15
To my surprise, Parker didn’t look shocked at all.
Instead, a wave of profound relief washed over his face. “You finally figured it out. I guess I’m not as good at hiding it as I thought.”
I rolled my eyes. Oh, you were brilliant at it. If it weren’t for your secret blog, we’d be over by now.
10/13
13.07
Chapter 2
But I didn’t tell him that. Parker was in far too good a mood. After a long, tender kiss, he was already trying to carry me back to the bathroom.
“I thought you were going to leave me because I wasn’t good enough in bed. I was holding back so much just now. Nora, please, help me.”
72
After a few blissful days, Cassie commented that I was glowing. It wasn’t just my mood; my creative inspira- tion was off the charts. I spent nearly a week buried in my work before I finally had a chance to check Parker‘
s blog again.
There were only a few new posts.
DrunkenShark:
She knows I love her. I’m so happy.
DrunkenShark:
I don’t expect her to love me back right away. I just hope she doesn’t start to hate me too soon.
DrunkenShark:
In the year I loved her most, I forgave her infidelity.
” ”
What on earth was he imagining now? The whole thing with the models had been cleared up, hadn’t it? I had a feeling there was something else.
I snapped my laptop shut and headed upstairs.
Parker was in the home gym. As if he wasn’t already sculpted enough. His dedication was starting to make me feel inadequate. I watched him for a while, admiring the sleek lines of his waist and the taut muscles in his arms, before walking over and handing him a towel.
“You look amazing already. Don’t overdo it.”
“A husband’s body is a wife’s pride,” he replied simply.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Well, in that case, my pride is overflowing.
I waited outside while Parker showered. When he was decent, I asked him if there was anything he wanted
to ask me.
He emerged, rubbing his hair with a towel, and glanced at me. “Ask you what?”
Ugh. That was Parker for you. Suffering in silence, never letting on that anything was wrong. If I weren’t so perceptive, he’d probably let it fester forever.
11/13
13:07
1307
Chapter 2
I decided to be provocative.
“I read a quote today. ‘Take the one I love as a lover, and the one who loves me as a husband.‘ Sounds like a
good plan, don’t you think?”
His expression shuttered. “Don’t you dare,” he said instantly.
“And what if I told you I’ve already done it?”
A flash of raw pain crossed his face. “I know,” he said, his voice quiet. “But I don’t blame you. It’s those other
people, they’re manipulative. They schemed to seduce you,
He stepped closer, his voice cracking. “But Nora, please, just this once, okay? Otherwise… I don’t think I can handle it.” He wrapped his arms around me, his tone frantic, but his embrace was still achingly gentle.
I almost laughed out of sheer frustration. I pushed him back. “You’re so sure of yourself. Then tell me, who
was it?”
“I don’t know his name.”
“Then how do you know it happened?”
Parker’s eyes locked onto my neck, where the faint remnants of his love bites still lingered.
His jaw tightened. “That time you stayed out all night… you came back with marks on your neck. Your voice
was hoarse, and you had a fever. I knew then.”
I racked my brain, trying to remember. The night I stayed at Cassie’s. Thinking back, I had to admit, the evid-
ence was pretty damning.
I explained everything, then offered him an olive branch. “It was a misunderstanding. I would never cheat on you, Parker. That’s a line I would never cross.”
“But you,” I continued, poking his chest, “you’re supposed to be this brilliant CEO, a shark in the boardroom. How is it that when it comes to me, you can’t say a single damn thing? You just let it eat you up inside.”
“You have a mouth for a reason. If you’re not going to use it, you might as well donate it.”
“It was my fault,” he said immediately, seeing my frustration.
I was at my wit’s end. I grabbed the front of his shirt. “Fault, fault, fault, that’s all you ever say! What else? What else have you been hiding from me?”
A deep blush spread across his face. “There is… something. Your missing lingerie… I took it. And I did… inap- propriate things with it. I’m sorry.”
“…And?”
“Your sister leaving the country so suddenly… I arranged it.”
I stared at him, stunned. “What?”
