MasukOrana’s point of viewWhat was Callahan saying? Vaughn was on the Feds’ watch list.“Yes. Orana. Is that the kind of man you want to be with?” He asked me, and I swallowed hard.“Unless it’s about business or the project, please don’t come anywhere near me,” I warned, and then I walked away from him. Something I never thought I was even capable of since I met him.I had never asked questions about Vaughn. I never needed to.He was everything that I needed. Never made me feel small or unworthy. He was easy to be around. He never pushed me until recently. Never made me feel like I owed him anything, even though I owed him my life and my daughter’s; he never acted like that.“Ask him where he was last night,” Callahan said behind me, but I kept on walking. “Or check his knuckles.”The word knuckles made my heart race because Vaughn had come the other day with bruised knuckles, and he said it was from the gym.“Madelyn,” I said when I reached the table. My little bunny smiled at me, looki
Callahan’s point of view“How could you take me to that restaurant? You know she would be there!” She is fuming, and I honestly don’t have the strength.Her voice filled the car, then the restaurant, then my head, which at this point was throbbing.I kept my eyes on the table. My hands stayed still. I let her talk. It was easier than telling her the truth.I had no plans to marry her.Not anymore. Not when Orana was back in town.I did not even hear half of what she said. My mind was somewhere else. I had a wife and a daughter. Whatever this was between me and her was done.I had a daughter. A whole fucking daughter, and I didn’t get the chance to meet her because Marissa would have caused a scene.“I told you. I had no idea she was there. I just wanted—”“Don’t lie to me, Cal. I’m tired of the lies,” she almost cried, and I leaned back in my chair as she went on complaining about what was happening.My phone rang while it was on the table, and I grabbed it fast, glad for the break.“
Orana’s point of viewVaughn told me to wait for him at the restaurant.He said we would look at an apartment, where he was trying to force me to move in. I did not want to go. I told myself I would cancel. I even picked up my phone to do it, but I didn’t.There was something about him. The way he spoke. The way he looked at me was like he already knew I would say yes.So, I came even though that woman told me to stay away.I sat at the table, fingers resting on my lap, trying to keep still. I wore a simple satin slip dress and flat sandals. Nothing special. I did not have the energy for more.He was late.That was not new since we came to New York.I checked the time again, then set my phone down. My jaw tightened as I leaned back in my chair.I should leave, but I couldn’t. Vaughn always showed up. Was something wrong?I picked up my phone again, staring at Liorah’s picture.I had called her Madelyn earlier, and there was no answer.It did not sit right, something felt off, and I wa
Callahan’s point of view“Is she back in town?” Fabien asked, walking in my voice like he owned half of the space.I looked up from my desk and saw his eyes. “Yeah.”He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, his eyebrow raised. “And?”I knew what he meant. He always got straight to it without beating around the bush.I shut the file in front of me and leaned back in my chair. “Nothing.”His brow pulled tight. “Nothing? Your wife, whom you divorced, is back in town with your biggest rival, and all you say is nothing?”He pushed off the doorframe and strode into the room. “You spent five years looking for her, and now that she is here, you don’t plan on doing anything? Even when she is with Carson?”“She’s still my wife,” I said. My voice is even. “I’ll make her come back home, and everything else won’t matter.”He let out a short breath, as I had just said something stupid. “You make it sound like a deal you can close. You hurt her, Cal. She won’t just come back running into your
Orana’s point of viewCarla. That was the name of Vaughn’s ex, right?She pulled out the chair across from me and sat down without asking, then crossed her very long legs while I sat down.She looked as if she had just come out of the runway. Her hair sat in a tight bun, not a strand out of place. Her shoulders were straight, like she had trained her whole life to hold them that way.I hated how fast I compared myself. She was everything I wasn’t. She had a slender body, long legs, and the perfect face with fucking freckles. Something that I have wished I had ever since I was young.But also, my body wasn’t that small anymore since I gave birth. I had curves, and my breasts were fuller now, my thighs thick, which never bothered me since I gave birth, but looking at her now?My fingers curled around the straps of my bag as I took her in. The neat lines. The calm face. The kind of beauty that did not need effort. If she was his ex, then this was his type. Women like her. Women who never
Orana’s point of viewI didn’t want to go downstairs. I dreaded it, but then I had to meet him.I changed into something less formal and made my way to the restaurant. I told myself it was something.When I got to the restaurant, my heart started racing, thinking of what had happened last night. As always, my eyes darted around the room looking for one person.There he stood speaking to the manager, looking all relaxed, but there was a slight frown between his eyebrows. Whatever it was, the manager said he didn’t like it.My heart raced as I thought of how he pinned me to a wall last night. The way his mouth had felt against mine. No, not a kiss, a bite and fuck. I loved it.He shifted his weight to another leg and said something to the manager, and he looked like he was about to pass out.For a moment, I just stood there watching him. He looked so calm and unaffected by anything. Like last night did not affect him.“Orana.”His voice cut through my thoughts, bringing me back to reali
Orana’s Point of ViewHe promised that he would be here.Vaughn was never late.My gaze flicked to the door and then to the clock, and then back to the chair again.Minutes passed, then an hour.I inhaled slowly, reaching for my phone under the table. My thumb hovered for half a second, hesitating
Marissa’s Point of ViewShe had a daughter. Callahan’s daughter.I couldn’t decide which part hurt, knowing there was a child or the way his eyes followed her as if nothing else in the room mattered.For years, I had been patient. Pretended to be happy with whatever scraps of affection he threw my
Orana’s point of viewI just lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting the events of last night flicker behind my eyes in broken pieces.My chest tightened, and I pushed the feeling down, forcing myself out of bed before it could settle in. I quickly changed into something formal. I realized I mus
Orana’s point of viewAfter Vaughn dropped me off at the hotel, the silence of the room felt louder than usual.I quickly took off my clothes and rushed to the shower. I stood under the water, letting the hot water run longer than I needed, standing under it until my skin warmed and my thoughts dul







