Cheryse’s POV“Where have you been?” I demanded, waiting for him by the door. Caleb stood there, drenched from the drizzle outside, water dripping down his collar. His lips curved into something smug, satisfied. I wonder what made him so happy. “Hello? Didn't you hear me?" I scoffed.Yet he didn’t flinch. He just smirked, dropped his jacket onto a chair, and said coolly, “Getting my things. I’ll be staying in the guest room.”My stomach dropped. “What?”Why would my husband be sleeping in the guestroom? The room is big enough and spacious to accommodate us. He can't be serious right now.“You heard me.” His tone was calm, so calm it boiled my blood. “You don’t honestly think I’m going to keep sharing a room with you, do you? Not after everything. I'm glad thw truth is out.”Truth? He…Surely he's not talking about Maxwell, right? How did he find out? Did the man interfere? “I can't believe you pushed my mom." Oh that. Waves of relief washed over me that I almost laughed. But then,
Delilah’s POVThe rain hadn’t let up, dripping in slow rivulets off the café awning as I followed Caleb out into the street. “Look I'm sure he's already gone, Delilah." Caleb said, rushing after me..He was wrong. The bastard paparazzo wasn’t hard to find, he lingered at the end of the block, crouched under his umbrella, already fumbling with his camera. It seemed like he was waiting for someone.Caleb stopped talking when we spotted him. “Oh no you don’t,” he muttered, striding forward like a predator.The man's eyes widened in confusion.Before I could react, Caleb lunged. His shoulder slammed into the man’s chest, sending both of them crashing against the slick wall. The umbrella clattered to the ground, rolling into the gutter.“Hey man — what the fuck?" The man groaned.“Give me the goddamn camera,” Caleb snarled, pinning him with one arm while his other hand reached for the camera strap.The paparazzo grunted, fighting back with surprising strength. “Get off me! You can’t stop
Delilah’s POVBy the time I slipped back inside, my pulse was a drumbeat in my throat. I rushed up the stairs, the damp robe clinging to me. A dinner with that asshole? Damn, I should've just told Thorne everything in the first place. Why did I agree to this? When I pushed open the bedroom door, Thorne was there, sitting at the edge of the bed with his laptop balanced on his thighs, the glow of the screen sharp against his angled jaw. He looked up the second I entered, eyes narrowing just enough to catch the way my chest heaved.I gulped. “I… I need a stroll.”i quickly said.One dark brow arched. “A stroll.” He repeated the word like it was foreign. “In the rain.”My throat went dry. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in France. It's my hometown.” I forced a small smile, tugging at my damp hair as if that excused everything. “I used to walk these streets all the time, back in high school. In college too. It helps me think.”His gaze lingered, making me sure he could see through my l
Delilah’s POVI screamed, and in a blink the shadow at the window vanished into the rain. Fucking Caleb!! My stomach twisted violently, and for a second I thought I might vomit right there.Thorne’s head snapped up. “Delilah?” His voice was laced with panic, but when his gaze swept over me, he saw the terror in my eyes and instantly softened. He released my wrists, cradling my face in his hands. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”I shook my head too fast. “No. I just… I need air. Please.”I just need to murder someone.The pounding in my temples was unbearable. A headache? No, more like a thousand knives stabbing at once. “Air?” He frowned, already reaching for the towel I’d discarded, draping it back around me like I was made of glass. “Baby, you’re trembling. Talk to me.”I swallowed hard, forcing a weak smile. “It’s nothing. Just… a little too much. The storm, dinner, coming here. Not to talk of Naomi's disappearance…maybe even you.“ My lips twitched, but the humor didn’t reach my
Delilah’s POV Where's Naomi?I was in the bathroom, tensed as hell. Steam still clung to the mirrors, curling around the edges of the bathroom glass as I stood in front of it, towel cinched around me, blow dryer in hand. The hum filled the silence, but it didn’t drown out the ache in my chest.For the tenth time that night, I checked my phone. Still nothing. There was no missed calls, no new texts — just the same cryptic message I’d stared at for days: >>I’ll talk to you later, Dee. Once I get settled.That was all. Settled where? With who? She just disappeared and she once made me promise never to call her parents, no matter what. But is this disappearance part of that ‘no matter what’?”I bit down on my lip, heart pounding as the memory resurfaced. Days ago, panic clawed up my throat when the hotel clerk in China said Naomi had checked out. But here's the thing, there wasn't any forwarding address. No note. Just… gone.The blow dryer slipped from my grip, catching on the edge o
Jon’s POVLater that night…The silk slid from my shoulders pooling at my feet as I reached for the wine. The taste was a bit sharp and sweet, just the way I liked it—like power itself. Dinner had been chaos, everyone too disturbed to eat. God, wasn’t that the fun of it?The door creaked, and Estelle glided in, looking hot as always. My young wife, beautiful and poisonous. I raised my glass. “My beautiful wife,” I murmured, smirking “Drink with me.”She came closer, lips curved but eyes curious as they always were when she sensed I was in one of my moods. “I’ve never understood,” she purred, lifting her glass to mine, “why you got my boy tangled up with Delilah. I’ve always thought her unfit.”The word my snagged like a thorn in my chest. My boy. No—Agatha’s boy. Not hers. Never hers. I hid my grimace behind a sip of wine, letting the burn steady me. Caleb was my first wife's child, but Estelle had always adored him. Mostly because she was unable to have a child of her own.Well I w