Chapter 4

I drove with him to his office the next morning. It was part of my little game. The last one I would ever play.

"I' ll just sit in the back," I told him when he gestured for me to get in the passenger seat of his Tesla.

"Why? Are you still feeling sick?"

"The motion," I lied smoothly. "It' s better for me back here."

He shrugged, accepting it. He was too self-absorbed to question anything for long.

We pulled up to the gleaming glass tower of Powell Industries. The moment he stepped out of the car, he was swarmed. Employees, executives, all vying for a moment of his attention.

"Mr. Powell, good morning!"

"Sir, the numbers from the Asian market are in. They' re incredible!"

A young woman, one of his VPs, rushed forward. "Eliana! You look stunning, as always. That color is divine on you."

She was fawning, her eyes flicking between me and Dustin, calculating.

Dustin laughed, draping an arm around my shoulders. "She' s always stunning. I' m the luckiest man alive."

Another executive chimed in, "Seriously, you two are relationship goals. My wife is always asking me why I can' t be more like you, Dustin."

They all laughed. It was a chorus of sycophants.

Dustin basked in it. "Just treat her like a queen, Bob. That' s the secret."

I was ushered into his corner office, a vast space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. A bottle of champagne was chilling in an ice bucket. A platter of pastries and fruit sat on the low coffee table.

"I told them to get all your favorites," he said, gesturing to the spread. "Make yourself comfortable. I have a few fires to put out, then I' m all yours."

He set up a tablet for me, queued up with my favorite shows. A pathetic attempt to placate me, to keep me occupied while he went about his real business.

"So, who' s your emergency today?" I asked, my voice light. "Jami?"

He flinched, just for a second. "What? No. It' s... it' s a legal thing. Boring stuff."

He kissed my forehead. "Be back soon."

He left, closing the heavy glass door behind him.

He' d left his personal phone on the desk. The one he used for me, for family. The bait.

I waited a full five minutes before I got up. I picked up the phone and walked to the door. I could hear voices from the hallway.

Two junior executives, gossiping by the water cooler.

"Did you hear? Jami' s pregnant," one said.

"No way. With his kid?" the other whispered.

"Who else? She' s been bragging about it all morning. Said he' s going to leave the wife and marry her."

"Wow. The Iceman finally knocked someone up."

Iceman. That was their nickname for him. It was because he never slept with anyone at the office. A rule he' d obviously broken. For her.

"He bought her a condo in the city, you know," the first one said. "And a new car. She' s set."

"Poor Eliana. She has no idea."

I felt a cold dread seep into my bones, a realization that this was so much worse than I had imagined. The secret apartment. The pregnancy. It all clicked into place. The morning sickness I' d been faking for him was a sick parody of what was really happening.

Dustin appeared at the end of the hall. He saw the two men gossiping and his face darkened.

"Get back to work," he snapped.

They scurried away like frightened rats.

One of them, the bolder one, glanced back. "Congrats on the baby, boss."

Dustin' s face went white with fury. "What did you say?"

"Nothing, sir. Sorry, sir."

"If I hear another word of this, you' re both fired. Understand?"

I slipped back into the office before he could see me. I placed his phone back on the desk, exactly where he' d left it.

He came in a moment later, forcing a smile. "Sorry about that. Office drama."

He came over and wrapped his arms around me. I had to fight the urge to recoil.

"Where were you just now?" I asked, my voice steady.

He looked for his phone, his eyes scanning the desk. He saw it and relaxed.

"Just talking to legal," he said.

Just then, my new phone, the cheap burner I' d bought for cash, rang in my purse.

"Excuse me," I said, pulling it out.

"Is this Hope Tillman?" a woman' s voice asked.

"Yes, this is she," I said, my heart giving a little leap.

"This is Air Portugal, confirming your flight to Lisbon tomorrow at 9 a.m. As you' re traveling on a new passport, please be sure to bring your official name change documentation to the airport."

"I have it right here," I said. "Just the passport and the court order? Nothing else?"

"That' s correct, Ms. Tillman."

"Thank you."

I hung up.

Dustin was watching me, a frown on his face. "Who was that?"