Page 47 of Shattered Dreams

I'm halfway up the stairs before I catch myself. She made it clear—I'm not welcome in her space anymore.

Her phone buzzes on the kitchen counter. Without thinking, I glance at the screen.

Adam: Can't wait to see you tomorrow. x

My blood turns to ice.

Adam? Who the fuck is Adam?

The phone buzzes again.

Adam: Dinner was perfect last night. You looked incredible in that dress. x

Last night? She went outlast night?While I was here with Poppy, thinking she was at Shannon's, she was having dinner with some guy named Adam? And what fucking dress?

I pick up the phone, scrolling through their messages before I can stop myself.

Ava: Thank you for a lovely evening.

Adam: Thank you for giving me a chance. I know the timing isn't ideal.

Ava: It felt good to be out with you.

Adam: You deserve to be worshipped. Your husband is an idiot.

Ava: Soon to be ex-husband.

The words hit me like a physical blow.

Soon to be ex-husband.

The phone rings in my hand—Adam is calling. I stare at his name on the screen, rage building in my chest like a wildfire.

"Roman?" Ava's voice comes from upstairs. "Is that my phone ringing?"

I hear her getting out of the bath, wet footsteps on the bathroom floor. She'll be down here in seconds, wrapped in that white towel that barely covers her thighs, hair damp and skin flushed from the heat.

The phone stops ringing, then immediately starts again.

Keen, isn’t he?

"Roman, can you?—"

She appears at the top of the stairs, exactly as I imagined. Towel, damp hair, pink skin. Beautiful and untouchable and apparently dating other men.

"Who's Adam?" The words come out low and dangerous.

She freezes on the stairs. "What?"

"Adam. The one who took you to dinner last night while I was here with our daughter. The one who thinks I'm an idiot. The one who can't wait to see you tomorrow."

Her face goes pale, then flushes red. "You went through myphone?"

"You left it here. It kept buzzing. Messages from your boyfriend."

She comes down the stairs slowly, hand trailing on the banister. "You have no right to go through my phone."

"I have every right. You're my fuckingwife. Not for much longer, apparently." I hold up the phone, reading her message. "Soon to be ex-husband. Is that what I am now?"