SARAH The nerve of him. I hiss as I start my car’s engine, no doubt more annoyed than I should be. I mean, I know I don’t drive the biggest or flashiest car in Durmont, but guess who’s not blowing thousands of dollars on luxury car tax? Me! I’m not sure if I’m really annoyed by his comment, or my sexual frustration is getting to me more than it should. It’s been almost two weeks since my night with the HawkThorne brothers, and while they’ve shown me something I can never forget, I have to put it at the back of my mind in order not to make a mistake. I press my thighs firmly together as the image of Jaxon’s hard muscles and the taste of Malachi’s soft lips come in violent flashes. I shake my head and keep my eyes on the road, eager to get home, snatch my vibrator, and relieve myself of the hell about to unleash between my legs. Thirty minutes pass before I park in my driveway. I frown when I see that Aaron’s car is still parked here, meaning he’s still home. I roll my eyes and climb down from my car, making a mental note to be out of here as quickly as I can. But nothing prepares me for the unpleasant surprise waiting behind the door. In my living room, seated on my most expensive couch, in a snake leather jumpsuit, legs crossed with a bowl of chips in hand and a glass of juice on the table in front of her, is Debbi Rose. My ex personal assistant and no doubt my husband’s favorite slut. The taste of bile lingers on my tongue as I look at her. Heavens, help me. Please, don’t let me be the kind of woman who drags another across the floor by her hair. Because Debbi’s hair is short, and that’s going to hurt like hell. I turn away from her in an effort to ignore her. Remember why you came back home, Sarah. Get your relief, and get out. I had already told Luke I wouldn’t be coming into the office today, but I would rather face the pitiful looks at the office than spend one second more than necessary in the same space as Aaron. I take one step up the staircase when Debbi’s voice cuts through the silence. “How much does it pay to be as shameless as you are?” I freeze. I don’t want to, but I freeze for a brief second, wondering whether to reply or be on my merry way. In a fit of rage, I choose the former. Slowly, I turn to look at her. “You’ve got ten seconds to convince me you’re worth the energy it’d take to respond.”She’s done enough already. First, it was slandering my company online, and by extension, me. I am not sure how much Aaron has paid to shut her up, and I don’t care. But walking into my home, sitting around like she owns the place, and talking to me like this? That, I have no tolerance for. Debbi laughs as her icy blue eyes examine me. “You know you’re evil, Sarah Wellspring,” I scoff, folding my arms. “Really?” “Very. What kind of woman do you think you’re being by preventing Aaron from taking over his responsibilities as a father?” For a split second, my heart drops to the pit of my stomach. Her words snatch the air right out of my lungs, and my right hand grips the railing of the staircase tighter to stop me from crumbling to the ground. Father? Aaron…Aaron is a father? “We’ve spoken about what we’re going to do about this baby, but he is so hesitant to do what’s right even if he wants the baby. But here’s what you must understand…” She takes a step forward to meet me at the bottom of the staircase. Hot, scorching tears sting the back of my eyelids, but I force myself to keep them at bay. “…Aaron is the father of this baby, and my child and I would get everything we deserve, starting from a place in this beautiful home of yours. If you think you’ll stop me because you can’t have a child of your own, you’ve got a long way to go.” I swallow hard. My knees buckle underneath me. Amusement lights up in her eyes as she chuckles and shakes her head. “You’re surprised he told me? He let me know that he needs a woman who will be able to cater to him and fill his home with children, and you can’t do either. So why don’t you scoot over and make way for a real woman, huh?” “Fuck this,” I hiss and look away from her. “Fuck this, and fuck you!” I can’t stop myself from turning back to her and screaming as I run up the stairs. I don’t want to cry, but I can’t help it. Uterine Hypoplasia. I was diagnosed one year after my wedding. Aaron and I had been trying for a baby for a year, but it never worked. A visit to the hospital made me know that my uterus was malformed and never developed properly, hence, it would never be able to carry a baby. It tore me into shreds. I had always dreamed of starting a family, and knowing that I could never have a child of my own was a severe blow to my face. I had tried to talk to Aaron about adoption over the years, but he was always very mean and dismissive about it. I decided to throw my time and heart to growing Wellspring insurance a few months after the devastating news. Then, he started growing distant, until this very day. Enough. I’ve had enough. I push the door of the master bedroom open and stomp into my closet. I don’t stop to think. There’s nothing to think about. I take out a suitcase and begin to throw whatever my hand grabs into it. Aaron appears by the door shortly, the scent of his soap hits my nostrils, announcing his presence. I ignore it, sniffing continuously, trying to fight my tears. “What do you think you’re doing?” A butter chuckle tears through my throat. I pause for a brief moment to look at him. “You are one shameless son of a bitch, you know that, don’t you?” He raises a careless brow. “And you’re calling me names because?” I take two steps towards him, and his gaze remains on me. How can he dare to look me in the eyes after what he’s done? “It’s bad enough that you decided to embarrass me by sleeping with everything in a skirt. But telling your whores about the things I have to struggle with? Spilling the one secret we should have kept as a couple?” The tears come rushing in strong waves, and it’s taking all of my strength to hold them back. “You disgust me, Aaron. Fuck.” I breathe out, pressing my right palm on my face as I rest the other hand on my waist. “I’m looking at you now and I’m so disgusted by you. I’m going to puke if I stay here one second longer, and that’s…lord.” I turn away from him and return to the suitcase. “I’m leaving this house, Aaron. And I’m leaving you. You can take this as my unofficial separation notice.” I zip my suitcase shut, and pull it up so it stands beside me. My right hand grips the handle firmly. “My lawyer will be here first thing in the morning. If I were you, I'd be home alone. It’s not going to help your case if she’s here.” Those are my last words as I pull my suitcase and walk past him. I turn the door knob to leave when he calls me back. “This wouldn’t end well for you, Sarah. You know it.” I scoff. “Any ending is better than the one with you in it.” I pull the door open, and hurry down the corridor, the staircase, and out of the house. I decide to drive to my favorite restaurant to put some food in my belly, but after I’m served, all I can do is bury my head into my palms and let my tears flow freely. The pain that squeezes my belly is undeniable. I can’t breathe, I can’t think. I had successfully managed to push the painful thought away, but knowing that Aaron is getting it all despite all he’s done to me is a different kind of pain. He’s the one who’s cheating, emotionally, verbally, and damn near physically abusive, but he gets a woman who wants him at all cost and a child. He gets to have a family of his own, while I have…nothing. Nothing except the company that’s no doubt going to be torn into shreds if Aaron comes for me. I know my husband enough to know that he’ll throw everything he has…and I’m not…I’m not certain I’m ready to become the monster I’ll need to become to fight him, and win. I suck in a tired breath through my snot filled nose when someone pulls the chair in front of me. The screeching noise causes me to roll my eyes. I don’t look up before I speak. “I don’t know who you are, and I do not mean to be rude, but I’m really not in the mood, so please leave.” “It’s us, kitten.” The voice causes my breath to cease in my throat. I drop my palms to look up at them. The HawkThorne brothers. All three of them. Here with me. What are the odds? They all sit around me, but it’s Jaxon that leans forward and reaches for my hands. He studies me, his fingers brushing lightly over my knuckles. “Who hurt you, kitten?” His voice is low, but there’s an edge to it—almost lethal. Like he’s ready to destroy whoever brought tears to my eyes.