Coach Viktor Petrov stands on my porch.
His eyes lock onto mine immediately.
I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.
Behind me, I hear her voice float down the hallway.
Light.
Unaware.
“Who is it, hubby?”
14
TALIA
Busted
I’m in a stupidly good mood.
Like, embarrassingly good.
I caught Jake checking me out earlier, and I know I didn’t imagine it.
He also came home early. Suspiciously early.
And now he wants to watch a movie together?
Huh.
I played it cool, obviously. Like my heart wasn’t doing acrobatics in my chest.
But I feel light. Giddy. Ridiculously happy.
I spent the entire day painting, actually making progress. Then I treated myself to a slow yoga session, and now I’m heating up food for him before our movie night.
It feels… nice.
I don’t think much of it when the doorbell rings.
Jake heads for the door, and I call out playfully, “Who is it, hubby?”
I grin to myself when there’s silence for a second.
Probably Jake scowling. About to tell me to stop calling him that.
But he doesn’t.
Instead, I hear another voice.
And it does not belong here.
My smile fades before I even fully register it.
I would recognize that voice anywhere.
For a second, my brain refuses to process it.
