Every tabloid had a different cover story, but the one in the front, the one that my mother was most concerned about was the one that showed a photo taken out front of the Italian restaurant last week.Tears stained my cheeks as my fingers ran across my lips. James had just kissed me out front after chasing me down. There was a dramatized crack between the photo and the caption said Trouble in paradise. Billionaire romance coming to an end. Sealed divorce documents on page three.“Divorce Rosalind?!” my mother shrieked, “You cannot divorce James.”I wanted a hole to open up in the floor and swallow me whole.“Do you know how much money it’s going to cost your father to have these deemed as false rumors?” she shook her head, scoffing and tossing the stack of tabloids on the table in front of her, but the one hiding behind the top cover caught my eye.Billionaire James Wood purchases multimillion dollar penthouse for mistress amid ongoing divorce.I forced my feet to move, and I bent do

Before I could utter a single question, James’ thumb dragged across my lower lip, “You shouldn’t allow your mother to speak to you that way.” I tilted my head slightly, “Even when she’s convincing me to stay married to you?” His lips curled slightly at the same time an eyebrow raised, “Convincing. That sounded more like demanding. And though I agree that you should remain my wife, I want you to want to be my wife. Not feel forced into it.” Was this the real James Wood? The one that I’d seen a tiny glimpse of before that photo shattered my reality all over again? James was typically one to make demands. Directly and indirectly. But does he believe that only he holds that power with me? Every time I find myself in this position with James, a tiny piece of the walls I try to keep strong chip away. His touch feels so comforting. It feels like home. The warmth of his fingers. The slight calloused tips to them from his exercising. It’s almost as if his touch electrifies my skin. The gre

James hasn’t spoken to me in three days. It feels like we took two steps forward, and three steps back. His days have consisted of spending as much time at the office as possible, or working out to the brink of exhaustion before he closes himself in his office. I thought that I felt something shift when he’d showed me the home that he grew up in, but it seems to have only driven a wedge between us. Today is my first day back at work, and I’m thankful for the distraction. It’s been lonely back at the house. It’s my first break in six hours, which means it’s time for a much needed coffee. The elevator feels as if it’s moving at a snails pace as we lower from the sixth floor down to the lobby. As I’m walking up to the line, I notice a familiar figure at the front, “Shawn?” His head whips around and his eyes immediately land on me, “I didn’t know you were back at work already,” he turned quickly, adding my favorite latte to his order before glancing over his shoulder, “Are you on br

I don’t know what I was thinking bringing Rosa to Blackwood.I’ve not been able to return outside of the day I left the hospital. The wound still feels as fresh as it was all those years ago. My sleep has been plagued with tiny flashes of what happened that day, but nothing that will actually help me.Each night I’ve woken up covered in a cool layer of sweat, picking apart each nightmare in hopes that I’ll come up with something, but it’s been fruitless and left me in a sour mood.Putting distance between Rosalind and I has been necessary because she doesn’t deserve to put up with my shitty attitude.I came down to my gym for the fourth day in a row, pounding my fists against the punching bag. I didn’t bother wrapping them today. The pain was a welcome change to the building frustrating that I felt surging through my body.The muscles in my arms glistened with sweat as I pushed my body to its breaking point. I needed the distraction.My phone buzzed on the weight bench, flashing with

“Haven’t seen that face in person in a hot minute,” my grandfather entered my office without a knock. “I’ve been a bit preoccupied as of late.”My grandfather was a workhorse, which meant I was supposed to inherit those genes. Where he was obsessive about the job, I was obsessive about a certain woman who’d taken over my every thought. “Wooing that gem of a wife you’ve got,” he winked, walking over to the floor to ceiling windows and gazing out over the city, “At least I hope so.” He tossed a look over his shoulder before returning his attention to the rising sun. I’d gotten here early in hopes that I’d get out of here early, but it seems I underestimated the amount of paperwork that I’d neglected over the past few weeks. “I took her to Blackwood.”I heard my grandfather audibly swallow, “And why’d you go and do that?”Anger bubbled beneath my skin. My grandfather has good intentions, but his distance from the werewolf world is just pathetic. Sure, he’s created something beautiful