Chapter 184

Cole pulled off a truly Ellery-worthy eye roll. “One cigarette a month is hardly going to kill him,” she said.

“Is that what he told you? And you believed him?” Natasha asked.

Now that she thought about it… he did tend to reach for his cigarettes once they’d sexed. And he’d smoked after dinner. And during Star Wars. And just now in the gCole. Oh fuck. Fuuuuuck.

Natasha shook her head at her. “You poor, sweet girl. You don’t know him at all, do you?”

“I… I’m in love with him,” she said, her voice barely audible.

“I can see why you’d believe that. Aiden can be quite dazzling when he chooses. But you don’t understand anything about who he is. Or the damage you’re doing to him.”

She tried to reply, to protest, to defend herself. Defend him. Defend them. But she had nothing. Aiden had de-clawed her with his secrets. Left her powerless and alone.

“You deserve better,” Natasha went on softly. “He’s using you like his cigarettes. You