Mag-log inDerek's mouth crashed against hers before she could react. He was kissing her roughly, roughly trying to pull her clothes off her her.
Audrey immediately fought back, shoving against his chest, but he was stronger. Her injured wrist sent a sharp bolt of pain through her arm every time she struggled.
She was filled with disgust. She had always longed for moments like this when Derek wanted her. For years, she had wanted him to look at her the way a husband should look at his wife. She had begged for his attention, begged for scraps of affection, begged for him to choose her.
He never did.
And now, after shattering her heart beyond repair, after humiliating her with Regina, he suddenly thought he could touch her whenever he wanted. He now had the audacity to try and force himself on her.
The irony was enough to make her sick.
Rage mixed with disgust consumed her and she dodged the next kiss, turning her head away from him. "What the hell, Derek? Get the fuck off me!" She screamed at him, struggling to break free from his tight hold.
"Stay still," Derek growled impatiently as his lips captured hers again, his rough hands already forcefully removing her clothes.
Audrey couldn't believe that this was the same man she had once yearned for. Once upon a time, she would have given anything for his attention. Now the thought of him touching her made her want to throw up.
Summoning every ounce of strength she had, she shoved him again and this time she managed to get him off her. She immediately put distance between them.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she yelled at him, giving him a dirty glare.
Derek stared at her as though she had lost her mind. "What do you mean?" He looked genuinely confused and he sounded annoyed. "Why are you acting like this?"
Then he took a step toward her. "I'm finally giving you what you've always begged for. Sex. Plus, it's our wedding anniversary. Isn't it normal for a husband to make love to his wife?"
A broken, bitter laugh escaped her. "Oh, so you remember it's our anniversary? I thought I was the only one left in this marriage."
Derek frowned, his expression twisted with irritation. "What are you talking about? What is wrong with you today?"
A thousand responses fought to escape her mouth. She wanted to scream. Wanted to ask him how long he had been sleeping with Regina. Wanted to ask if he had ever loved her at all.
But suddenly she felt exhausted. There was no point. There was no point arguing with a worthless bastard like Derek.
So instead Audrey inhaled slowly and forced herself to remain calm. "I'll be sleeping in the guest room." Then she turned away. "Good night, Derek."
She barely made it two steps before he grabbed her arm. And the next thing she knew, he was trying to force another kiss on her.
This time something inside her snapped. She shoved him away and without hesitation, her right palm collided with his cheek, landing a heavy slap across his face.
The sound of the slap echoed through the room, leaving both of them frozen. For a second, Audrey stared at her own hand in shock.
She had just slapped Derek Lockwood. Then she looked at his face, and a wave of satisfaction washed over her.
Derek's face was a mix of shock and disbelief. And God, was it satisfying for Audrey. For years he had looked at her like she was a piece of gum stuck under his shoe. Now he looked at her, horrified.
"I don't want to have sex with you, Derek. Not in this lifetime anymore."
The shock on his face lasted for a moment, before a smug smile took over. Derek sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "This is why you're such a miserable bitch. This is exactly why I can't bring myself to fuck you anymore."
His words made her heart clench painfully in a familiar way. It was the same pain she had felt with she walked into that hotel room and saw him in bed with her best friend.
But this time, instead of sadness, the hurt transformed into anger. "What did you just say to me?"
Derek stepped closer in a threatening way, "You heard me right Audrey." His lips curved into a cruel smirk. "You're not fuckable, Audrey. Fucking you is like fucking a log of wood."
For a moment, she couldn't breathe. The words sliced through her like a knife. And he saw the pain. She knew he did because she could see it in the satisfaction shining in his eyes. He wanted to hurt her. Wanted her to break. Wanted her to cry. But Audrey was done giving him that satisfaction.
So instead, she smiled a slow, sarcastic smile. "Derek."
His expression shifted. "What?"
She leaned slightly closer and lowered her voice dramatically, "Should I tell you a secret I've kept for years?"
Confusion crossed his face. "What secret?"
Audrey's smile widened. "I haven't orgasmed in three years."
It took several seconds before the meaning of her words registered, and when they did, the smug look vanished from Derek's face, replaced by pure shock. He looked like he had seen a ghost.
Audrey almost laughed. "You are so terrible at it that I have to touch myself afterward." She shrugged. "So don't think too highly of yourself."
The look on his face was priceless.
She didn't stay to hear his response, she turned on her heel, marched down the hallway and headed straight for the guest bedroom.
The moment she stepped inside, she slammed the door shut and leaned against it. Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
That should have felt good. Standing up to Derek should have felt empowering and victorious. Instead, she felt empty. Because no matter what she said, she still couldn't erase the image burned into her memory.
Her husband and her best friend tangled up together in bed.
Her eyes stung and when she remembered the cruel words he had thrown at her, the pain in her heart deepened.
This was the man she had sacrificed everything for. Her family. Her future. She had walked away from it all so she could be with him. And this was how he repaid her.
