All Chapters of Shared In Tangled Sheets : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The city passed in a blur of lights and motion, but Xander wasn’t really seeing any of it. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter than he realized, his knuckles pale against the leather.He didn’t have a destination, just the hum of the engine, the whisper of tires against asphalt, and the hollow weight in his chest that refused to go away.He’d told Ava he needed space to breathe. Truth was, every breath since leaving the house was like hot air.He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t stop seeing that message; Dinner was exceptional because of you. Xoxo.It looped in his mind like a static wave, louder each time until it was all he could hear.He tried to remind himself of the truth he knew. Ava wasn’t reckless. She wasn’t cruel. She had always been grounded, focused, and loyal.But then again… she had been distant. Those little times with the new guy at the office, the late nights, and the weird look in her eyes whenever he tried to talk to her about how he felt.Ever since the acc

The moment Tristan left her office, Ava stood frozen, her pulse still racing. The door had closed behind him, but his presence lingered in the air, his cologne and aftershave still lingered in her nostrils, and her body still hummed from being near him.She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady herself.This wasn’t who she was. She didn’t do this, didn’t get caught up in what-ifs and reckless temptations. She’d built her entire life around control, around reason. Around… Xander.And yet, here she was, shaking like someone who had just barely stopped herself from falling off a cliff.The rest of the day passed in fragments. She attended meetings, answered calls, and signed documents, but her mind wasn’t in any of it. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Tristan’s face. That maddening calm, the way he looked at her like he could see every secret she tried to hide.The way he commanded her body with his words and his eyes. She was so hot for him and she needed it to stop.

When Ava got into the room, it felt colder than normal.Not the kind of cold that seeped from the walls, but the kind that rose from inside. The kind born of guilt, shame, and the quiet terror of knowing you’ve pushed someone you love past a line that can’t be unseen.She stood there for a long time, the door still half open behind her, her pulse echoing in her ears. Everything smelled faintly of lavender and night air, yet it all felt wrong. She shut the door softly, as if loudness might break something fragile that hadn’t already shattered.At her desk, the laptop's glow painted her face in shifting light. The cursor blinked on an empty document, she stared at it until her eyes blurred. She’d opened and closed the same file at least ten times, trying to write, trying to feel normal again. Every sentence she typed came out twisted— brittle.Delete. Type again. Delete.The memory replayed in fragments. The tension in Xander’s eyes, the way his voice broke between anger and despera

Ava hadn’t meant to go.She’d told herself it was just the fright from the fight, that she just needed to clear her head, to escape the quiet ache of the house that no longer felt like home.But when Tristan texted back, “Come by. I know a place we can talk,” her fingers moved before her mind could stop them.Now she stood outside the door of a sleek serviced apartment tucked away in one of the city’s quieter districts. All glass, steel, and silence. The kind of place designed for people who want luxury and quiet.When he opened the door, he wasn’t smiling. He looked composed, calm even. The kind of calm that made her pulse race faster.“Long day?” he asked.Ava nodded, stepping inside. The scent of his cologne filled the room, mingling with the low hum of music playing in the background. Inside, everything gleamed in a soft, expensive style. The living room opened into a wide expanse of beige and grey decor, accented with warm lighting that made even the air feel intimate. Floor-t

The serviced apartment was silent after Ava left. Tristan sat on the couch, shirt half-unbuttoned, the faint scent of her perfume still clinging to his skin. His phone buzzed with updates from TMP’s legal team. He scrolled lazily through the numbers on the screen— revenue, projections, acquisition targets.A faint smirk curved his lips. “Perfect,” he murmured.He tossed the phone aside and leaned back, eyes distant.A flicker of memory with Ava flashed in his mind. The way her voice trembled when she told him it was wrong. The way she didn’t pull away when he touched her. The guilt, the hesitation… the surrender.He knew it was leverage, but he loved every moment of it. To him, she was a pawn wrapped in silk. Intelligent, beautiful, but perfectly placed to deliver everything he wanted right into his lap.A knock interrupted his thoughts. He didn’t move immediately.“Come in,” he called lazily.The door opened, and she stepped in— the woman from the car, sunglasses still on, her ene