Page 93 of In Love and Revenge

I hang my head and rub at my temples with my free hand.

‘Jesus Christ,’ I mutter.

I stand and place the papers back where I found them.

There’s only one man who can clear this up for me.

Chapter 24

Aurora

‘Heaven,’ Dove hums, taking a sip of foam from the top of her latte.

‘Yeah,’ I murmur, trying and failing to summon her enthusiasm for our favourite coffee place.

‘What’s wrong? You have that look again.’

‘What look?’

‘The one you get when you’ve hit another dead end. Is it your dad’s case?’

I shake my head. Dad’s case is exactly as it’s always been – going nowhere. Every time I think I’ve got something, I get knocked right back to the beginning again. I can’t find anything out about the woman who drafted the sexual harassment email. It’s like she’s disappeared off the face of the planet. And the other sealed file from the court remains just that – sealed.

‘I’m sorry, I was just thinking about one of my clients,’ I tell Dove.

‘The one you said found evidence her husband is having an affair?’

‘Yeah. Freddie’s mum. I keep thinking about that hotel receipt and photo of him kissing another woman I found in the pocket ofher coat. She must have suspected something and hired someone to follow him. I hope if she leaves him then she’ll get to keep Freddie. What if they have a custody battle over him, and he gets doggy depression as a result of all the stress?’

Dove smiles. ‘Not that that doesn’t sound awful for him, but I think you’re worrying too much. You said that receipt was dated over six months ago, right? If she was going to leave him, she would have done it by now. Maybe they’ve worked it out.’

‘Yeah, maybe.’

I’d like to latch on to Dove’s optimism. Kate’s always been lovely to me and is a brilliant dog mum to Freddie. She doesn’t deserve to be married to a lying shithead who can’t keep it in his pants.

‘Are you sure that’s all that’s on your mind? You’ve seemed different this past week.’

‘Me? I’m fine.’ I flash her a smile, but am unable to hold her eyes, and drop my gaze to my coffee instead, fiddling with the mug handle between my fingers.

I can’t admit to her that I’m thinking about how I spent the night of the networking event getting completely and utterly fucked by her brother. And that he hasn’t called or texted me since. It’s exactly what we both agreed to that night. It never happened. I never have to talk to him again. That’s what he said. That’s what I wanted.

So why does it bother me so much?

‘What’s been happening at work?’ I ask, needing to take the spotlight off me, because I’m pretty sure my cheeks are flaming right now as my brain threatens to recall the filthy things Rafael whispered in my ear when he screwed me from behind in my bed that night.

Those particular flashbacks need to be reserved for when I’m alone.

‘Don’t tell me you miss us all?’ Dove grins, taking another sip of her coffee. ‘Well, things are moving ahead with a new client I have, so that’s good news. Gabe bought Benedict this giant cat tree monstrosity and put it in the conference room. And Angelo’s gone to Italy to meet with one of our clients who owns hotel chains. So, it’s business as usual.’

‘And, what about ...him?’ I ask. ‘You haven’t mentioned him since the party.’

Dove blows out a breath and puts her cup down with a clang. ‘Fuck, I have to talk about it, don’t I?’

‘It might make you feel better?’ I offer.

She gives me a tight smile. ‘He keeps calling me,’ she says quietly.

‘But you won’t answer,’ I finish, because this is Dove, and I know her.