LOGINTeddy POVWe finally made it to New York, but the real wait only started after that. Hours crawled by with no word from Amanda. By the time my phone finally lit up, I was already starving, raw with rage, and something far worse—pure, cold terror. My heart kept slamming against my ribs every time my mind went to Payton. Amanda could smile through anything and still be the most dangerous person I’d ever known. She would do whatever it took to get what she wanted. This was the first time in my life I had ever felt true fear when it came to Payton. Knowing she was in danger because of me was tearing me apart from the inside.I hoped and prayed nothing had happened to her yet—because God only knew what I would do if it had.I was still in the car with Eric when the vibration hit my palm. Amanda’s location. I forwarded it to him without a word.“You know what to do,” I said.Eric gave a short, sharp nod and slipped out into the night. I climbed into the driver’s seat, slammed the door hard
I forced myself upright again, breathing hard, staring at her through watering eyes. She took a seat once more, crossed her legs, and regarded me like a problem she was already bored of solving.She snapped her fingers once.Almost instantly, a woman emerged from the shadows carrying a silver cigarette case. With practiced ease, she handed it over before silently retreating.Without breaking eye contact with me, she slipped a cigarette between her lips. She flicked open a lighter, igniting the tip with a soft click. Taking a slow, unhurried drag, she held the smoke in for a moment before exhaling a thick plume that drifted through the cabin, hanging heavily in the air between us.A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she began to speak."I've owned Teddy since he was a little boy," she said softly, her voice laced with unsettling affection. "He is mine. He has always been mine. He's been nothing but loyal to me... until you showed up."Her eyes hardened."You were supposed
Payton’s POVSome hours back.I drove as fast as the road would allow, the tires screaming beneath me while tears blurred everything into a watery mess. Hot streaks kept sliding down my cheeks no matter how hard I wiped them away. I had been such a fool. So completely, hopelessly stupid.How was I supposed to get past this? Why would Teddy do this to me—break me open like this? What had I ever done to deserve this kind of cruelty from both of the men I had loved so deeply? The lies. The way they had both deceived me for years. It sat in my chest like broken glass.The tears kept coming, pouring without end as the thoughts swallowed me whole. He could have just told me the truth. We could have talked. We could have worked something out. Instead he chose to make me look like an idiot—naive, useless, and completely clueless.And the worst part was that I had already fallen so deeply in love with him. I had given him every soft, hopeful piece of myself without knowing that everything betw
“You good-for-nothing bastard!”Richard charged at me like a man possessed. His fist cracked hard against my jaw before I could fully brace for it. Pain exploded across my face, the metallic taste of blood already filling my mouth.“This is all your fault—from the very beginning!” he snarled, grabbing the front of my shirt and yanking me forward, ready to throw another punch.Something inside me snapped.I had been too gentle with him for far too long—only because of Payton. And now, because of him, I have lost her. The rage that had been simmering beneath the surface finally boiled over. I blocked his next swing, twisted hard, and slammed him to the ground. In the next second I was on top of him, fists flying.“You stupid fool!” I roared, landing punch after punch. “Did you really have to come here and ruin everything? You couldn’t just stay with that stupid bitch and start your own pathetic little family? You had to come and destroy what I built with Payton?”Every word was punctuat
Teddy POVPayton stepped closer, her eyes locking onto mine with a raw desperation that gutted me. Her voice started as a broken whisper, trembling on every word.“So it’s true, Teddy?”She slowly closed the distance between us, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Tear tracks stained her cheeks, while fresh tears clung stubbornly to her lashes, refusing to fall.“Just tell me…” Her voice cracked with desperation. “Whatever they’re saying, tell me it’s not real. Tell me they made it all up. Tell me you didn’t destroy my marriage so you can have me for your own selfish desire, like they claim. Please…” She swallowed hard, her lips trembling. “Tell me you and Amanda were really just business partners, like you said, and that my accident wasn’t caused by her.”The guilt slammed into me like a tidal wave, stealing my breath. I swallowed hard, my throat tight and dry. The betrayal in her eyes—bright, searing, and deeper than anything I’d ever witnessed from her—twisted something vital in
Payton’s POVI was so furious. Richard actually had the audacity to bring his mistress here. What was he trying to do—provoke me?“Payton, I can explain,” Richard said, his voice laced with urgency and something that almost sounded like desperation. “Elizabeth told me everything this bastard did.” He pointed an accusing finger straight at Teddy, his face twisted with rage. “Baby, he is the cause of everything. He destroyed our home. He used you from the very beginning.”My heart stuttered.“Hey, you listen,” Teddy fired back, rising to his feet with fire in his eyes. “I never used her. I love Payton more than you could possibly imagine. I’m not like you — the man who runs off to cheat the second someone throws temptation his way.”“Oh really?” Richard let out a harsh, mocking laugh. “Then why don’t you tell Payton the truth? Tell her how you’ve been stalking her for years, knowing damn well she was married. Tell her how you sent Elizabeth to seduce me. How you meticulously arranged ev
It was Elizabeth’s birthday, and she wanted to celebrate it in Hawaii with me. I’d just survived a brutally busy week and desperately wanted to stay home and collapse, but it was her special day. I had no choice.I lied to Payton, telling her I was heading to Seattle for work and would be gone for
That night, I was propped up in bed, shirtless, laptop balanced on my thighs, when Payton stepped out of the bathroom. Steam still clung to her skin; droplets trailed slowly down her arms and chest as she patted herself dry with a towel. I watched, mesmerized, as she reached for her night cream and
Teddy POVA month ago.I passed by the hospital almost every day, lingering just long enough to catch a glimpse of Payton without anyone noticing. Even when she was alone and I had the perfect chance to go in, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.I didn’t know how to face her. Every time I closed my e
Months later, I was in my study, buried in paperwork with my morning coffee steaming beside me, when Payton slipped in. She looked flushed and radiant, a soft glow about her that made me smile despite myself.Ever since that rainy day incident, she’d come back to life—brighter, lighter. She hummed







