Page 103 of The Temporary Bride

Something ugly moves across his face, and he turns toward the door. I watch him cross the office, his shoulders set in a rigid line. Then he stops, his fists clenching at his sides.

That’s all the warning I get before he turns around and charges toward me, swinging wildly.

I shift my weight, and most of the blow misses—but the edge of his fist catches the side of my jaw and snaps my head sideways, and the pain that fires up through my teeth burns away the last of whatever restraint I had left in me. I grab his collar and hit him, one clean punch that rocks his head back and staggers him. He clutches at the edge of the desk, and I hit him again, harder, sending him staggering sideways. I pull him back up by his shirt and hit him a third time, right in the nose, and there’s a crack that I feel all the way up through my wrist.

Spencer goes down hard with both hands over his face and blood running freely between his fingers.

I’m winding up for another punch when Dominic and Gabriel grab my arms and drag me back. Dominic’s grip is like iron and Gabriel is just as strong, so between the two of them, I’m not going anywhere.

“That’s enough,” Gabriel murmurs.

He and Dominic haul a bloody Spencer to his feet and walk him to the door, each with a locked grip on one of his arms. His legs are barely cooperating, and he’s pressing the back of his hand to his nose, blood dripping down over his mouth and his chin and onto that expensive Italian shirt he wore to make sure everyone knew he has money.

“Security!” Gabriel calls into the hallway. “Now.”

I’m standing in the middle of my office with my chest heaving, my jaw throbbing, and my knuckles split open. My hands are still shaking, not from fear, but from the fury that hasn’t finished crawling through my system yet.

Reid comes to stand beside me. “You’re done here,” he tells me in a low voice. “You should get back to Chloe. She needs you.” He pauses, then adds, “And I think you need to see her too.”

“We’ve got everything from here,” Beckett adds. “Go.”

I nod, still breathing hard as I straighten my jacket and walk out without looking back.

Spencer has no idea that what just happened in that office is the least of what’s coming for him. The contract termination, the embezzlement evidence, the threats—that’s just what he can see. What he can’t see is what Dominic has already set in motion: the financial infrastructure being quietly assembled that will close every door Spencer tries to open wherever he lands. Every investor he approaches, every bank he walks into, every business partner he tries to bring on board—all of it is going to go cold the moment his name comes up.

He’ll never rebuild. He’ll never recover.

He thought he could do what he did to Chloe and just keep walking through his life, but there’s no fucking way I’d ever allow that.

I’ll tear his life apart piece by piece.

The elevator doors open, and I step inside. As they close, I look down at my bloody knuckles and think about her expression the night she told me, and about the years she spent carrying that alone. Then I think of the fear on Spencer’s face just now, and the satisfaction that moves through me is as cold and sharp as a knife.

Chapter 38

Chloe

I’m finishing up the last of my work when the intercom buzzes on my desk. I press the button, and my secretary’s voice comes through, clear and professional.

“Mrs. Thorne, your husband is here. He wants to drive you home instead of you taking a car.”

A smile tugs at my lips at the thought that Tristan came to get me. He must’ve left work a bit early. It’s a little early for me to leave too, and I know my father will probably be annoyed by that, but I can’t find it in myself to care. I’ve done what I need to today, and I want to see Tristan.

He’s been so gentle with me over the past few days since I told him what happened. The fact that he cares so much about what I went through means a lot to me. It’s made the awfulness of those memories easier to bear, knowing he’s there to support me.

But at the same time, I feel a little twist in my gut when I think about how he touches me now—like he’s afraid I’ll break. That’s not how he used to touch me. His hands, once so possessive and full of desire, now seem hesitant, as if he’s constantly worried about hurting me. I understand why, and I appreciate it. But I can’t shake the fear that he’ll always see me as delicate now, something that has to be handled with extreme care.

“Thank you, Karen. Please let him know I’ll be right out.”

I gather my things, making sure I haven’t forgotten anything important, and stand up from my desk.

As I step out of my office, I see Tristan waiting for me near the elevator. There’s something in his demeanor I can’t quite read, a level of intensity beyond what he usually radiates.

His eyes meet mine, and he gives me a small reassuring smile, but I can sense there’s something more beneath the surface.

“Hey.” He reaches out to take my hand. “Ready to go?”

I nod, and he leads me out to his car, his grip firm but gentle, the way it’s been since I told him everything.