LOGINDANTEI raised a finger at Mom and stepped back, pressing the phone harder against my ear. She watched me leave with a look of dread and hope.I exhaled slowly, keeping my voice steady."I'm listening," I said.The man on the other end hesitated. When he spoke again, his words tumbled out in a rush."I fell for her," he admitted. "I wasn't supposed to, but I did. And I've been living with what I've done to her every single day."My grip on the phone tightened."Someone hired me," he continued. "To get her hooked. She injects through her big toe, so no one would find the marks if they looked in obvious places." He paused. "I'm sorry. I know that's not—"I was already on the move.Up the stairs, down the hallway, into the bedroom. My keys were on the dresser, and I snatched them without slowing down.My baby sister. Damn! How could I have let her walk out that door?"Why?" I asked as I bounded down the stairs two at a time. "Who paid you?""Her ex-husband." His voice steadied a bit. "He
DANTE.The chef and I had spent the better part of the afternoon in that kitchen, and it showed. The table had lamb ribs glistening under the chandelier, roasted vegetables fanned out, warm bread. Cinnamon was radiant in burnt orange, cutting Oliver's meat into smaller pieces while he babbled about something that had happened at school. Mom sat at the head happy seeing the full table. She laughed at something Dove said, and for a moment she looked ten years younger. Dove wiped Thessa's mouth with the corner of a napkin and the little girl scrunched her face, probably thinking she was too old for that."There's something beautiful about this," I said, cutting into my lamb. "All of us, right here."Mom set her fork down just to place her hand over her chest. "I almost forgot," she said quietly, more to herself than anyone. "I almost forgot what it felt like to just live." She laughed softly and picked her fork back up, shaking her head like she was embarrassed by the admission.The foo
CINNAMON.Why was I angry with him again?Something about secrets.Something about another woman.Something about—His mouth found the back of my neck and I forgot the question entirely.He took his time.That was the thing about Dante that had always undone me completely. He was never rushed where I was concerned. Never transactional. He moved through me like he had nowhere else to be on earth. Like I was the destination and he'd already arrived and now was simply — exploring.His hands knew me.Every version of me."I missed being inside you." His low growl went straight to my swollen clit, tightening my nipples, making my pussy squeeze.“I missed you too.”His fingers immediately slipped between my legs, and I could tell that I was more wet than before. I moaned and he flipped me over. With one huge palm wrapped around my thigh, he pulled it open and lifted my hips. His mouth hit my core, ripping a scream from my lips."Fuck!" His tongue circled me slowly. He sucked and nipped un
DANTE.When I returned to my office, I felt completely lost. My mind struggled to process anything, and no matter how hard I tried to piece together the problem in front of me, I couldn't succeed. To pass the time, I kept myself busy.The meetings were just noise.All of them.Words floated around the table while I sat inside my own thoughts, gazing at the surface of things without engaging with any of it. Tate spoke, numbers flashed on screens, and someone laughed at something trivial.I nodded.Signed whatever was placed in front of me.Checked my watch for the fourteenth time. Finally, it was four in the evening.Standing, "we'll finish tomorrow."No one argued because I was already walking towards the exit.It took me less than five minutes to get to her door.Her office light was still on. I could see it shining from under the door. The rest of the floor felt empty because almost everyone had ended their day.I knocked once and opened the door before she answered.She sat at her
CINNAMON."I told you that I'll explain everything soon. Please, trust me, Cinnamon," he begged.I looked up, almost laughing in his face.Trust. The one thing we'd built everything on. The foundation we'd been so proud of. And here he was, handing it back to me in pieces, asking me to hold it carefully like it wasn't already broken in his hands."Explain this." He slid the paper across my desk.Interestingly, I glanced at the paper, not touching it.I immediately thought of my promise to Dove not to tell anyone. But what was the big deal, and why was she so intent on keeping it a secret?I needed to think of an excuse. Furthermore, if he believed I would be the only one suffering, I'll ensure he feels pain as well."I don't see the problem." I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. "If you're out doing whatever you're doing, the least I can do is console myself with some money. We're rich."Yes, that's correct. It was satisfying to see the flash of disappointment on his face. I f
CINNAMON.Tears streamed down my face as I cried, wiping my nose with the tissue Risa had given me. I have been trying to stay strong but it has gotten tougher with Dante being shady and the secret I was keeping for Dove. I had to talk to someone but I didn't share too many details because, at the end of the day, Dante was still family, and some family secrets should remain private."I'll spell it out for you, Cinnamon. Dante is cheating. For him to let you see it means he doesn't respect you," Risa said as she settled back into her seat. "Cinnamon, I really think you should consider divorcing him. You're young and have a son to care for. You don't deserve what he's putting you through." She leaned in and handed me another tissue.My hand trembled at the thought of Risa suggesting I divorce Dante as I took the tissue from her, crumpling it. I loved him deeply and couldn't picture my life without him. Why would he want to hurt me like this? He brought another woman to our son's birthda
CINNAMON:The west side of Meadowbrook looked like a storm had ripped through it. Snow piled against houses, roofs had collapsed, and power lines lay twisted in the streets. Families stood in driveways, eyes wide, exhaustion written on every face.We unloaded boxes from trucks parked in the old com
DANTE:The picture appeared on my phone while Cinnamon was still rattling off Jensen Harbor’s ridiculous demands.I stopped hearing her, stopped hearing anything except the roaring in my ears. Nothing mattered except getting to my mother.Her face. Bruised, swollen, blood crusting at the corner of
CINNAMON:The crushing guilt in my chest after what I said wouldn’t let me stay at Mom’s, so I went back to the cabin.It felt emptier and colder here, even with the blazing heater running. To distract myself before I started overthinking, I kept myself busy organizing. After all, the living room n
DANTE:He stumbled backward, hand flying to his nose. Blood poured between his fingers."You piece of shit!" I grabbed his collar, hauled him upright, and hit him again. "You put your hands on my mother!""It was an accident—""AN ACCIDENT?" I shoved him against the wall hard enough that pictures r







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