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Because I didn’t lock it.

Great.

Irina is the first to turn. She pushes me with all her strength, but she can’t move me an inch.

I release her leg and her hair, then slowly turn my head toward the door.

And of course… There is Thalia.

Frozen in place, it takes her a few seconds to collect herself.

“Sorry,” she says.

Then she turns and rushes out the same door, as if she’s forgotten why she came in the first place.

FIVE

Thalia

Only I could have the luck—or the curse—of running into Ethan in every possible sexual scenario. It’s like the universe is mocking me, showing off just how easily it can keep messing with my life.

Okay, okay, I get it. He’s handsome. Rich. Every woman wants him. And of course, he wants them all too. Every single one.

I haven’t even wrapped my head around the fact that he slept with Jessica—Jessica!—who I have to see at work every damn day. And now, to make it worse, the image of his hand between Irina’s legs is burned into my mind. And I have to see her almost daily, or have calm, professional calls about an event I was basically forced into.

And it all started with Sierra. What was she thinking?

But Irina? Does she know he sleeps around? Is this some kind of open relationship I don’t know about? God, if he were mine, he wouldn’t even be allowed to glance at another woman.

Jesus, Thalia, what is wrong with you? Why do you care so much? Why does it even matter?

Trembling, I head for the exit. Luckily, I don’t have a purse and I didn’t leave anything at the table. I want to slip out without anyone stopping me.

Right by the door, Theo is on the phone. When he sees me, he smiles, mutters a few quick words into the receiver, and hangs up. But his expression changes instantly the moment he takes in my face.

I can’t hold it in anymore. I’m tired of hiding, of pretending. It’s been over a year of lying, of both of us acting as if everything is perfectly fine.

“Let’s go,” he says simply, holding out his hand.

I take it, and together we walk to the car already waiting outside.

“Do you want to talk now?” he asks softly.

I shake my head, my gaze fixed on the window, and the first tears start to fall—hot and relentless. My chest constricts, every breath uneven. Anger and longing twist together until I can’t separate one from the other. My fingers clutch his hand like it’s the only anchor keeping me from falling apart.

Less than thirty minutes later, Theo’s hand still wrapped firmly around mine, we arrive home.

Once inside, I don’t think. I turn toward him and press his back against the door. Dumbfounded, he grips my shoulders with both hands, opening his mouth as if to ask what’s wrong, but there’s no time. I close the distance between us and kiss him.

For a second he freezes, surprised, then he gives in to the kiss, pulling me closer until our bodies press together. We kiss like that—desperate and frantic—for what feels like an eternity, hearts pounding, breaths mingling.

Finally, he pulls back just enough to speak.

“Thalia, if this is what you need, I’m here,” he says softly. “You’re an absolutely stunning woman. No man could ever resist you.” He lifts my chin with his finger, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Tonight you weren’t just beautiful, you were otherworldly. Every man in that room was either drooling over you or shooting me jealous looks,” he adds with a quiet laugh.

Through it all, I don’t say a word.

Because I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what I want. Do I cross this line with him? Do I push this boundary?