THE WOMAN IN HIS PASSENGER SEAT.

ANASTASIA.

Yes, I know they were close but “she’s not supposed to be with him during lunch and be happy about it. Or maybe this is normal, but my head doesn’t understand that logic right now.

I’m not thinking as I let my legs take over and start walking toward the car. The same car he picked me up in on our wedding day. The same car that Payton shouldn’t be getting into while she’s all smiles like that.

But I’m late, because the car has already left the parking garage. It’s already out and I’m standing here, staring at the exit with the sound of the tires and Payton’s laugh echoing in my ears.

And I want to chop off my ears and feed them to the nearest dog.

“Ana?”

I slowly look away from the exit to focus on Caroline. For a second, I forgot she was there, that she almost saw me make a fool out of myself.

Because I shouldn’t. I’m fine, right? It doesn’t matter who Damien spends his lunch with or that he returns her smile or that she only laughs with him.

“Are you okay?” Caroline runs a hand in front of my face. “You look like you’re having a stroke.”

“I’m fine. Fiiiine. Yeah, totally fine.”

“You don’t look fine. If you were a PC, I’d run a malware check. But I can’t, so I’m lost here.”

That earns a smile from me. “I don’t think any malware checks can fix me or what I saw.”

“What you saw? You mean Payton?”

“You know her?”

“Who doesn’t? She’s the only woman around here with balls bigger than some men.”

“So you like her?”

“Not specifically. But I like what she does. We need more women like her.”

“I heard Xavier King hates her, like, loathes and despises her because she’s a witch.” God, I’m stooping so low, even using Dad like this—sorry, Dad—but it’s because of what I saw that I can’t help it.

“I heard he’s an egotistical jerk.”

“Hey!” My voice cracks, feeling the jab on behalf of my father.

She lifts a shoulder. “All I’m saying is there are always two sides to every story. Just because Xavier hates her doesn’t mean she’s bad. Besides, Damien is more important and he likes her.”

“He…doesn’t.”

“Of course, he does. I recently joined the firm and even I know that everyone is betting on when they’ll get married.”

They won’t, because he’s married to me. I want to shout that, but I can’t. And what’s the point anyway? When everyone at the firm believes that Damien and Payton suit each other.

My opinion doesn’t matter.

Then why does it feel like my heart is about to split into a million pieces?

My mood takes a sharp dive for the rest of the day.

Instead of working at my desk amid the hostility, I take the case files and hang with Caroline. And by hang, I mean that I work while she types away at her computer.

All the time, I can’t stop thinking about the scene I saw in the parking lot. The synergy between them, the laughs and smiles, and I clink my nails against each other so hard, I break one.

Then I accidentally get a paper cut and my thumb bleeds, and it’s supposed to hurt, but I don’t feel the pain. Because the real pain is banging on the walls of my ribcage.

So I review the case files. All of them. That’s what I do when I’m stressed. I enter high-functioning mode.

And I needed to finish them so I could see him again. I couldn’t just go to his office without having done my work. But now, I have.

So I reorganize the files and the Post-it Notes I made for each detail that could be used as a weakness, as well as my observations through some research I did myself and any advanced research I asked Caroline to help with.

I’m feeling confident when I’m carrying them to his office. I did a great job.

My phone vibrates and I juggle the files in one hand and check the text with the other.

Zeke: Hey, stranger.

I clink my nails under the papers. After everything that happened over the last couple of weeks, I kind of ghosted my college friends, Zeke included. He came by the house soon after Dad’s accident and I told him I needed time to wrap my head around things.

And I did.

The result is that I can’t keep dragging him into my mess anymore. I guess I was just too hopeful when I thought he could make me forget.

I realize now that no one can.

So I type with one hand.

Me: Hey! Sorry I haven’t been around.

Zeke: And here I thought you forgot about me.

Me: I haven’t. We need to talk.

Zeke: Now?

Me: In a bit.

Zeke: Where are you? I’ll pick you up.

Me: I’ll send you the address.

He really doesn’t need to since I have my car, but I forget all about that because I’m in front of Damien’s office and I have all the work done.

So I send him my current location and hide the phone.

“Miss King,” Damien’s assistant, Lina, greets me. She’s a middle-aged woman with a kind smile that I’ve always found heartwarming.

“Is Damien in there? I finished the case files and I think I have solid footing on some weaknesses.”

“He went home for the day.”

“He…what?”

“He went out for lunch and said he wouldn’t be coming back for the rest of the day. I’ll hand them to him tomorrow morning.”

The world starts spinning and it takes superhuman control to place the files on Lina’s desk.

I didn’t hear it wrong.

Damien went out to lunch and called it a day.

With Payton.

He’s been with Payton all this time.

The shards that split in my chest earlier are digging their way into my heart and I can’t fucking breathe.

But I have to. I need to breathe.

So I go outside to do just that.