She grinned at him as she shook her head. “Remember that when he ruins your credit score.”
“Don’t let him do that!” Kyle called as she shuffled from the kitchen into the living room, wandering to the sliding door and staring out over the roiling sea.
Things had become so messy lately. Her lack of confidence in herself was a new sensation, and she didn’t like it at all. She’d always been sure of her decisions in the past. Now, with the effects of the chemical burning through her body, she couldn’t tell what was truly her and what was a chemically induced impulse.
And she had no idea when she’d be able to trust herself again. She pressed her lips together, sliding her eyes closed as she took a steadying breath. She had to trust the people around her to keep her safe.
With a heavy sigh, she crossed to the couch and collapsed into the soft cushions tugging a throw pillow onto her lap. The pitter-patter of tiny paws reached her ears as Gizmo raced around the corner of the couch and yipped at her.
“Hey, Giz,” she said, scooping up the small dog and settinghim in her lap. He snuggled closer, curling in the crook of her knee as she sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. “I wish I was as relaxed as you.”
“Still not feeling any better?” a new voice asked as she settled back into the cushions.
She twisted to find Chris striding into the room. He plopped onto the cushion next to her, his nose wrinkling at the tiny dog sleeping with her.
“I don’t know,” she murmured.
He stared at her for a moment before he shifted to face her. “Want to talk about it?”
She screwed up her face. “With you?”
“Yes, Ava, with me. Remember not long ago we almost got married.”
“Yeah, and we didn’t because we were completely mismatched.”
He sucked in a deep breath. “That doesn’t mean I don’t still care about you. I do. Actually, I care a lot.”
“Yeah, that’s evident. I mean, the way you betrayed me, sold me out to The Board–”
“Okay, please stop,” Chris said, holding up a hand. “That was all a mistake on my part. Okay? I was hurt. Extremely hurt, Ava.”
“You weren’t hurt, Chris, you were angry. There’s a big difference.”
He lifted a shoulder, balancing his elbow on the back of the couch as he let his head settle against his fist. “I’m sure I was. But I think I had every right to be upset.”
“How do you figure? Because being with Alex highlighted how very wrong we were together?”
“Were we that wrong together, Ava?” he asked, his features pinched with confusion.
She stared at him for a second, her features pinched. “Uh,yeah. Remember how you hated my hair in a bun, and you hated that I gamed, and you hated that I liked sappy romance movies?”
“I’ve been thinking about that, and…I don’t hate all of that. I just…it was weird for me, okay? Because we had certain roles in life. And suddenly, you were a different person. But now…”
“Now what?” Her mind struggled to keep up with whatever he was suggesting. Was he seriously making another play for their relationship in the middle of a battle against a nefarious organization?
“I just…I think our relationship didn’t really get a fair shot.”
She stared at him, her jaw hanging open as she tried to process his words. “So, what are you saying, Chris?”
“I’m saying…” He pressed his lips together as he let his gaze fall on the cushion between them before he raised his eyes to hers. “I’m saying I want you back. I’m saying I think I can be the man you deserve. And I’m saying that you’re making a huge mistake with Alex Stone.”
“Whoa,” Kyle said as he hovered in the doorway, a steaming cup of tea in his hand. “I think I walked in at the wrong moment.”
Ava shifted her gaze from Kyle to Chris then back to Kyle. “No, uh, you didn’t. This conversation isn’t happening. I’m married to Alex. I love Alex. I’m sorry, Chris.”
Chris heaved a sigh as he rose, stepping closer than she was comfortable with. His finger traced her jaw, and she flinched but didn’t pull away. “Think about it, Ava. We don’t know how long those drugs have been controlling you. Are you really sure about your decisions? What if… when the drugs clear out… you regret everything?”
The words hit her like a punch to the gut, leaving herbreathless. Shewantedto believe Chris was wrong—that she was in control of her mind, her emotions—but what if she wasn’t? What if she’d been infected with Neuroprisol-X far sooner than any of them realized? Every decision she’d made, every feeling she’d had for Alex—what if none of it was real? Her stomach twisted as doubt seeped into every corner of her mind. She couldn’t lose Alex. Shelovedhim. But what if love was just a lie the drug had whispered into her mind?
