Chapter 38
Without thinking, without giving herself time to consider the consequences, Colette did something impulsive, something she might later regret. She
answered the call.
Colette’s heart pounded in her chest as she heard Iris’s voice on the other end of the line. “Matt, thank God you picked up! I’ve been calling for ages! There’s been an emergency at the factory–1-”
Colette instantly recognized the game Iris was playing. She knew this tactic all too well. The blonde witch was trying to pull Matt back to her, using work as the perfect excuse to drag him away. Fury surged through Colette’s veins, hot and fierce like molten lava. If Iris had been standing in front of her at that moment, Colette was certain she would have scratched her eyes out for trying to tear her life apart.
But instead of giving in to the anger that boiled within her, Colette took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. “Matt isn’t here, Iris. I’m sorry, but you can tell me whatever it is, and I’ll pass it on to him.” The brief satisfaction of imagining Iris’s frustration flickered through her mind, but it was
short–lived.
Iris’s voice turned sharp, laced with irritation. “Give the phone to Matt, Colette. I need to talk to him.”
For the first time, Iris sounded unsettled–something Colette had never heard from her before. It was a small victory, but it was one Colette relished. “Matt isn’t here,” she repeated, her tone firm. “Maybe you’d like to leave a message?” She couldn’t help but feel a thrill of satisfaction at the thought of giving Iris a taste of her own medicine. After all the times Iris had tried to undermine her, it felt good to turn the tables.
But Iris wasn’t one to back down easily. Her voice grew more insistent, more desperate. “Stop being childish, Colette. I need to speak to Matt! This is important! More important than Matt’s stupid plan to seduce you back into his bed by taking you on that trip to Queen-”
Colette’s patience snapped. The audacity of this woman, to insinuate such things, to try to undermine her marriage like this! Rage bubbled up inside her, threatening to spill over. Without another word, she cut the call, her hands trembling with anger.
How dare Iris! Colette’s fury was so intense that she wanted to destroy everything in the room, to release the pent–up frustration and hurt that had been building inside her for so long. But before she could act on those impulses, the phone in her hand began to vibrate again. Iris wasn’t going to stop–she would keep calling, over and over, until she got what she wanted.
Suddenly, the door to the bedroom creaked open, and there stood Matt, his smile warm and affectionate, completely unaware of the storm brewing inside Colette. Her heart twisted painfully at the sight of him. She knew that if he got hold of that phone, if he heard Iris’s voice, this smile would disappear. He would leave her, just like he had so many times before, always putting distance between them whenever that woman came inbetween.
But tonight, Colette wasn’t going to let that happen. She wasn’t going to let Iris or anyone else come between them. Her thumb pressed down hard on the power button of Matt’s phone, hidden behind her back, and with a final vibration, it went silent. She quickly switched it off, feeling a strange sense of liberation as she did so. Then, in one swift motion, she dropped the phone on the floor and kicked it beneath the bed, out of sight and out of mind.
This night was meant for her. For them. And tonight, nothing and no one was going to come between her and Matt. Tonight, she would make sure that Matt was hers, completely and without interruption.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
