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“You do look really pretty.”

He gives me zero chance to find my senses before he stalks away, already shouting at the crew to get their asses moving.

I hurry to my car on wobbly legs and throw myself behind the wheel. The folder falls into the next seat, and I stare a little too hard at the windshield while trying to steady my pulse.The damn thing is hammering a million miles per minute and I’m terrified I might be having a stroke.

Relieved when it calms and I can think over the vicious pounding, I reach for my phone.

I text Lauren.

Her answer is almost immediate.

“Free meal. I’m in.”

I grin at her response and tell her I’ll meet her at Lachlan’s at seven.

Next, I text Bron to let him know Lauren and I would be joining him and his father for supper.

“Don’t you guys have food at your own houses?”

The implication has my cheeks burning.

“Your dad invited us. Do you not want us to come?”

It takes longer to hear back, but when it finally pops up, I’m halfway up the stairs to the office. Theclingof his incoming message echoes through the stairwell.

“Do what you want. I won’t be there anyway.”

I pause between floors one and two and frown at the screen.

“Where are you going?”

I don’t know why I bother asking. I know the answer I’m going to get before I even hit send.

“Out. You’ll have plenty of time to cozy up to my dad. Maybe if you suck his dick, you’ll get morethan a free meal.”

Done with his nonsense, I close the messages and jog the rest of the way to the office.

Telling him he’s wrong will only incite an argument I have no patience for. I stopped correcting him when it became apparent I was wasting my breath.

When we first started dating, I spent a hefty chunk of our relationship trying to convince him I wasn’t interested in his dad. I went so far as to avoid all conversations with Lachlan even when Bron wasn’t present. I skipped invitations to dinners. Gave Lachlan the barest greeting in public. I did everything to assure Bron I was committed to him, because I was.

No matter my efforts, his accusations only increased until I could no longer justify it, especially when I have never given him a reason to doubt my loyalty.

Not even now when I know my heart will never be his and I’m so deep in this quicksand I can never crawl out. Because I never set out to fall in love with Lachlan or Van. My little crush was never supposed to amount to anything.

It was a year into his methodical dismantling of my self-esteem, my worth, my bank account that I realized who Bron Shaw actually was, but by then, Lachlan and Van had become my haven. They are my safe space. I can’t fathom a life without them.

So, yes, I ache for Lachlan and Van on a level that scares me some days, but I would never do anything to jeopardize myparents’ names. Lachlan’s company. Van’s fledgling position in Jefferson or my friendship with Lauren.

I understand the importance of looking but never touching. No matter how hard Bron pushed.

But all that aside, I have been a dedicated and loyal girlfriend. I’ve been supportive, understanding, and patient even when his behavior has been nothing but abrasive and cruel.

My phone chimes as I step into the office. It fires in rapid succession. An aggressive series of pings that can only mean my silence has infuriated Bron and I’m about to head into a storm.

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