“Thank you all once again for joining us. Do enjoy the rest of your evening.”
Everyone begins speaking again, and I lean over to Julian. “I need to speak to you. I’ll be in our bedroom.”
I don’t give him a chance to ask why—I don’t want to be around Malakai for a second longer than I have to. Not until I can speak to Julian.
Ascending the stairs, I hear someone following me, and a quick glance over my shoulder tells me it’s Kai.NotJulian—who is currently laughing with a man I don’t recognize. He gives me a quick apologetic look, and mouths,One second.
I keep going, and at the top of the stairs, I turn to face Kai. “Why are you following me?” I don’t bother trying to hide the ice in my words. We’re far enough away from everyone that we have some privacy up here, and any second now, Julian will come rescue me and explain everything. “I’m just acheater,right? Leave me alone,” I add, my voice breaking.
I turn and continue down the hall toward the master bedroom.
Before I know it, tears are falling down my cheeks. Not because I’m embarrassed, but because I actually enjoy spending time with Kai. I look up to and admire him, and now he thinks I’m worse than the scum on the bottom of his shoe.
It stings—for reasons I’m not sure I’m ready to admit.
Before I reach the master bedroom, I feel Kai’s hand close around my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. I spin around, but his face is unreadable, his usual calm replaced with something sharp and simmering beneath his clenched jaw.
“You don’t get to just walk away,” he says, voice low but intense. “You don’t get to act likeI’mthe one who’s out of line.”
His words cut deep, but I keep my head high, quickly wiping the tears from my cheeks. “It isn’t what you think. But considering howrudeyou’ve been about it, I don’t owe you an explanation. Now, like I asked before, please leave me alone.”
His grip loosens, but he doesn’t let go, searching my face as though he’s trying to piece together a puzzle. “Fine. Maybe youdon’t owe me anything, but it’d be nice to know the truth before you make me out to be some kind of fool. Does Julian know?”
The truth.
I bite back the urge to tell him, to explain that I’m not some thrill-seeker playing games behind Julian’s back, that I wouldn’t be this careless with people I care about.
People I care about.
The realization that Kai is one of them only makes this hurt more, the sting of his mistrust swelling in my chest.
If hereallyknew me, he’d know that I’d never cheat on Julian.
That, above all else, hurts the most.
I wipe away the remnants of my tears. “Whatever you think you saw… it’s not what it looked like.”
His laugh is hollow, almost disbelieving. “Not what it looked like? You were kissing another man, Sophie. That’s pretty clear. So, explain to me what I’m supposed to think. Because from my viewpoint, it looks like you’re betraying Julian—and that…” He runs a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Sophie, but he’s my friend. And I have to tell him.”
My shoulders slump. I want to defend myself, want to shout that Julian knows everything, that he’s always known, that there’s nothing underhanded going on here. But I don’t want to betray the quiet boundaries Julian and I set for ourselves, the unspoken understanding between us that we wouldn’t parade our arrangements around. The things we do in our marriage are private, sacred even, and I know Julian trusts me to keep it that way.
Kai’s silence is heavy. He doesn’t look angry anymore—just hurt, the flash of disappointment evident in the downturn of his mouth, the tight line of his shoulders. The sting in my chest grows, knowing that the last thing I wanted was to disappoint him.
Finally, I find my voice. “Just trust me, Kai. It’s not what it seems.”
His nostrils flare, and then his face flashes with that unknown emotion from before, and I realize with a start that Malakai Ravage isjealous.
“What do you mean by that?” He steps back, his brows drawn in a hard line, as if he’s trying to keep himself from unraveling. “Is this some sort of sick game the two of you are playing?” His eyes go wide. “Are you messing withme?”
“No!” The word escapes, louder than I intended, and I immediately regret it. I take a calming breath. “It’s not like that, Kai. It’s just… complicated.”
Kai’s jaw tightens. “So explain it to me, Sophie. Because right now, all I see is someone who thinks she can have it all without caring about who she hurts along the way.”
His words leave me reeling. I open my mouth, then close it, wondering how I can make him understand without actually telling him about the situation. I can’t betray the trust Julian and I built—or at least, it feels like Julian should be here too so we can tell him together. I could tell him that Julian knew all along—that nothing ever happens without honesty between us. But my words are stuck in my throat.
It feels like trying to bridge an impossible distance.
He lets out a frustrated sigh. “You know what? Forget it.” His gaze softens, but there’s still an edge to it, a look of someone who feels like a fool for ever trusting me in the first place. “I just thought you were… different. The work on the house is done, and I don’t want any part of whatever the fuck is going on with you and Julian?—”
