Page 71 of The Silver Fox Brother

I sit up straighter in bed, my pulse loud in my ears.

"You called Rowan Sterling. This is his phone."

A long pause. Too long.

"Is... is Rowan there?"

My stomach clenches. "He's asleep. Who is this?"

Another pause, and I can hear her breathing quicken slightly on the other end.

Madeleine:I'm... this is Madeleine. I'm sorry, I didn't realize—who are you?

My stomach drops. Everything in my chest goes cold.

Winter:I'm Winter. Rowan's girlfriend.

The silence that follows is awful. Stretched. Heavy.

Madeleine:His... girlfriend?

Winter:Yes. Who are you, Madeleine?

Madeleine:(voice small, shaky now) I think I need to go.

Winter:Wait. Why are you calling my boyfriend at 12:30 at night?

Madeleine:I didn't know. He never... he said he was single. I'm so sorry.

The line goes dead.

I sit there in the dark, holding Rowan's phone.

The screen stays lit for a few more seconds—Call Ended—then fades to black.

My hands are shaking.

He said he was single.

I look at Rowan, still asleep beside me. His face peaceful, relaxed, completely unaware that everything just shattered. My hands are shaking so hard I almost drop the phone. I reach over and turn on my bedside lamp. The light is harsh, bright, flooding the room with sudden illumination. I grab Rowan's shoulder and shake it. Hard. Not gentle.

"Wake up."

He doesn't stir immediately. I shake harder.

"Wake up."

Rowan's eyes open, groggy and confused. He blinks against the light, trying to orient himself.

"What? What's wrong?"

My voice comes out steadier than I feel.

"Your phone rang."

He's still half-asleep, trying to process.

"What?"