Derek Lockwood woke up feeling annoyed, because he woke up to the smell of his own cologne turning sour on unwashed sheets and a soft body against his back that wasn't supposed to be there.Regina.She was still asleep, mascara smudged under her eyes from crying about the ankle monitor the judge had strapped on her before releasing her on bail. Derek stared at the ceiling and asked himself, not for the first time, how the hell his life had ended up here – disgraced, almost lost all his father's favour that he spent years chasing, half broke and sharing a bed with the woman half of Seattle now knew as a criminal."You're staring again," Regina mumbled without opening her eyes. "It's creepy.""Go back to sleep.""Can't. Court date's Thursday." She rolled over, draped an arm across his chest like she had any right to comfort him. "Diana Sinclair told me through her lawyer that the embezzlement charge might be withdrawn if I cooperate.""Cooperate with what?"Regina's eyes opened then, th
Derek's mouth opened. Nothing came out.Roman watched his brother's face cycle through disbelief, humiliation, and finally the same look he'd worn since they were kids and Roman had beaten him at everything that mattered. He didn't feel satisfaction, not really. He just felt done."Get out of my sight," Roman said, quiet enough that only Derek heard it, Derek's jaw ticked. Then, for once in his miserable life, he had the sense to turn and walk away without another word, the crowd parting around him like he had something contagious.Roman turned back to Audrey. She was still in a state of shock, her chest was rising and falling fast, adrenaline still working through her. He reached for her hand."Come on," he said. "You've done enough tonight. Let me take you somewhere quiet.""Quiet sounds good," Audrey said, and let him lead her out.The drive out of the city took almost an hour, Seattle's skyline shrinking in the rearview until it was just a smear of light behind them. Roman kept o
Then he leaned in, close enough that only she and Audrey could hear him, his voice dropping to a low register. "Cedar Grove Assisted Living. Room 114. Third floor, west wing, corner room with the window that faces the garden." He tilted his head slightly. "Your grandmother has been there eleven months now, hasn't she? Nurses say she likes it when someone reads to her in the afternoons, since she can't really speak anymore."Regina's face went as pale as a ghost. "I know where everyone you care about sleeps at night," Roman went on calmly, like he was discussing the weather. "I know their routines, their doctors, their schedules. And I promise you, the kind of people I could send wouldn't leave a single trace behind, no note, no struggle, nothing for the police to work with."He let that settle, watching her throat work as she tried to swallow."So," he said softly, "you're going to shut your mouth for the rest of the night. And if I ever hear you speak to her like that again, anywhe
Derek sat frozen in the backseat of his car outside Sinclair Tower, his phone shaking in his hand, the bank notification still showing on the screen: 'Your credit lines have been frozen by order of Moreau Group.'Behind him, horns blared. The stock ticker on the building across the street kept sliding red, number after number, Lockwood Inc.'s primary subsidiary going out in real time for the whole city to watch. He read the notification three more times like it might change if he stared hard enough. It didn't."Sir?" His driver was looking at him through the mirror, uncertain. "Sir, we're blocking traffic. Can we keep moving?"Derek didn't answer. He just kept staring at his phone, at his own reflection ghosted faintly in the screen, until someone behind him laid on their horn so hard he flinched and finally told his driver to keep moving. He had no idea, yet, that tonight was about to get worse.☆☆☆☆☆The gala was already on by the time Audrey arrived that evening, string lights str
The kiss was fierce and hungry, his mouth claiming hers desperately. Audrey’s cup hit the counter with a soft clink. Her hands came up, gripped the front of his shirt, then slid higher until her fingers were locked around the back of his neck. Roman pressed her back against the cool marble, his body covering hers as he let one thigh slide between her legs. The counter edge dug into her lower back but she didn’t care.His mouth opened over hers, his tongue sweeping in, tasting her like he had been starving for it. Audrey let out a soft moan and kissed him harder, rising onto her toes. His hands slid down, one settling at the side of her neck, the other grabbing her waist, pulling her tighter against him. She could feel how hard he was, the thick line of his manhood pressed against her stomach through the fabric of his pants. Heat settled low in her belly and she instinctively grinded against him.Roman broke the kiss only long enough to drag his mouth along her jaw, leaving open kisses
Audrey didn't answer him right away.She just looked at Roman and his hand still cupping her cheek, "Derek," she said finally. "Start with Derek."Roman's thumb stilled against her jaw and his eyes sharpened. "Consider it started."☆☆☆☆☆Two days later, they discharged her.The doctor gave her a folder of pamphlets she didn't read and a warning about rest she didn't intend to follow, and Roman signed whatever needed signing before she had even finished getting dressed. He didn't ask if she wanted him there. He was just there, the way he'd been there for the past four days, like leaving wasn't a concept he even considered. Carla drove separately, already back at the office holding down whatever fires Audrey's absence had started. Roman drove Audrey himself, one hand on the wheel, the other resting over hers on the console the entire ride.The lobby of her apartment building was all marble and glass, it was cold even in daylight, and the second the elevator doors of the parking garage







