I climb the rest of the way in silence, each step heavy, my body too tired to fight him even though part of me still wants to.
Habit, I guess.
By the time I get into the shower, I press my forehead to the tile, letting the steam cling to me.
Pies.
Pies.
Pies.
Plans.
Woman in dress.
Bakery design.
I closed on the bakery.
Lucy and I are handling the bakery.
My bakery.
He just handed me a bakery.
Mybakery.
And that’s not something I can just pretend doesn’t matter because it’s my dream.
Of course I’m going to go see it.
I shut the water off and wrap myself in a towel, water still dripping on the tile floor as I pace toward my bedroom.
I should still be dead on my feet, but I’m buzzing.
Because no matter how complicated everything is, no matter how much Ben drives me insane, he gave me the one thing I’ve always wanted.
A new life.
13
Benedikt
I take the stairs with a bottle of water and a sandwich for Sienna. Something simple because she looked ready to keel over when I sent her upstairs. No way in hell she’s got energy for anything else.
However, the second I push her bedroom door open, I realize I was wrong.
She’s standing in the middle of the room, hair damp from the shower, bouncing on the balls of her feet like she’s too wired to stay still.
She’s tugging a crop top down over her stomach, sweatpants slung low on her hips, and for a beat, I just… stop.
Not because she looks like she’s trying.
She isn’t.
That’s the problem.
She looks real and unpolished. And she’s more distracting like this than she ever could be in something put together.
