002

Wolfe.

I should’ve known. I should’ve guessed the moment the name was mentioned, and from his physique.

My fiancé was cheating on me. And not only that, he might’ve assaulted or possibly taken advantage of the woman.

Oh my God.

I blanched as bile rose in my throat.

My throat felt tight, and tears stung my eyes, blurring my vision.

I tried to breathe… to speak, but words felt impossible.

Arms wrapped around my shoulders immediately.

“It’s okay. You’re okay.”

Hearing Sierra’s voice did little to calm me down.

“A-air,” I croaked, urging myself forward. “I need air.”

“Oh, baby. I’ve got you.”

She stood immediately, coming to my side as she helped me up, managing as quickly as she could to get me out of the store.

Once we were outside, I took a large, gulping breath. Then another. Then another. It took several minutes for me to regain myself.

Asher would never do that to me… to anyone, I told myself. He was too pure at heart to ever do something like that. I knew it. But then there was the news, his face…

I didn’t know what to think.

“Did you see the news?” I whispered. “Asher… he…”

Tears spilled from my eyes, and my body racked with sobs. I felt my legs buckle beneath me, but before they gave out, Sierra was by my side, anchoring me. Just like she’d been doing for the twenty years we’d known each other.

“It’s okay, love. Men aren’t worth the tears, anyway,” she said.

Despite myself, I laughed a little. She always knew the right thing to say. I wondered how she did it.

“How could he do such a thing?”

She was silent for a moment.

Then she said, “I don’t know. He’s been with you most of the time, right?”

I nodded.

“I think you should hear him out, Ror.”

I began to speak, but before any words came out, the last voice I wanted to hear at that moment filled my ears.

“Aurora? Rory, baby. What happened?”

His voice was filled with worry, and he was by my side in a heartbeat.

I glared at him through tear-streaked vision.

He looked at Sierra.

“What happened to her? Why’s she crying?”

Sierra remained quiet.

“Sierra? Why’s my wife crying?”

On a normal day, him calling me his wife would’ve made my heart skip, but after what I’d just seen, that excitement wasn’t there anymore.

I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but there was no way it wasn’t him I had just seen. The only excuse would’ve been if he had a twin who looked exactly like him.

Which he didn’t.

One set of arms surrounding me slowly loosened as Sierra pulled away, leaving me in Asher’s arms.

It made me want to cry all over again.

“Talk to him, Ror,” she urged softly. “I’ll be inside getting my own dress fitted. Call me if you need me, okay?”

She didn’t even wait for a sign of approval or protest before turning and heading back inside.

Once she was gone, I gently pried myself away from Asher.

“Don’t touch me.”

I tried to keep the bite out of my tone, but I failed.

His expression fell, but he quickly regained himself, stepping away and giving me the space I hadn’t even outrightly asked for.

These were the kinds of things he did that made it hard to believe he was the man from the news.

But then, it was so easy for people to pretend.

He dipped his hands into his pockets.

“I’m guessing you heard the news?”

My answer was a glare.

He sighed heavily. “I’ll take that as a yes, then. I’m sorry, Ror.”

“How could you do such a thing, Asher? How?”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you. I should’ve been honest since we’re about to get married and it’s—”

“Lied to me?!” I snapped, cutting him off. My hands flew upward. “You didn’t just lie to me, Ash, you—”

My voice cracked.

“—you took advantage of someone’s trust in you!”

A couple walked out of the antique store next door, sending us curious glances before walking away.

He tried to touch me, but I moved back.

Hurt flashed in his eyes as his hands returned to his pockets.

“I said I’m sorry, babe. I thought it was something you’d want too. I can just sell it if that’s what you want.”

“What I—”

My brain caught on something he’d said.

“Wait. What? Sell what?”

He frowned.

“The house I bought. Isn’t that what you heard?”

Oh my God.

Was he trying to fool me? Or did he really think I was stupid?

“No,” I said slowly. “Haven’t you watched the news? You’re all over it, Asher. So stop acting all innocent like you don’t know what you did.”

He looked so genuinely confused that I would’ve believed him if I didn’t already know he was lying.

“I didn’t—”

His phone rang.

“Hold on.”

He pulled it from his pocket and answered.

I guessed whatever was being said related to the news I’d seen, judging by the way his jaw clenched.

He returned the device to his pocket and turned back to me.

“I can explain everything,” he said slowly. “Please just come with me. I promise you’ll understand.”

I frowned, folding my arms again. “If you can’t explain yourself here, then don’t bother. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Babe…”

I shook my head.

“Don’t, Ash. I’m serious.”

He ran a hand through his hair.

“I can try to explain, but you wouldn’t believe me. That’s why I want you to come. You’ll get all the answers you need, and I’ll answer every question you ask.”

I bit my cheek as I considered it.

His earnest, pleading expression won me over.

“You’ll explain everything?”

“Everything.”

“Fine,” I conceded.

A small smile broke across his lips, revealing a little of the dimple in his right cheek.

“If I feel you’re lying to me—even the slightest hint of a lie—the wedding’s off… and I’ll personally report you to the police.”

His smile dropped slightly, but he nodded.

“Okay. I’ll go tell Sierra we’re leaving.”

Before I could tell him I wanted her to come with us, he was already moving past me into the store.

About two minutes later, he came back out, smiling in a way someone who’d committed a crime shouldn’t.

It almost made me believe he had a twin.

I wished.

With his hand on the small of my back, he led me to his car parked a few feet away from the store.

The drive was silent, taking us through a part of town I’d never been to before.

The part that led to the prison.

A few minutes later, we drove into the prison parking area and went through security and several other protocols.

Shortly afterward, we were seated behind a transparent plexiglass partition used for communicating with inmates.

When we’d been sitting there for a while and it started to feel like a waste of time, I turned to Asher.

“I’d appreciate those answers any minute now.”

His eyes flickered to the other side of the glass.

“A minute more, please.”

It didn’t even take that long.

The doors on the other side opened, and a man in an orange tracksuit and handcuffs entered.

He walked toward the chair with careless swagger, like he was at a vacation resort rather than a detention facility.

And when pulled out the chair and sat down, breath left my lungs.

No.

No, no, no.

I was imagining things.

He was—

No.

Beside me, Asher shifted in his seat.

“Aurora…” he said quietly. “Babe, meet my twin brother, Soren.”