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Acting like I just turned the corner, I walk into the study while wearing a tired smile on my face.
“Babe, are you ready to go home? I’ve had a long day, and I want to get to bed.”
They stare at me for a beat before Christopher says, “Sure, let’s go home then. I’ll call you tomorrow, Andrew.”
Andrew's gaze is trained on me—as it has been since he saw me in the hallway—and he gives a brief nod. I make direct eye contact.
“Goodnight, Andrew.”
His shrewd eyes continue to bore into the side of my head until he finally utters, “Night,” in response. I quickly turn from the room and make my way back down the hall, hurrying to grab my purse from the foyer closet. Daniel appears out of nowhere, scaring the crap out of me.
“Ah!” I cry out.
He seems just as startled as me. “I’m sorry, Ms. Andrea. I was just going to grab your purse for you. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
A deep breath enters through my nose before I quickly blow it out through my mouth. I need to calm down and stop acting like I’m terrified out of my mind.
“It’s okay, Daniel. I was distracted by something I forgot to handle at work.”
Plastering on a shaky smile, I think he buys it.
“Let’s go, Andrea. The car is waiting,” Christopher says. He moves to stand next to me and places his hand on the small of my back to guide me out the door and down the stairs towards the waiting car.
I try not to tremble at his touch.
The car ride home is so quiet it’s stifling. Both of us seem to dance around the other with hesitation. I feel like I need to be smart about how I handle this going forward.
Having a little too much to drink before confronting him the other night did little to help me, so it’s time for a different approach. I just need to figure out what that will be.
Christopher has busied himself on his phone, completely ignoring me. While I should be relieved about that, all it does is piss me off. I want him to talk to me. I need answers so we can move on from this and get back to planning the wedding. I want to put this behind us.
We pull up to our brownstone, and just before I’m about to say something, Christopher opens his door and gets out before my mouth could fully open to speak. He rushes up the stairs and inside before I can even get out of the car.
Well then. There went that plan.
I tell the driver goodnight and slam the door shut. Once I make my way inside, I don’t see Christopher anywhere.He must be headed to his office on the third floor.
Well, screw him. I’m tired and done.
I head to our room and get ready for bed. Tomorrow is a new day. Maybe I’ll get up the courage to confront him again.
Chapter 4
Christophercametobedlate last night, but at least he came to bed, I guess.
Progress.
I hate the tension and distance between us. We didn’t used to be that couple—but even before Mr. Dark Eyes and overhearing whatever that was—the distance was becoming more and more.
As I’m getting ready for work, I always put on the news. It’s the only time of day I’m able to stay up to date with anything going on in the world. I’m told that, as a future senator’s wife, being well informed on current events is important to do.
At least, according to my father.
I roll my eyes and head towards the bathroom. As I reach out to turn on the shower, I hear the news anchor say, “Breaking news! We are the first to report that the body of Jonathan Swank—Senator Christopher Gates’ former longtime business partner—has been discovered in the San Francisco Bay. The body was discovered in the wee hours this morning by local fishermen coming in from an all-night trip. At this time, it is not clear if foul play is suspected. It is a tremendous blow to the financial world as Swank was a big-time player on Wall Street.”
My breath leaves me in a rush, and my head spins. I feel sick to my stomach, and it’s not from the wine.
What in the ever-loving hell is happening?
