FAZER LOGINTIFFANYDamian’s arm tightened around me. “Stay behind me.”I couldn’t see anything. The house was completely dark. My father’s breathing was shaky beside us.Then the lights suddenly came back on.Ashley stood at the entrance to the hallway. She was wearing a black dress and holding a small handbag. She looked completely calm. Almost amused.I stared at her.“How did you get in?”She smiled. “Your father let me in earlier.”My father looked away.“You told me you were leaving.”“I did.”She looked at Damian.“Eventually.”Damian stepped forward.“What do you want?”Ashley smiled. “I already told Tiffany.”She looked at me.“I want her to know the truth.”“What truth?”“The truth about why this marriage happened.”I tightened my grip on the folder. Ashley noticed. Her smile widened.“So you found it.”I frowned.“You knew about this?”“Of course.”“How?”She walked closer.“Because Richard isn’t the only Ashford who knows how to keep secrets.”Damian’s eyes narrowed.“What are you tal
TIFFANYFor several seconds, I couldn’t move.I stared at Ashley’s message until the words blurred.Come to your father’s house if you want to know why I really married into your life.And underneath it:And bring Damian.My fingers tightened around my phone.Damian stood beside me, his expression unreadable.“What did she mean?” he asked.“I don’t know.”“You said your father knows about the contract.”“Leon said he does.”Damian’s jaw tightened.“And Ashley knows it too.”I nodded.He looked toward the office door.“We’re going to your father’s house.”I looked at him.“Are you sure?”“No.”That answer surprised me.He looked back at me.“But I’m going anyway.”My heart tightened.After everything that had happened, he still wasn’t leaving me alone to deal with this.He could have.He had every reason to.Instead, he picked up his jacket.“Come on.”The drive to my father’s house was silent.I sat beside Damian, staring through the window.My mind wouldn’t stop.My father knew about
TIFFANYThe drive to Bennett Interiors felt endless. I couldn’t stop staring through the window. Every streetlight seemed to pass too slowly.Damian sat beside me, his phone pressed against his ear as Ethan updated him.“Any movement?” Damian asked.A pause.“Nothing?”Another pause.“Keep watching.”He ended the call.I looked at him.“What if someone is actually inside?”“We’ll find out.”“What if Ashley hurts someone?”“She won’t.”“You don’t know that.”“I know she doesn’t want to hurt anyone.”“Then what does she want?”Damian looked at me.“You.”My heart sank.“Me?”“She wants to hurt you by destroying everything around you.”I looked down at my hands.“She already tried.”“And failed.”I glanced at him.His expression was calm.Almost too calm.“Are you scared?” I asked.“No.”“Not even a little?”He looked at me.“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.”I hadn’t expected that.“You’re scared?”“For you.”My chest tightened.I looked away before he could see my expression.The car f
TIFFANYI stared at the photograph until my eyes began to hurt. Ashley. Leon. Together. In a hotel room.My mind refused to process it.“No.”The word came out as a whisper.Damian didn’t move.His eyes remained fixed on the screen.“That’s Leon,” I said.“I know.”“He wouldn’t…”I stopped.I didn’t even know what I was trying to say.Leon was my best friend. He had been there for me for years. He had helped me when Bennett Interiors was struggling. He had listened when I needed someone. He had never given me a reason to doubt him.But the photograph was right there.Ashley was standing only a few feet away from him. And they were both looking toward the camera.It wasn’t an old photograph.The timestamp was from yesterday.My stomach twisted.“Maybe it’s fake.”Damian finally looked at me.“You think Ashley would send me a fake photograph?”“I don’t know.”“Neither do I.”His voice was dangerously calm.I looked back at the screen.There had to be an explanation.There had to be.“Ma
TIFFANYI could not look away from the photograph. My father. Standing beside Ashley. Again.My mind immediately went to the worst possible conclusion.“What is she doing with him?”Damian’s expression was cold.“I don’t know.”“Maybe she knows about the gambling.”“That’s possible.”“Maybe she found out about the debts.”“Maybe.”I shook my head.“No. This isn’t random.”Damian studied me.“What are you thinking?”“I think she’s trying to use him.”“For what?”I didn’t know.And that was the problem.I had spent so long trying to protect my father’s mistakes that I was beginning to realize how many people could use those mistakes against me.Ashley knew about Bennett Interiors. She knew about my marriage. She knew Damian cared about me.Now she was talking to my father.That couldn’t be a coincidence.Damian’s phone rang again.“Ethan.”He answered.“Tell me.”I watched him carefully.His expression grew darker with every second.“How long?”A pause.“Send everything.”He ended the c
TIFFANYI stared at the photograph. Ashley was standing outside an airport, dressed in dark sunglasses with a folder in her hand. DIVORCE. The word seemed to burn itself into my mind.I looked at Damian. He hadn’t moved.“What does this mean?” I whispered.His jaw tightened.“I don’t know.”“Then why would she have that?”He looked back at the photograph.“Because she wants us to see it.”My stomach twisted. Ashley had never been subtle. She wanted Damian back. She had made that clear from the beginning. She had attacked Bennett Interiors. She had tried to interfere with our wedding. And now she was apparently monitoring me and carrying divorce papers around like some kind of warning.But something about this felt different.“What if she files for divorce?”Damian’s eyes met mine.“She can’t file for our divorce.”I frowned.“Why?”“Because she’s not married to me.”I blinked. For some reason, the answer made me feel slightly better.Then I remembered the contract.The two year agreem







