An Almost Honest Affair のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

The first thing I heard that morning was Bloom scratching at my door. The second was the silence on the other side of the wall.Liam’s silence.I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, my chest tight. Every nerve in my body still remembered the feel of his mouth on mine, the way he’d kissed me like he hated me, like he needed me, like he couldn’t decide which urge would win.And then the way I’d stopped it.The way I’d lied about being tired because admitting the truth that I wanted him but was too afraid of what it meant was too dangerous.Bloom whined softly, her paws scratching again. It was almost comical, the way she stationed herself between our rooms, like she wanted to push us together.I rolled out of bed with a groan made my way toward the kitchen.He was already there.Black suit. Crisp shirt. Hair slicked back, jaw set. He looked every inch the ruthless CEO again, as if last night had never happened.“Morning,” I said, aiming for breezy.He glanced up. “Morning.”That was it.

The morning felt different.I didn’t hit snooze. I didn’t bury my head under the pillow like I had the past few weeks, letting the weight of everything keep me down. Instead, I sat up, took a long breath, and for the first time in what felt like forever I felt like myself again.Maybe it was Daniel’s words echoing in my head. Maybe it was the way Liam’s silence last night stung like a bruise. Or maybe it was just time. But I wasn’t going to lose myself in this. Not anymore.I showered, slipped into my black suit the one that always made me feel like I could walk into a boardroom and set it on fire if I had to. I stood in front of the mirror, fastening my earrings, and whispered to my reflection, “Mia Cross Wolfe. Still here. Still standing.”Bloom whined at my feet, tail thumping the floor. She tilted her head like she knew something was shifting inside me.When I walked out to the kitchen, Liam was already there. Of course he was. Black suit, crisp shirt, one hand wrapped around a co

The office was quiet. Too quiet.The kind of silence that pressed on your chest until breathing felt like effort.The clock on the wall ticked somewhere behind me, but I didn’t move. My hands rested on the desk, the light from the city below bleeding into the glass walls, painting everything in gold and shadow.Mia’s voice still echoed in my head.“I can’t. Not until you’re honest with me.”Honest.The word cut deeper than she’d ever know.Because honesty was the one thing I didn’t know how to give without destroying everything I’d built.I dragged a hand through my hair, leaning back in my chair. I hadn’t been able to focus since the argument. I’d told myself I came here to work through a few reports, check on a new partnership, anything to clear my head. But the truth was simpler.I just couldn’t go home yet.Not when her voice still haunted every quiet corner of my mind.The past had a funny way of clawing back when you least wanted it.I still remembered that night like a wound th

MIAI wasn’t expecting music.Soft humming drifted from the kitchen light, feminine, a tune I didn’t know.At first I thought maybe Liam had left the TV on, but then I smelled coffee… and something else. Vanilla and cinnamon. Too sweet. Too foreign.I padded down the hall, still half-asleep, still clinging to the thin hope that I was imagining it.Then I saw her.A woman stood by the stove, wearing one of Liam’s white shirts, sleeves rolled halfway up her arms, the fabric brushing her thighs. Her hair fell in loose waves down her back. She stirred a pot like she’d done it a hundred times before.My heart dropped into my stomach.“Who the hell are you?”The woman turned, startled but not nearly startled enough. “Oh!” she said quickly, eyes wide and doe-like. “You must be Mia. I—I’m Rosemary.”She said it like her name explained everything.Before I could respond, Liam walked in from the hall, tie loose, jacket slung over his arm. His expression froze the moment he saw us.“Mia,” he sta

The city lights glowed faintly against the dusk, a thousand golden windows reflected in my windshield. From where I sat, parked across the street, I could see two silhouettes moving inside the penthouse one tall, broad-shouldered. The other smaller. Closer.My fingers tightened around the steering wheel.It was almost laughable how still I sat there, watching like some stranger spying on her own life. I told myself it was probably nothing that Rosemary was just being the overly helpful, overly sweet version of herself. But the way she tilted her head toward him, the way his shadow leaned closer... it made something deep in my chest twist.I got out before I could talk myself out of it.The elevator ride up felt endless, every number lighting up slower than the last. When the doors finally opened, I stood there for a second, breathing in and out, forcing a smile that felt heavy on my face.The door opened easily he hadn’t even locked it. Typical Liam. Always so confident no one would d