Page 46 of One Midnight Kiss

“A year ago. She just showed up out of the blue.”

I didn’t know what to say. “Wow.”

“She got a job right away. Same place she’s at now. She went back to school and finished getting her master’s. But the whole divorce thing changed her. She’s not the same bubbly, happy woman she used to be, from the sound of things.”

My chest felt tight, like I’d swallowed broken glass. I’d seen glimpses of the old Natalia beneath that icy exterior when she argued with me, when she threw a playful jab, when her eyes flashed with something fierce. But this version of her? It made more sense now. She was a fortress with walls higher than I’d realized. I understood why she was so determined to keep everyone at arm’s length.

“What happened?” I asked. “Why did she end up here if her life was so perfect back there?”

“Andrew cheated,” Wilder said, his mouth a grim line. “With one of Natalia’s close friends in New York. Someone who was in their house almost every day, from what I understand. The affair went on for at least a year.”

I cursed under my breath. It felt like a punch to the gut, even though it had nothing to do with me. I could picture Natalia, blindsided, betrayed by two people she’d trusted. And then leaving everything behind, starting over with nothing.

“Shit,” I said. “What the fuck? She told me he cheated but I didn’t know it was like that.”

“Oh yeah,” he said. “That guy is a real piece of work. He wiped out her accounts. Took all her money. She didn’t get any help from her parents when she left. She had to take out loans for her master’s. She’s successful now, but it wasn’t easy. I feel bad for her, you know? She came here and had to bust ass in a short amount of time.”

I nodded, feeling a deep, simmering rage building in my chest. Not at her but at the situation she’d been forced into. It explained so much. Her tough exterior, her laser focus on her career, the way she bristled at even the hint of vulnerability.

“When I said Andrew took everything, I’m talking every cent she had to her name. I don’t know the details, but it sounds like he might have talked her out of a prenup when they got married. She lost her trust fund. I’m not sure how he managed it, whether he had the best divorce lawyers in the world or what, but she left NYC with nothing. He remarried. Probably used her money to pay for the lavish wedding.”

Wilder sighed. “Christa thinks this fake proposal thing might be good for both of you. She adores both of you. It could be just the thing Natalia needs to let her hair down and have some fun and move on, and it could save your business empire. It’s a win-win.”

He had no idea how close to the mark he was. I nodded, keeping my face neutral, but inside, I was reeling. I wasn’t sure if Natalia needed me to save her, or if I needed her to save me. But I was starting to realize that it wasn’t just business anymore. Not for me.

“I haven’t really broached that with Natalia,” I said. “I’m sure you know she’s not exactly the warm and fuzzy type. I can barely get her to talk to me let alone pretend to be my fiancée.”

He chuckled. “She’s a little rough around the edges, but once she thaws a little, she’s worth it.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

“Are you going to the ball in Paris again this year? It’s an annual thing, right?”

The mention of the Paris ball made me go cold. I had almost forgotten about it. “I haven’t received an invitation yet,” I said slowly. “I’m still not sure how that part works. I don’t know if it was a fluke or if I’ll be invited back.”

The truth was, I didn’t want to think about it. The dream girl in Paris, the one I’d been chasing in my head for almost a year—she felt like a ghost now, something distant and unreal compared to the very real, very complicated woman I was tangled up with here. The guilt twisted in my gut, even though it was irrational. I could barely admit it to myself, but my feelings for Natalia were edging into dangerous territory. I couldn’t really cheat on a woman when I didn’t even know her name.

But that was what it felt like.

“You should go,” he said. “You came back a happy man.”

I smirked. “Yeah. I should head out. I still need to go over my presentation for the symposium.”

Wilder got up and clapped me on the back. “You’re gonna knock ‘em dead.”

I shook my head. “We’ll see.”

“Just try not to embarrass yourself in front of the entire tech industry,” he joked, but there was a shadow behind his smile. I knew he was thinking about Christa, about the IVF, about the future he couldn’t quite reach yet.

“I’ll behave,” I promised, grabbing a lint roller from the entryway to get rid of the dog hair on my slacks. Frank whined at the door, pawing at my leg like he didn’t want me to leave. I crouched down, giving his ears a scratch. “You behave too, fella.”

“See you tomorrow?” Wilder asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“Yeah,” I said, straightening up. “Natalia and I are flying out tomorrow night.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You sure about this?”

I gave him a tight smile. “Not even a little bit.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “Good luck, Fox. You’re going to need it.”

I left the house, thinking about everything he had told me. He had no idea how right he was. Tomorrow, I would be stuck on a red-eye flight with Natalia. We would be alone together in California. I was determined to find out the full story from her lips. Not secondhand rumors.

I was hoping I would get a glimpse of the woman she used to be, before her heart was broken. I had a feeling that if I ever saw that part of her, I wouldn’t want to let it go. She was so much more than the ice queen she pretended to be. And for reasons I couldn’t explain, I wanted to be the one to thaw her out.

I just hoped she’d let me get close enough to try.