when you're so busy orchestrating this whole thing like some kind of sick experiment?"

Vincent flinched at that. "That's not what this is."

"Then what is it?" I demanded. "Because I don't understand any of this anymore."

He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, his hands gripped the armrests of his wheelchair.

I watched in shock as he slowly, painfully, pushed himself up to standing. His legs trembled with the effort, but he stayed upright, leaning on the chair for support.

"Vincent," I breathed. "You're standing."

"I've been practicing." His voice was strained from the effort. "The doctors said if I worked hard enough, I might regain some function."

Then why has he been doing all this if there's chances of him getting better. "How long?" I managed and asked.

"Three weeks." He met my eyes. "I didn't want to tell you until I was sure."

He'd been able to stand for three weeks and hadn't told me. While I was sleeping with his friends. While I was tearing myself apart over an arrangement he'd insisted on.

"Why?" The question came out broken. "Why would you keep that from me?"

"Because I needed to know." His legs gave out and he sat back down hard. "I needed to know if you'd still want me when you had other options. If what we have is real or if you've just been staying out of pity."

"You are testing me?" I asked, clearly shocked and somehow feeling dirty. "This whole thing was a test?"

"No." But his face said otherwise. "I just needed to know if you still loved me."

"By pushing me into the arms of other men?" I asked, laughing bitterly.

I turned and walked toward the stairs, needing to get away from all of them. But Vincent's voice stopped me.

"Do you?" he asked quietly. "Still love me?"