บททั้งหมดของ Her Sister’s Surrogate: บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

Hunter’s POVMy grip tightened on the phone. “I see. My mistake then. Thanks.”I hung up, a cold feeling settling in my stomach. She’d lied. Not a white lie, not an exaggeration. A complete fabrication about where she’d be tonight.The whiskey burned going down as I finished it in one swallow. Was she with someone else? Was that what was going on? Or was I letting my imagination run wild because of some damn birth control pills and my own... complicated feelings?Had she gotten the dates mixed up in our shared calendar? Fuck, was I seeing ghosts where there weren’t any? Was I secretly hoping something was going on so I could justify my own actions and thoughts?I poured another drink, staring at the amber liquid. Following her would be insane. The act of a jealous, insecure husband. I’d never been that guy, never wanted to be that guy, and if I’m being honest with myself, I’m not even jealous. Which seemed wrong. Helena is my wife… I should be jealous at the thought of her with anothe

Hunter’s POVShe stared up at me, conflict clear in her eyes. “We can’t... I should.”“But?”“But I don’t want to.” The admission seemed torn from her, painful and liberating at once.Those few words made my control snap. I kissed her again, harder, more demanding. My hand moved beneath her bra, finding her breast, thumb brushing across the nipple. She gasped, arching into my touch. I wanted to feel all of her, taste her, lose myself in her.I shifted, trailing kisses down her throat, across her collarbone. Her hands clutched at my back, her breathing ragged. When I moved to unbutton her blouse, she didn’t stop me. One button, then another, revealing more skin, more lace.“You’re beautiful,” I murmured against her skin. “So goddamn beautiful.”I pushed the fabric aside, my mouth finding the swell of her breast above her bra. She moaned, her body trembling beneath mine. I reached behind her, unhooking the lace barrier with practiced ease, exposing her completely.Time blurred as I lost

Grace’s POVA knock at the connecting bedroom door startled me.“Grace?” Hunter’s voice, muffled through the wood. He must have used his key to the connecting door. “We need to talk.”“Go away,” I called, hating the tremor in my voice.“Please. Just five minutes.”“There’s nothing to say.”Silence, then: “I’m not leaving until we talk.”I took a deep breath. I had to face him at some point. When I opened the door, Hunter was standing in the middle of the room, looking as wrecked as I felt.“Five minutes,” I said, keeping my distance. “Then you leave.”He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture I’d always found endearing. Now it just made my chest ache.“I’m sorry,” he began.“Don’t.” I cut him off. “Sorry doesn’t fix this.”“I know.” He took a step toward me, stopping when I backed away. “But I need you to know that I never meant for this to happen. I never intended—”“Intentions don’t matter,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself. “What matters is what we did. We betrayed Helena. We

Grace’s POVI must have dozed off, because suddenly Maya was shaking my shoulder.“Grace,” she whispered urgently. “Something’s happening.”I blinked awake, confused. The room was dimmer than before, only a small wall light casting shadows. Hunter was on his feet, leaning over Helena. A nurse was checking machines, moving quickly.“What’s going on?” I asked, rising.Maya shook her head. “I don’t know. Her monitors started going crazy.”The nurse pressed a button on the wall, and suddenly the room was flooded with activity. Dr. Patel appeared, barking orders. Someone pushed Hunter away from the bed.“Sir, you need to step back.”“What’s happening?” Hunter demanded. “What’s wrong with her?”“Please, Mr. Sinclair, let us look after her wife.”Maya grabbed Hunter’s arm, pulling him back. I stood frozen, watching the events unfold. Time stretched, seconds feeling like hours.And then, too quickly, it was over.Dr. Patel stepped away from the bed. The machines were silent.“Time of death, 2

Hunter’s POVThe whiskey wasn’t working anymore. I’d been drinking for three days straight, and all I had to show for it was a pounding headache and the same fucking thoughts circling my brain like vultures.Helena was dead.I’d betrayed her with Grace. I was a dirty bag.I set the glass down too hard. It cracked, a thin line appearing from base to rim. Figures. Everything I touched these days seemed to break or turn to shit.“Hunter?” My father’s voice, followed by a knock. “Son, we need to talk about the funeral.”I ignored him, staring at the cracked glass, at the amber liquid inside it. I didn’t want to talk about the funeral. Didn’t want to think about Helena in a box, lifeless.Even now, all I could think about was Grace. Which made me feel even worse and unable to look at her. I couldn’t get the image of her underneath me on that hotel couch out of my head. Grace’s soft gasps in my ear. Grace’s body responding to my touch while my wife was alive and breathing and somewhere in N