Chapter 17
Kieran
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Sophie opened the door in a silk nightgown. It was short with lace trimming along the neckline, the cut dipping low enough that I had to keep my eyes on her face.
My brows pulled together.
Why was she dressed like that?
Before I could say anything, she coughed hard pressing her palm flat against her chest. Her eyes watered.
“I’m sorry.” She rasped. “I know it’s late.”
I stepped past her without commenting on anything. The living room was dim, one lamp casting a warm circle on the carpet. Ethan’s toys were stacked neatly in the corner.
“Where’s your thermometer?”
She pointed toward the kitchen. I found it in a drawer beside the stove, brought it back, and held it out.
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“Check your temperaturo ”
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She took it from me and then slid it under her tongue while I stood with my arms crossed, waiting. Rain pounded against the windows.
Sophie removed the thermometer and glanced at it, then
at me.
“Is your wife mad? That you came here this late?”
I shook my head. “She wouldn’t be.”
“Maybe I should call her. Explain that I was sick, that it
wasn’t-”
I shook my head. “Don’t. Serena’s probably asleep.”
The reading sat at 98.9. Normal range which meant she had no fever or anything out of the ordinary.
Why was she sick then?
I set the thermometer on the coffee table, grabbed the blanket from the couch, shook it open, and draped it around her shoulders.
The cleavage showing was now safe under the blanketч:07
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“Take your medicine after you eat.” I reached for my jacket.
I was halfway to the door when her voice stopped me.
“Don’t go.”
I turned around.
“It’s pouring,” she said, stepping closer. “Ethan’s at my mom’s house for the night. You’d just be driving through a storm for no reason.” She hugged the blanket tighter. “Stay. The guest room is made up.”
My face hardened.
Whatever she saw made her take a step back.
“Don’t ask me that again.” The anger seeped through from every word.
She gave a small pout. “What’s the big deal? You’ve taken care of me all night before. Nothing happened.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “That was a hospital. Rogtors and nurses were present. This is your house.
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Your bedroom is ten feet away.” I met her eyes. “I’m a married man, Sophie. You’re not. I won’t stay.”
“We’re not strangers, Kieran—”
“To you, I should be an outsider.”
Sophie’s smile dropped as fast as lightning.
“An outsider,” she repeated quietly. “After all these years. After everything we’ve been through.” A brittle laugh. “We really have become strangers.”
I didn’t correct her.
“Things have been hard on you,” I said instead. “I’ll arrange a maid and a driver so you’re not handling everything alone.”
Her gaze lifted, surprised.
“And Sophie.” I paused. “Stay away from Serena.
Don’t approach her. Don’t speak to her. Don’t show up anywhere she might be.”
Яhe blinked. “What?”
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“I mean it. Don’t go near my wife.”
She stood there with her mouth open for a moment. Then surprise settled in her expression shifted, with a hint of
resignation.
“I won’t,” she said. “I’ll do what you say.”
I left without looking back.
The drive into the city took forty minutes. Serena was probably asleep.
She wanted to leave.
Cora snarled. I changed lanes and headed east.
The bar sat on the border of Shadowridge territory, tucked between a tattoo parlor and a gym that had been shut down for years. From outside, it looked like a dive. Inside was dark wood, low lighting, and expensive drinks.
Trevor spotted me before I’d taken three steps. He came around the bar, clapped my shoulder, and steered me toward a corner booth. Two fingers to the bartender. No words needed.
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“You look terrible,” he said, sliding into the seat across from me.
“Thanks.”
He had a drink in his hand, he twirled it before drinking it, making sure to keep his eyes pinned on me.
“Family drama?” he asked, like he didn’t already know.
I gave him a flat look. If I didn’t tell Trevor, Jenna did. The man collected information the way other Alphas collected territory.
The server brought two whiskeys. I took mine and drank, letting the burn settle.
“I can’t get through to her.” I turned the glass in my hand. “Serena’s convinced Sophie and I are-” I stopped. “She won’t believe whatever I say.”
Trevor set his glass down. “Sophie is the problem.”
“She’s not—”
She came back for you.” He cut me off. “She’s stopping.07 6/8 you from telling Serena the truth. Every time you get
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close to fixing this, Sophie calls and you go running.” Hist voice was blunt, no cushioning. “If this keeps up, Serena will divorce you.”
I shook my head. “That’s not happening.”
“The papers are filed.”
“She won’t go through with it.” I took another drink. “She loves me. She’s loved me since we were teenagers. That doesn’t just disappear.”
Trevor waited, one eyebrow raised.
Besides her feelings for me, I had handed her the outstanding debt balance. It was an outrageous amount of money she could not suddenly spin out of thin air.
And even if she got a job, Serena hasn’t worked a day since we mated. No experience, no connections outside of Crimson. She’s lived in luxury for five years.
She couldn’t survive on a regular salary.
The jazz switched tracks. A saxophone wailed through the speakers, filling the silence between us.
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“She’s going to divorce you,” Trevor said again.
I stiffened.
His certainty made my head ache. “Did Jenna tell you she was serious?”
He ignored the question. “If Serena walks away, no other woman will ever love you the way she did.” He tapped the table once. “You know that.”
Cora went still inside me.
He hated the sound of Serena being away from home. From us, it made him react in a way that was quite unacceptable.
I finished the whiskey and slammed the glass down on
the table.
“I will never divorce Serena.”
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