Chapter 212
Emily stares at Ryan, and he can see the color drain from her face. She opens her mouth to respond, but no words come out.
He takes a step closer, his voice dangerously low. “Why is there a camera in our bedroom?”
“Ryan, it’s nothing,” she says. She reaches for the vase, her hand brushing his arm, but he pulls back, setting the vase down behind him, marking it off–limits.
“Not so fast,” he says. “Answer the question.”
Emily bites her lip, eyes darting around the room. “It’s just… it’s a little kink thing, okay?” She gives a half–smile. “I thought maybe it’d be fun. Your birthday is coming up. I wanted to surprise you with a hot video.”
He raises an eyebrow and then taps the side of his reading glasses. “I might be a bit shortsighted, Emily, but I’m not blind. Or stupid. How convenient that this little kink appeared the same day you saw Julie.”
“The camera’s always been there. You just never noticed.”
Ryan laughs. “Now I’m convinced you’re lying. I love those flowers. I’d know if there was a damn camera in there.”
She opens her mouth, then hesitates before saying, “I don’t leave it there all the time.”
“Cut the bullshit, Emily.”
“Alright, you want the truth? I met Julie today, and she threatened me. She threatened me and the baby. I got scared, okay? I didn’t know what else to do.”
Ryan studies her, narrowing his eyes as he processes her words. “Julie threatened to harm you?”
“Yes. She said she’d…. she’d hurt me, Ryan. Hurt me and our baby. That’s why I put the camera there.”
“What’s the camera supposed to do?” he says. “Blink its red light until she collapses?”
She frowns. “It’s just… I thought I’d have some evidence, alright?”
“Evidence? We’re in the middle of nowhere, Emily. You’ve seen the security detail at the gate. You think Julie can just waltz in here with what, a knife?”
“She walked into our house and tried to attack me with a taser, Ryan.”
He scoffs, shaking his head. “That was her house. Her house, Emily. Not some fortress surrounded by cameras and guards. I’m giving seconds to tell me what the hell is really going on.”
five
“You don’t care, do you?” she says. “I told you your wife threatened me–threatened our baby–and this is how you treat me? Like I’m the one at fault?”
Ryan stares at her, his jaw set. “Julie would never do that.”
“Oh, really? How do you know what she would or wouldn’t do, Ryan? You swore she’d never leave you, yet she did. You swore she’d come back, but she’s served you divorce papers and a resignation letter. What makes you think you know what your wife’s capable of anymore?”
He moves closer, a slow, calculated approach that makes Emily stiffen. Her eyes widen in fear. She begins to back up.
“Stay back, Ryan,” she whispers. “You’re not thinking clearly.”
But he doesn’t stop, his eyes dark and intense, every step deliberate. Finally, she’s backed up against the wall, no more space to retreat. He’s inches away, his hands coming up to grip her arms firmly but not enough to hurt–yet.
“Why is there a camera in the vase, Emily?”
She squirms in his hold. “Let me go. You’re hurting me.”
“Why is there a camera in the vase, Emily?”
“Let me go, Ryan! I’m not Julie! You can’t treat me like some piece of shit!”
He freezes, and for a moment, there’s silence between them. His hands loosen slightly, and he looks at her with something close to disbelief. “What the hell did you just say?”
Her breath comes in short gasps, her eyes darting over his face as if gauging his reaction. “Your wife is blackmailing me, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?” Her voice is shaky. “There’s no trace of the old Julie left in her eyes. She’s out for blood, Ryan. I’m trying to protect you, to give 1173
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Chapter 212
you some peace. I put that camera there to gather evidence, something she can use to finalize this divorce and let you move on. I’m doing this for you. I don’t want to bring a baby into a world where its father is chasing after his estranged wife.”
He releases her, his hands dropping to his sides. “You had no right.”
“You left me with no choice.”
He laughs, but it’s a hollow, bitter sound. “What could she possibly be using against you that isn’t already out there? Everyone knows we’re together.”
She looks away, her arms wrapped around herself. “Not everyone. The media doesn’t.”
“Don’t lie to me, Emily. And don’t pretend this was ever about protecting me.” He narrows his eyes. “No matter how much I press, you’ll never tell- me the real reason for that camera, will you?”
Her lips tremble, but she doesn’t answer.
For a moment, he stares at her, watching her as if waiting for her to slip, to say something that would unravel whatever mess of lies she’s built. Then he takes a step back. Emily checks her arms for marks, rubbing them as if his touch had burned her.
Ryan moves, crossing the room to the closet and grabbing a shirt, hastily buttoning it, and reaching for a jacket.
Emily looks up. “Where are you going?”
“To ask Julie.”
Her face contorts in shock, then fear. She moves quickly, trying to block his path to the door. Her hands claw at his arm. “Ryan, please, just stop and think about this. Let’s talk, just you and me. Please, don’t go to her-”
He stops, meeting her gaze with a cold stare, the kind that has her fingers slipping from his arm in spite of herself.
And with that, Ryan walks out the door.
When Ryan gets to the gate, it slides right open. His car’s electric tag is still active. That must be a good sign, right? Or maybe Julie hasn’t gotten around to deactivating it.
As he drives through, his chest tightens at the sight of Julie’s Bentley parked near the garage, glistening under the soft glow of the outdoor lights. Next to it is that Aston Martin he saw the other day. But then there’s another car, a third car. A McLaren. Ryan feels his pulse spike.
Who owns the McLaren and the Aston Martin? Certainly not Julie. Are these gifts from her boyfriend? Trying to win his wife over gifts?
with expensive
He parks his car, cuts the engine, and steps out into the evening air. His eyes catch movement ahead as Grant, the security guard, strides toward him, looking surprised and confused.
“Mr. O’Brien?”
“Good evening, Grant,” Ryan says.
Grant scratches the back of his head. “I thought Mrs. O’Brien said you don’t… live here anymore?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s a temporary setback. She invited me over.”
Grant glances back toward the house, clearly torn. “She didn’t tell me…”
“It’s a private meeting,” Ryan adds.
Grant hesitates, eyeing him. “Oh, right. With the… other gentleman?”
Ryan stiffens, his pulse thrumming in his ears. “Other gentleman?”
“You said you have a meeting, right?”
Ryan’s heart clenches, and his mind begins racing at breakneck speed. There’s another man in Julie’s house? Alone with her? His imagination paints images he wishes he could erase, scenarios he has no right to imagine but can’t stop himself from seeing. But he keeps his expression as neutral as he can, forcing his fists to unclench.
“Yes,” he says. “The three of us have a meeting.”
Grant watches him with a wary eye. “I’ll just page her to confirm.”
“You do that. I’ll be on my way inside,” Ryan replies, already moving toward the entrance, ignoring the tentative protest from Grant behind him. 273
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“Mr. O’Brien, I don’t think you should be going in without confirmation.”
But Ryan barely hears him. His mind is elsewhere, focused on the darkening doorway. He forces himself to breathe, to calm his nerves, but all he sees is red, a haze of anger clouding his vision.
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