Chapter 2

“Peyton, come on. You know what kind of guy I am.

"Alexis is just my assistant. Her cramps were killing her today, that's all. I got her a room so she could rest up. Is that really such a crime?”

Ronan was still acting. I almost wanted to laugh at the performance.

He clearly wasn't going to back down. I refrained from tearing off his mask right there in public. If he denied it, I would just end up looking like a crazy, hysterical girlfriend. If he wanted to play a role, I would play along for a little longer.

I forced a smile onto my face and reached out, gently brushing a smudge of foundation off his shoulder.

“I know. Ronan is the sweetest, most thoughtful guy in the whole world.”

I knew you were just like every other trashy guy I’d ever met.

…

Ronan drove us home. The entire ride back, his phone buzzed continuously on the console.

Even from the passenger seat, I could easily spot the name flashing across the lock screen: Alexis.

When Ronan didn’t reply, she got impatient and called him directly.

Ronan kept one hand on the wheel while sliding the screen to answer with the other. He made sure not to hit the speakerphone.

“What’s up?”

I couldn’t hear what Alexis was saying on the other end, but the tight crease between Ronan's brows smoothed out. A faint, amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Then he suddenly remembered I was sitting right next to him. The smile vanished. His voice stiffened.

“Okay, I have to go. Peyton is right here. We'll talk at the office tomorrow.”

He hung up, held up his phone with a helpless chuckle, and shook his head.

“Alexis just started last week, so she’s totally clueless. She's freaking out over some minor mistake.”

Before the words fully left his mouth, Alexis’ name flashed across the screen again.

This time, Ronan didn't pick up. He powered the phone off entirely and shoved it deep into his pocket.

“No more interruptions. Get some sleep, okay? We'll be home in thirty minutes.”

I hadn’t been sleeping well lately. I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, I drifted off into a dream.

In the dream, I was holding a flight confirmation for Boston. I looked into Ronan's tear-stained eyes, my heart completely melting.

A nineteen-year-old boy wrapped his arms tightly around me, holding me like I was his whole world.

“Peyton, I swear to God. You’re the only girl I’ll ever love.”

That promise was still echoing in my mind when Ronan's familiar voice pulled me back to reality.

“Peyton, we’re home.”

I opened my eyes to find Ronan leaning over me, unbuckling my seatbelt.

He sat back and gently ruffled my hair, offering a warm smile.

“Up you get, sleepyhead. Go lie on the couch for a bit. I’ll wake you up when dessert is ready.”

His tone was as tender and patient as it had always been, but his eyes were heavy with hidden calculation and paranoia.

If I hadn't already seen the cold, hard proof of his affair, I probably would have drowned in that sweet affection all over again.

Too bad reality didn’t come with a rewind button.

I lay back on the couch, watching Ronan move around the open kitchen. The line of his back slowly morphed into the footage the private investigator, Ellie Parker, had sent me earlier.

In that video, his back was turned to the camera in the exact same way. Only he was cooking for a completely different girl.

The photos Ellie sent were crystal clear. Cruelly clear.

A romantic hotel room left uncleaned.

A tangled bed, a carpet strewn with rose petals.

Used condoms sitting in the trash can.

Just those few pictures were enough to tell me everything about their wild night together.

My stomach churned violently, and I came terrifyingly close to throwing up right in front of Ronan.