Page 62 of The Husband Contract

“Yeah, that’s great,” he says flatly. “Sounds good. Maybe we can fly somewhere else to celebrate our one-year anniversary, like the Maldives or Fiji or the Azores or something.”

“Our one-year anniversary?”

He starts laughing, and there’s a hardness in his eyes I’ve never seen before. It makes me uneasy.

I force a smile.

“Yeah, we can do that,” he says, rolling his eyes. There’s a change in him. It’s subtle, but undeniable. Maybe he’s just anxious about work. I hope he’s anxious about work.

“Why don’t you make that call,” I say gently, “and deal with whoever you need to. Then we’ll go to the room and relax.”

“Yeah. I can’t wait to consummate this marriage.” He licks his lips. “That will be fun.”

“I love you, Sebastian,” I say again, pouring every ounce of emotion into my voice. “I really love you.”

He stares at me silently. I wait. Ineedhim to say it back.

But he doesn’t.

I tell myself not to push. Obviously, he loves me. He has to. He wouldn’t have married me if he didn’t.

“I’ll see you up in the room,” he says, and there’s a hint of coldness in his voice. It’s like all the warmth has been sucked out of him and he’s an iceberg of unfeeling.

I nod and try not to shiver. He looks back down at his phone, scrolling. My heart sinks as I notice he’s opening text messages. I don’t want to look, but my eyes betray me,and I catch a glimpse of a photo.

I freeze. My face flushes hot.

Is that anaked woman?

I look up at him, waiting for an explanation. He has to know I can see his screen, but he just keeps scrolling, murmuring to himself.

Unable to stop myself, I inch forward and read the text:I’m naked and thinking of you.

My jaw drops.

Who the hell is this brazen woman? He’d said he was single, so it couldn’t be a girlfriend. I wait for him to delete the message, to laugh and tell me it’s some crazy ex, but instead, I watch as he types a smiley face and presses send.

My heart stops.

“Hey,” I mumble, clearing my throat. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

He looks up, his expression vacant. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you just got a text message.”

“Yeah.”

Suddenly, I feel chilled, like I’ve woken up on an iceberg in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, completely alone.

“I gotta take this, okay? I’ll meet you in the room.”

He leans forward and kisses me on the lips. “Get ready for me, sexy.”

I don’t say anything. My stomach twists.

“I should be up to the room within the next hour,” he adds, pressing the elevator button for me. “You gonna get in?”

“In a second. But Sebastian, I have a question for you.”