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“Hulk,” hisses Ella, “shut the hell up.”
“Sorry, babe. I can’t keep our pillow secrets after the shit I’ve heard today. You forgot to tell me this one, didn’t you?” he snaps, glaring at her accusingly. I stare back and forth between them, shocked.
“You’re sleeping together?” I whisper.
“It’s not like that,” says Ella desperately. “I was gonna tell you.”
“And Aurora?” I ask. She lowers her eyes to the ground.
“So, you can sit all high and mighty, but deep down, he’s the same as me. He’ll fill you with kids and fuck around with other women. The only difference is . . . I’ve always been upfront and honest with you. I told you we weren’t exclusive. But Anton, he’ll make you feel like the only woman in his world, then he’ll do everything behind your back. It’ll hurt so much more.”
I sigh, rubbing my hands over my face and feeling like I’ve aged ten years in the last few hours. “Earlier, you confessed to loving me, yet all along you’re sleeping with Ella,” I mutter. “Was that to hurt me or Anton?”
He laughs. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“I’m so tired of the games and the lies and—”
“Lies,” he snaps. “You’re one to lecture on lies. Did you abort my kid to punish me for not loving you enough?”
I groan. “No, how could you even say that? I did it to set us both free of one another.”
“And you went to him to get help?”
“What does it matter? I didn’t do any of this to hurt you, Hulk, but lord knows you deserve it. You’ve spent years pushing me away, only to pull me back in when it suited you. You tell me you love me, then sleep with the next woman you meet. You’re not ready for kids or to settle down. And I’ve moved on. I’m sorry I’ve hurt you, but it wasn’t intentional. That’s all I came to say.”
I turn on my heel and leave, with Ella right behind me. “You slept with Hulk?” I ask accusingly once we’re outside, and she looks guilty. I’m surprised how much it doesn’t bother me. A few weeks ago, it would have broken my heart. “Christ, your brother will explode.”
She looks past me and gulps. “Oh, crap, we have a problem.”
“I wonder what brings you to this backstreet hole?” asks Anton.
I turn slowly and square my shoulders, ready for the fight I know is coming. I won’t act like I've done anything wrong. Not after everything he’s done to me. “What happened in Italy with Aurora?” I ask. Anton’s eyes go to Ella for a second and then back to me.
“Did you meet up with Hulk?”
“Yes,” I say, and he clenches his jaw. “Aurora?” I ask again.
“Ella, get in the Bugatti with Michael,” he snaps. Ella does as he says, gently squeezing my hand as she passes. Anton points to the waiting Mercedes. “Let’s go.”
“Did you cheat on me?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest.
“Is it cheating if you’re not actually together?” he muses.
“If I had sex with Hulk since we started this whole lie, is that cheating?” I ask, tipping my head to one side and arching a brow.
A flash of anger flickers through his eyes. “I’m warning you, Piper, get in the damn car.”
“I’m trying to establish the rules of our marriage,” I say. “So, let me ask again, did you cheat with Aurora?”
“I had sex with her, yes.”
I’m surprised by the hurt his words cause me. “Before or after you forced me into a marriage?”
“Before,” he snaps impatiently.
I shake my head angrily. “Fucking men and their inability to stay faithful, even in a fake relationship,” I mutter out loud. “I am so tired of men walking all over me,” I add. “Fuck you, Anton.”
I turn and walk in the opposite direction. “Piper,” he snaps, “where the hell are you going?” I blink fast to chase the tears away. I should be relieved—it gives me a reason to walk away. “Piper, if you don’t get in the car, I’ll put you in it,” he warns me.
