Chapter 35

“Just let me finish these files first.” I wasn’t about to make this easy for him. The more he demanded my obedience, the more I dug in my heels.

“Since when are files more important than your husband?” Jared’s voice dropped dangerously low as his hands gripped my waist, pulling me back against him. “Just come home early, okay?”

His lips barely grazed my earlobe before he was gone, the office door clicking shut behind him.

I stared at the empty doorway, trying to make sense of his sudden intensity. If he was that desperate, Tracy was always available–she had proven herself quite skilled at keeping him entertained in ways I never bothered to learn.

The memories from my previous life hit me hard–how he’d bragged about their adventures. They’d done it under the stars, in his car, on a wolf-howling hillside, in the gym’s locker room, and even in the racetrack bathroom.

Just thinking about it made my blood boil. If Tracy was so perfect, he was supposed to be with her instead.

His evasiveness was all the answer I needed. If Jared kept dodging the divorce talk, I’d have to make Tracy push him harder until her demands left him no room for evasion.

The realization hit me with a dull ache. Men always had the upper hand in marriage. As long as a wife kept quiet, her husband could fool around while maintaining the perfect family facade, because at their core, men still clung to that picture-perfect domestic life.

Yet women were the ones tearing each other apart over men. We schemed, backstabbed, and debased ourselves–all while the men sat back enjoying the show, smug as peacocks about their supposed worth.

I came home well past nine to find Jared waiting in the living room.

“Where’s the house staff?” I asked, frowning at the unusual silence.

“With Yvonne away, I gave them leave,” he said, setting aside his laptop. “Have you eaten?”

“No.” My stomach growled in agreement.

“You’re just in time. I told Wendy to keep your dinner warm.” Jared gave me his perfect-husband smile, the one I knew was all for show.

I studied his face, amazed at how convincing he looked. Tracy probably got the same sweet-nothing act.

No wonder Tracy had thrown away her inheritance to trail after him and used all her connections for the Holcomb family. Jared had that toxic charm that made women burn their lives down for him.

I warmed the food and ate slowly at the table.

Jared selected a bottle from the wine cabinet, pouring me half a glass. “New vintage. You’ll like this.”

Jared had a passion for fine wine. He’d invested in a Falansian vineyard, starting what I knew would be another successful business–just as it had been before.

I sipped, and then gulped the entire glass. The anticipation of tonight’s “duties” left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I didn’t love Jared like I once had. Now I took my pleasure where I could get it, but sharing a bed with a man I knew had been with others still turned my stomach.

If getting drunk could dull this disgust, then maybe I should drink until I stopped feeling altogether.

“Slow down,” Jared said, rescuing the bottle. “This isn’t the kind of wine you want to overdo.”

The wine left me warm and loose, sober enough to know better but drunk enough not to care.

“Carry me upstairs,” I demanded, holding out my arms like a spoiled princess expecting to be waited on.

Jared paused, and then let out that low laugh of his that always got under my skin. “Someone’s feeling playful tonight?”