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“Oh shit,” he murmurs under his breath, then clicks on the link.

Instrumental music plays over the tinny speakers, the crowd cheering as Roman grinds in my face, rolling his hips and dancing exactly like a male stripper.

The video is zoomed in, clearly recorded on a phone, so that the two of us fill the screen, making the scene look exactly like it’s filmed in a strip club. The strobe lights and smoke in the air only add to the ambiance. Taken out of context, it looks exactly like the scene is supposed to look. Like I’m at a male strip club, clearly enjoying my lap dance.

The caption at the bottom reads: Kira Blakely seen cheating on husband, Augustus Wilde, with a male escort. Sources tell us the video was taken in Ashford Falls, West Virginia, where she has been rumored to have been staying with her sister, former teen actress Greer Blakely…

Roman’s face goes white as he stares at the screen. “How… How did they…” His words trail off, and he snaps his mouth shut, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

I take the phone from him and click back to Augustus’s missed texts.

Augustus

You are exactly who everyone thinks you are.

I can’t remember off the top of my head, but isn’t there a cheating clause in our prenup?

My eyes well with tears as I sit frozen in shock, trying to make sense of what just happened. Everything was going so smoothly. The play was weeks ago. Why is this happening now?

“Here we are. I have the pancakes, French toast, and the rest is right behind me,” our server says, placing the sickeningly sweet breakfast on the table in front of me.

My stomach continues to churn as bile rises in the back of my throat. I have to hold my hand over my mouth to keep from gagging.

“We’re going to fix this,” Roman assures me, though his worried tone says otherwise.

I look up at him, seeing the pained look in his eyes as he sits there, still frozen in shock.

A moment later, Jett bursts through the doors, his phone held out in front of him as he makes a beeline to our table. “I think you’re going to want to see this.”

Roman takes the phone and goes still. “Fuck.”

“You can say that again.” Jett pats his shoulder and pockets his phone. “I’ll take care of this…” He nods toward the side entrance. “You should probably get her out of here.”

Roman grabs my arm, and I let him lead me through the side entrance. I don’t have the energy to ask what’s going on. My mind is too busy trying to figure out how the hell I’m going to break the news to Greer.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Roman

I’m going to kill Guy. That’s the only coherent thought I can manage as people file in for the town meeting. I’ve got to address the elephant in the room and get a hold of the narrative before things get any more misconstrued than they already have.

I ball my fists at my sides and pace back and forth. The energy in the room buzzes with a mix of worry and excitement. I overhear whispers as the news of Kira’s infidelity seems to spread.

What the hell was he thinking? Sure, I wasn’t exactly in a hurry to fulfill his stupid request, but I didn’t think he was serious. I didn’t think he’d actually leak the video.

I’ve been racking my brain all day, trying to figure out what would cause him to do something like that. Why would he break every brotherly code for something as stupid as being an extra in a movie? It doesn’t make sense. We haven’t even had a disagreement. I’ve barely seen him since the other night when he broke the news about retiring from the company. He seemed happy about it.

So what the fuck happened?

I called him earlier, but he didn’t pick up. And I’ve been so busy doing damage control, I haven’t had time to track him down. Kira has been radio silent all day, probably spiraling.

I could’ve prevented this.

All I had to do was keep my cool. All I had to do was sit down, shut up, and watch the show play out. But I let my jealousy get the best of me, and now look what I’ve caused.

The woman I love is paying the price for my selfishness.

The last thing I want to do right now is put on a happy face and tell everyone that everything is going to be fine. But if I don’t shut down their hysteria, things will only get worse.