LOGINSalome’s POV
"You think you can just hide from the world on a porch in Jersey?"
I didn't look up at the sound of my mother’s voice from the screen door. I kept my eyes fixed on the horizon, where the trees blurred into a soft, hazy green. The air here felt thicker than in the city, tasting of damp earth and coming rain. It was a relief. In New York, every breath felt like inhaling someone else’s opinion. Here, the only thing judging me was the rhythmic creak of
Salome’s POV“You’re only thinking about him, aren’t you?”Barnabas stopped in his tracks. He turned back to look at me, and his face was twisted with something dark. It wasn’t just anger. It was a bitter, jagged kind of resentment that made my skin crawl. He took a step toward me, his shadow falling over my lap.“Everything is about him now,” he said. His voice was low, vibrating with a shakiness he couldn't quite hide. “You don’t even see me anymore, Salome. I’m just a ghost in the room while you worry about his every breath.”I didn't answer. I kept my face as blank as a sheet of paper. I knew how this worked. If I gave him a single word, he would use it like a match to light a fire. I just sat there, my hands folded in my lap, watching him. The air in the conference room felt heavy and thin at the same time.Then, Barnabas did something I didn't expect. He turned away from
Salome’s POV“Barnabas, do you have something to add to the conversation?”Jeremiah asked the question with a calm that felt like a blade. He took a slow sip of his tea, his eyes tracking Barnabas over the rim of the porcelain cup. He looked bored. Caspian had just spent ten minutes pleading his case, pouring out a desperate pitch that Jeremiah seemed to ignore entirely. My boss had a way of making powerful men feel like they were auditioning for a role they had already lost.Barnabas didn’t answer right away. He sat there, his body rigid. I could feel the heat of his stare from across the table. Every few seconds, he flicked a sharp, hateful glance my way. He was vibrating with a kind of silent fury that usually ended in a broken nose or a shattered glass.Jeremiah didn’t rush him. He just set his cup down without making a sound. He was waiting for the pride of an Alpha to crack.I leaned over and signalled the waiter
Salome’s POV“Our Alpha is under the weather today, so he really should not be drinking,” I said, my voice steady despite the frantic thumping in my chest. “I will be more than happy to take his place.”I did not wait for an answer. I pushed my chair back and stood up in one fluid motion, reaching for the wine glass that sat like a trap on the table. I forced a polite, professional smile to stay pinned to my face. My fingers closed around the cool stem of the glass. I began to lift it, preparing to swallow whatever liquid threat was inside, but I never got the chance.A large hand clamped onto my wrist. Before I could blink, Jeremiah snatched the glass out of my grip.“You do not have to drink that,” he said. His voice was low, cutting through the sudden quiet of the room. “Sit down.”He set the glass back on the mahogany surface with a sharp click. I froze, my heart rate spiking for an entirely
Salome’s POV“Is that for me, or is it just a decoration?”Jeremiah didn’t look up from his desk. He didn't even blink as he flipped through a thick stack of folders. I stood there for a second, holding the coffee mug like a peace offering that had been rejected before it even hit the table. I set it down near his elbow with a sharp click. When he still didn't say anything, I took it as my cue to disappear. I turned around and headed for the door, ready to get back to the safety of my own space.“Wait.”His voice stopped me mid-step. I turned back, expecting a critique on the roast or maybe a real thank you. Instead, Jeremiah just sat there, watching me. He didn’t use his words. He just lifted a hand and tapped his left cheek twice.I stared at him, my brain stalling. Was he serious? Did he actually expect me to walk over there and give him a kiss? I tried to remember if there was some weird clause in the e
Salome’s POV“So I need a permit before I even touch the vacuum in there, or is that off-limits too?”I leaned against the doorframe of my new office, watching Benedict shift from one foot to the other. He wouldn't look me in the eye. That was usually a bad sign when it came to job expectations.“You don’t actually have to do the heavy cleaning, Salome,” Benedict said. He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression turning sheepish. “Well, mostly. You just need to handle his morning coffee, check that his suits are pressed, and take care of the wake-up calls.”I let out a sharp, dry laugh. “Wake-up calls? Absolutely not. My contract says nine-to-five. I am a secretary, not a personal maid. I’m not inserting myself into Jeremiah’s private life.”Benedict straightened up, his loyalty to his Alpha flaring in his eyes. “The Alpha has a habit of sleeping through his alarms. It
Salome’s POV"He is actually insane," I whispered, staring at the dark screen of my phone.The silence in the back of the car felt heavy. I could feel Jeremiah watching me from the seat beside me. In the front, Benedict kept his eyes on the road, but he kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror. I shoved the phone deep into my bag, wishing I could bury the memory of that voice along with it. Barnabas sounded like he was losing his mind. He had used a random office number just to get me to pick up."You are divorced?" Benedict asked. His voice broke the quiet, but it didn't make me feel any better."Yes, Benedict, she is," Jeremiah said. He sounded bored, like we were discussing the weather instead of my failed marriage. "Can we focus on the road? We have a schedule to keep."I turned my head toward the window. I didn't want to talk about Barnabas. I didn't want to talk about the divorce papers that were barely dry. Most of all, I didn't
Salome’s POV“Your car is sitting out front, Ms. Salome,” the mechanic said over the phone. “Good as new.”The news should have been a relief, but it just reminded me of the one thing still missing. The jacket. Barnabas had tossed that expensive piece of fabric out a moving window like it was trash,
Salome’s POV“Are you really just going to let that thing ring all night?”I didn't move. I kept my back turned to Barnabas, my eyes pressed shut so tight they ached. On the nightstand, his phone was a frantic, glowing insect. It buzzed against the wood, the vibration rattling through the mattress a
Salome’s POV“Does it sting when I apply the pressure here?”Healer Beatrice moved my head to the side with a light touch. The room smelled like lemon cleaner and old herbs. I sat on the hard paper of the exam table while she dabbed at the jagged red line near my hairline.“I’m fine, Beatrice. It’s
Salome’s POV“Come on, just one more,” Portia said, though her voice lacked its usual sweetness. “I’m only starting to find my rhythm.”I looked at her, then shifted my gaze to Barnabas. He remained a statue, refusing to meet my eyes. Margot stood off to the side, her arms crossed and her mouth set







