SARAH I can’t sleep. I toss and turn in bed, crying my eyes out at regular intervals, until it’s daylight. It burns. It really does. But I spend the most of my time telling myself it’s best for me. It’s best for all of us. This was a mistake in the first place. That one night was never meant to happen. I have too much shit going on in my life to have feelings for three men who will never feel anything for me. I don’t hate myself that much. Do I? True to Ronan’s words, the driver is downstairs by exactly 8:30am. I am told the jet would be ready to leave by 9am, and it’s a twenty minutes drive to the airport. Malachi and Jaxon only come to my room to help me take my luggage down the stairs, to the doorstep. They don’t say a single word, and neither do I. I watch in silence as the driver puts my bags into the car, and when he’s done, I turn to Malachi. “Thank you,” I try to speak knowing my tears are choking me. “For everything.” He takes his hands out of the pockets of his black shorts and spreads them out, inviting me into a hug. I fight the urge to both bite my lip and burst into tears as I close the gap between us and embrace him. Closing my eyes, I take in a deep breath, allowing myself to drown in his scent. I might never get the chance again. This feels a whole lot like breaking up, and we never even dated. “Be good.” Is all he says when he pulls away. He has a blank smile on his face. If I don’t know better–which at this point, I’m not sure I do–I would think he’s genuinely happy to see me leave. I nod in response, and Jaxon hugs me next. Unlike Malachi, he doesn’t wish me a safe trip or anything of the sort, he just…hugs me. I turn my back to them and begin to walk towards the car. But halfway through, I feel a heated stare piercing the back of my neck. My stomach turns, and in a mix of all the good and bad ways. I know I shouldn’t, but I stop and turn backwards, tilting my head up. My heart does three wild somersaults in my chest when I see him. Ronan. He’s standing shirtless on his balcony, leaning against the glass railing with his eyes fixed on me. His handsome face is devoid of any emotion. He doesn’t bother to fake a smile like Malachi, or wear his hurt on his sleeve like Jaxon. He’s just…plain. No matter how hard I try, I can’t make out the look on his face. Pain claws its way into my chest and I look away from him immediately, walk as quickly as I can into the car, and shut the door. It’s only a matter of time. In a few days or a week, I would forget I ever met them. I wipe the lone tear that runs down my right cheek. ~•~ EIGHT DAYS LATER ~•~ “Hell to the fucking no!” I scream, stomping into my office. Luke follows me behind quickly, and calmly closes the door behind me. It’s the only thing that keeps me from slamming the glass door shut. Beads of sweat trickle down my forehead as I walk from one end of my full air conditioned office to another. My hands are shaking, sweaty, and wet. A frustrated grunt rips out of my throat as I wipe my palms against my bright red satin skirt. “Ma’am, I honestly think that we need to calm down and think about this. They might not mean it. I really feel like they’re trying to rattle you so we can step up and handle this as fast as possible.” Luke speaks up, clutching his iPad to his chest as though he knows I’m mad enough to smash it against the ground. It’s on the company after all. My company. Mine. How dare they try to take it from me? I chuckle. It’s bitter. Venomous. Angry. “What the fuck does it look like I’ve been doing since I got back, huh? Tell me, Luke,” I take one step forward with every sentence that leaves my mouth. “Have I been playing? Have you been playing?” He adjusts the frame of his glasses on his nose and looks away. “They are asking me to step down, Luke. The board of directors are asking me to step down for…” my fingers draw invisible quotation marks in the air. “…optics. They are telling me that being on the sit of the head of my company isn’t a good look for the company I built from the fucking ground up! And you…” I point at him, eyes widened as molten rage courses through my veins. “…are asking to calm down?” Even while he’s locked away, Aaron’s deeds continue to haunt me. Did I make such a terrible mistake marrying the first man I ever fell in love with? I got back to Durmont to find my company in shambles, and a smear campaign against me. Apparently, I knew how dangerous Aaron was and I had his back constantly. I had openly defended him and called Debbi Rose a liar after all. Now, she’s dead. And the entire country believes I knew what Aaron was capable of. As a matter of fact, several conspiracy theories suggest that we were in on it together, and I was out of the country at that moment so I wouldn’t be able to take the fall. What the actual fuck? I am tired, exhausted, and frustrated by every god damn thing. Corporate partners are pulling out of deals, and clients are terminating their contract and switching providers. I run my fingers down the length of my hair as I kick my heels off my feet one after the other. They can’t be blamed, can they? I mean, Wellspring Insurance was built on two principles: family, and trust. And this unfortunate incident has made it very clear that I don’t have any. I lean against my table and allow myself to suck in a deep breath. “Today, on business weekly, power couple shattered as Wellspring co-founder, Aaron Connor, awaits trial for murder,” Bile rises from my stomach to my throat. I tilt my neck to look at the TV screen. I barely noticed it until now. The headline is in red at the bottom of the screen, while the reporter speaks. “The victim, Deborah Roselyn Edwards, a recently popular influencer known as Debbi Rose, was a former employee of Aaron Connor’s wife, Sarah Wellspring, and went viral on social media after her famous accusations against the assailant’s wife.” My jaw clenches. Luke walks up to my table and picks up the remote. “I should probably put this off.” He points the device to the television screen. “No,” I cut in. He turns to me, half surprised and half uncertain. I wave him off with my right hand and settle into my seat. “Let me hear it. Let me hear all that they have to say.” Once again, I force myself to sit through ten minutes of the accusations laid against me. I listen to people who do not know me or know a thing about what I’ve had to go through debate about what could and couldn’t have happened. When they’re done, I lean back into my chair and let out a long sigh. “How’s it going with the lawyer?” Luke asks. I let my eyes wander from the TV to him. He’s still on his feet. Yes. I made sure to contact my lawyer immediately when I landed in Durmont eight days ago. “She has filed a petition in family court. All that remains is for Aaron to be served while he’s in prison. She would be speaking to a few people to get the testimonies she needs to help me make a strong case.” Honestly, I want Aaron to lose everything. I have plans to buy out his shares once all of this is over. Luke offers me a warm, sympathetic smile, and moves closer. It’s safe now that I’m calmer. “So, about the press conference…” “And now, for business daily, the HawkThorne brothers celebrate as Hawk Empire wins bidding war against Ralph Technologies for billion dollar surveillance technology. Here are the details.” Don’t look up, Sarah. Don’t you dare look up at the TV screen you stubborn little… I still do it. I fucking look up. And I catch Ronan’s bright smile on the Tv screen as the reporter’s female voice speaks in the background. He’s asked a question, and a glimmer appears in his eyes as he rubs his chin gently and nods. My heart plummets with force down to my stomach. Fuck my life.