n the booth w
the faint scent of her perfume and the diamond rin
uld feel dozens of pairs of eyes on him, their gazes like tiny needles pricking hi
ow looked anywhere but at him. Carter Sinclair, who knew both him
hock, reached for a napkin.
ay. A raw, guttural so
t o
iliation and rage he couldn't direct at Averie. It
rumpled. "But.
of her. He fumbled for his wallet, pulled out a thick wad o
. And di
humiliation on her face, and scrambled out of the booth. She ran
his firm, cleared his throat. "Preston,
t to his feet, a frantic energy coursing through him. "How
s shaking as he dialed Averie's num
have dialed is
again.
pid-fire ser
ase. Let
take. She me
st do this t
ngle grey checkmark. She'd blocked him. The
brow furrowed. "Preston,
e events of the evening. The anonymous text. Averi
around the room. "Where's Fielding Eve
rter earlier. Said he got tied up in a
Fielding was always conveniently absent when things went
g plans. His offhand remarks about how lucky Preston was to have a woman like
eling washed over hi
umbling about early meetings and tired wive
s shoulder. "Go home, Preston. And maybe call your mother.
s-Stein marriage was supposed to cement, made his stomach turn. T
o pulse with a cold light, mocking him. He snatched it, the metal biting
ad sent him a screenshot. Someone had filmed Averie's exit. The grainy video was already
ration and hurled his phon
had to fix this. Not
stares and whispers that followed him. He got into his Aston Mart
were renovating it. Her parents' place. Th
d white. He would wait for her. He would apologize, be
sing gates of the Stein estate, cutting the
ouse, clinging to the desperate
n another man's car, being drive
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