Chapter 6

[Ivy]

“Can we…do it tonight?” he asks, almost innocently, trailing soft and delicate kisses down my shoulders.

My body tenses at the thought of having sex with him, my brain instantly scrambling for an excuse.

“Maybe not tonight,” I say, my jaw clenched tight, fist even tighter. “I’m exhausted.”

“You sure?” he whispers, probably pouting like a kid who isn’t going to get the candy he so badly wanted. “You know I don’t mind doing all the work.”

It’s supposed to be teasing, but now I realize it’s not. It’s his way to remind me how much effort he has been putting into me, how much of a dedicated and devoted husband he has been. All to make me feel like a burden, but a burden he’s willing to bear, because he loves me.

Oh, how wrong I was.

“I know, Hunter,” I say, trying very hard to keep this feeling of disgust at bay. “But I really am tired today. The shopping was…draining.”

“Of course. My apologies.” He immediately backs away, the bed dipping as he shifts, creating a void that’s both a relief and an ache. “You should get your rest then. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He leaves, and the moment I hear the bedroom door click shut, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I slide under the covers, my body trembling with a mixture of rage and sorrow.

But even in my anger and hurt, I can't help but wonder who she was.

Who was the woman in our home, in our study, with my husband?

Who was she? 

The questions echo in my mind, a relentless pounding that refuses to stop.

I know I won’t be getting any sleep tonight.

And I don't.

Instead, I lie awake, the darkness pressing in, my world of scents and sounds now a prison of suspicion.

The next morning, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and toast does little to soothe my nerves. I sit at the dining table, my hands clenched in my lap, my breakfast untouched.

“You barely ate anything last night, Ivy,” Hunter says, his voice laced with a concern that now feels like acid on my skin. “And now this? Are you sure you’re feeling all right? Do you want me to call Dr. Kline again?”

The mention of Dr. Kline gets my heart rate up. I absolutely cannot let him get in contact with her. If he did, he might learn that I’m not a barren woman anymore—that now that I’m healed, there’s a chance for me to get pregnant—and with the way Hunter has been in the last few months, talking endlessly about kids and maybe considering adopting one, I cannot take the risk of being exposed right now.

Knowing him, he might use that to convince me to bear a child for him, binding me even more to him and this sham of a marriage.

“I’m fine, Hunter,” I say, forcing a smile. “Just… a little overwhelmed with everything, I guess."

He reaches for my hand, and I have to physically stop myself from flinching.

“Is this about your grandmother’s anniversary, my love?” he asks, his thumb stroking the back of my hand in a way that used to make me feel safe, but now only makes me want to scream.

“Maybe,” I say, pulling my hand away. “I think I just need some fresh air. I think I’ll call Finn and ask him to take me to the community garden.”

“Oh. All right,” he says, a little too quickly. “But I was hoping we could spend the day together. I cleared my schedule for you.”

“I know, and I appreciate it,” I say, my smile tightening. “But maybe next—”

I barely finish when his phone rings.

"I should take this," he says, already standing. "It's the office."

Before I can respond, he has already answered.

"Yeah. What's going on?" he asks casually, like a boss would to his employee.

A woman's voice speaks from the other end, but it's faint, and I can't make out what she's saying.

"What?" he says, and I can hear the surprise in his voice. "How could you…? I told you to take care of that like ten days ago."

He pauses, listening.

"Okay. Okay. Don't worry. Stop crying. I'm on my way. I'll handle it."

He ends the call, and I can feel the urgency radiating off him.

"Who was that?" I ask before he can even think of an excuse. "Is everything okay?"

He hesitates, and I can almost hear the wheels turning in his head.

"Oh, it's nothing," he says, trying to sound normal. "Just a minor issue with a client. Nothing I can't handle."

But I know better. I've heard that tone before, the one he uses when he's trying to hide something from me.

"Are you sure?" I push.

"Yes, I'm sure," he says, his voice a little too firm. "A new intern messed up some paperwork, and I have to go and sort it out."

Another lie.

"All right," I say, trying to sound disappointed. "I guess I'll see you later then."

"Yeah. I'll try to be back as soon as I can," he says, leaning in to give me a kiss on the lips.

I turn my head at the last second, and his lips land on the corner of my cheek..

"Okay," I say, and he leaves, not noticing the slight shift in my posture.

I sit there for a long moment, listening to the silence, the scent of his expensive cologne lingering in the air like a ghost.

My phone buzzes, and I pick it up, my fingers already knowing the pattern to unlock it.

"Hello?"

“Ivy,” Finn's voice comes through the speaker, and I can hear the concern in it. “I just watched Hunter leave. According to the app you had me d******d yesterday, the address he put in isn’t the office. Do you want me to follow him?”

I think for a while.

"Yes," I say, already making my way to the door. "But I'm coming along."