Chapter 2
I set my phone aside and returned to my work, determined not to let Knox’s games distract me.[]
One hour passed without any response.[]
Two hours–still nothing.
As the third hour was coming to a close, I heard the front door unlock.[]
Knox had returned, carrying takeout from my favorite restaurant.[]
He tiptoed through the entryway, carefully removing his shoes as though afraid he might wake me.[]
“Wren? You asleep?”
I looked up from my laptop on the sofa. “No. Working.”
He approached cautiously, setting the takeout bags on the coffee table.
“Brought you some late dinner–those shrimp salad you love.“[]
I didn’t move a muscle.
Knox’s face shifted as a new strategy apparently occurred to him. Looking apologetic, he tried again: “Jealous about the necklace? Look, I just asked Dahlia to model it for sizing. It didn’t mean anything. How was I supposed to know/Thea would snap photos and make it into this…“]
I cut him off impatiently. “Where’s Thea’s apology?”
Knox sank into the chair across from me, his expression deliberately exhausted.]
“Wren, I’ll admit Thea screwed up. I’ve already given her hell for it.“]
“Given her hell?” I fixed my gaze on him. “I asked for a public apology.”
“She’s still young. A public apology would wreck her reputation,” he argued, reaching for my hand, which I promptly pulled away.
“Besides, blowing this up won’t help anyone. Those people online don’t know the real story. If this gets twisted by the wrong people, your reputation could take a hit too.”
Finally, I understood.
He had never intended to make Thea apologize.
He’d come home to convince me to let it go.
“Knox, do you know why I gave you that ultimatum?”
He looked momentarily puzzled.[]
“Because I wanted to see who matters more to you–me or your sister.”
Chapter 2
“Now I know.”
With that, I stood up, heading toward our bedroom.
Knox scrambled after me. “Wren, listen. Dahlia’s been going through some rough times lately. Her agency wants her to land some endorsements to weather the storm.“[
I stopped walking. “And?“[]
“Well, since you’re already Mrs. Riviera now, with all the status that comes with it, maybe the L&W endorsement isn’t as crucial for you anymore,” he suggested, his voice carefully gentle.
“But for Dahlia? It could be the turning point her career needs.“]
L&W was my privately founded company.
Out of financial prudence, I’d avoided collaborating with other celebrities.
Nobody knew I was the major shareholder–they only knew me as some unknown model who’d somehow landed a major jewelry campaign.
I turned to face him. “Let me get this straight. You want me to hand over my L&W endorsement to Dahlia?“]]
“Not hand over exactly… more like…” he fumbled for words, “doing me a solid, which would also be a kind of… compensation for her.“[]
“Compensation?“]
I laughed incredulously.
“What exactly do I owe her?“]
“Wren, you know about my history with Dahlia. When we split up, I left things… unresolved,” Knox explained, trying again to take my hand.
“Now that I’ve made it, if I can help her out, it would clear my conscience.
I yanked my hand away.
“Clear your conscience? Was that in our wedding vows, Knox? Did I miss that part?”
Embarrassment flashed across his face.
“Don’t be like that, Wren. We’re married–we’re supposed to understand each other.”
“Understand each other?”
“You mean understand that my husband wants to take my things and give them to his ex? Is that the kind of understanding you’re looking for?”
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