Page 11 of Best Kept Vows

Could I fire her?I couldn’t. I needed her.

She was damn good at her job, and right now, with the crises we were facing, I needed someone who was damn good at their job because I had too many people who weren’t. My father, bless his heart, hiredfriendswho made him feel good but did nothing for Boone Metals. He hired family, like Bryce, who was worse than incompetent because he was dangerous in how he fucked up things by being an arrogant asshat.

Jane pressed her lips together but nodded, sliding out of the car without another word. I waited until she disappeared inside her house, gripping the steering wheel as frustration surged through me. Jane pulling this stunt was literally the last complication I needed.

As I drove home, the day all but made me want to pull over and sleep for a day or two in my car, sitting up.

The truth? I was afraid of going home because I had to deal with Liaandfigure out how to fix things with Ada and Tristan. I was hoping thatafterLia and I made up, though we hadn’t fought, she’d help with that.

I was drowning in problems, and I really needed my family not to be one of them. They needed to get with the program, understand the pressure I was under, and support me, not add to my burden.

When I parked alongside Lia’s car in the garage, I saw it was charging.

She hadn’t driven it today, I knew because Ada had picked her up and taken her to her graduation ceremony. I laid my forehead on the steering wheel. I should have moved the quarterly finance meeting and been with my family. Even Tristanshowedup, albeit via FaceTime.

I just wish I had more time. More hours in the day. Less crap at work. The last three years, I felt like I was in a prison, and there was no parole, no furlough, no nothing—just the daily grind.

When was the last time I took a weekend off?I couldn’t remember.

I wearily got out of the car and went into the house. I noticed immediately that it was dark. That wasn’t how it usually was. A sense of dread twisted in my gut as I moved through the house, the silence unnerving.

I turned on the lights as I walked to our bedroom, the kitchen, the living room, and the hallway.

“Lia?” I called softly, stepping into our bedroom.

Empty. My heart thudded unevenly. I checked Ada’s old room and then Tristan’s.Empty.

Finally, I found her in the guest room, curled up and asleep. My gut clenched, anger replacing the earlier dread. Lia was sleeping in another room, deliberately avoiding me. It felt like an accusation, a punishment, andGoddamn, it infuriated me.

But deep down, beneath my anger, fear tightened its grip. How had we gotten here, and could I fix it?

CHAPTER 5

Ophelia

Ijerked awake, disoriented, as an overhead light pierced my eyes.

Sebastian stood in the guest room by the bed, his expression dark and rigid, his jaw tight with barely restrained anger.

“What are you doing in here, Lia?”

I glanced around, realizing I was still fully dressed, a crumpled blouse clutched in my hand. “I was looking for something professional to wear for an interview tomorrow, and I guess I dozed off.”

“In the guest room?” He sounded incredulous. “Are you sleepingherenow?”

“What?” I sat up. I picked up some of the clothes I’d been checking out on the bed and showed them to him. “I fell asleep sorting my clothes.”

“You don’t sleep here. You sleep in our bedroom,” hegrowled like I didn’t say anything, like he wasn’t seeing me at all.

I got out of bed, the day laying heavy on my shoulders, my muscles burning because I fell asleep awkwardly. “Why does that even matter, Sebastian?”

I was tired.Exhausted.

I can’t do this anymore, I thought bleakly.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he demanded, taking the steps so he could be toe-to-toe with me, and in my personal space.

I looked up at him.