Chapter 4

"Too scared to do it?" I pulled out my phone and opened the dial pad. "If you won't, I will."

I made a show of tapping the screen, and the sharp sound of a number dialing filled the office. Adrian lunged forward and grabbed my hand.

"Don't."

I looked up at him. In that split second, his eyes were a mess of panic and something I couldn't quite name. It was like being doused in cold water, sobering and painful all at once.

He was afraid that Sloane really had done it. Or maybe he already knew that she had and was afraid of what it would look like if it got out. Yet, he wasn't afraid of letting me take the blame.

We stood there locked in silence until Sloane finally moved. She walked up to Adrian and took his hand.

"Adrian." Her voice cracked.

"It was me."

Adrian glanced at me, then pulled his hand back awkwardly. "Sloane, why would you do that?"

She dropped her head. Tears dripped onto the dark floor, and her voice broke. "Adrian, I just wanted a fresh start with you, just like before.

"I still love you."

Then I slapped her as hard as I could.

Sloane cupped her cheek and stared at me in disbelief. "Did you just hit me?"

I looked at her and coldly said, "You framed me. Why wouldn't I?

"You stood before me and told my boyfriend that you love him. You're lucky it was only one."

She had nothing to say to that. She glared at me with pure venom and raised her hand to hit me back, but with Adrian standing right there, she stopped herself and looked to him instead.

Adrian clearly hadn't recovered. In all the time he'd known me, I'd always been easygoing, agreeable, never once out of control. This was the first time he'd ever seen me push back.

He opened his mouth, and when he spoke, his voice had gone soft, almost conciliatory.

"Iris, why don't we just let this go? I'll cover the loss personally."

"Suit yourself."

It had nothing to do with me anymore.

I pulled free of his grip and walked out. When I returned, I was carrying a stack of contracts with my freshly printed resignation letter tucked inside. I held them out to him.

"Sign these."

The shift had been too fast for Adrian to process. His eyes dropped to the papers in my hand, and he picked up a pen and signed everything without reading a single page.

Just as I'd expected. All he wanted right now was to put the whole mess behind him, and he wasn't about to scrutinize anything I put in front of him.

I exhaled, sent the signed resignation letter to HR, and drove out of the parking lot.

I was stopped at a red light when Adrian's name flashed on my phone. I hesitated, then picked up.

"You tricked me into signing off on your resignation." It wasn't a question. He already knew.

"Yeah."

"Over what just happened? I told you I'd take care of it."

I almost laughed. "Adrian, in what capacity are you covering for her mistakes?"

He was quiet now.

"Is it because she still loves you?"

Through the phone, I could hear his breathing turn heavy. A long pause stretched between us, and just as I was about to hang up, he spoke.

"Believe me. Whatever Sloane and I had is long over."

When I didn't respond, urgency bled into his voice. "I've already started planning our wedding."

I almost laughed. Five years together and he'd never once said that, not even when he found out I was pregnant. Saying it now was too late.

He kept talking. "Iris, we have a child on the way. Nothing has to change."

"Adrian." I cut him off, my voice steady.

"The baby's gone."