[Nikolai]
Fuck.
Of all the people who could have shown up at the estate right now, it had to be Phoebe Salvador.
I'd been too stunned when she'd thrown her arms around me. Too caught off guard to push her away or explain or do any of the things I probably should have done.
Instead, I'd spun her around like an i***t while she kissed my lips and called me "hubby" in front of everyone—including Isolde, who I'd felt watching me from her place in the staff line.
I didn't want to look at her. But when I did, I saw the clear signs of betrayal I knew would be written across her face.
I kept my eyes on Phoebe, forced myself to smile, and tried to figure out how the hell everything had gone so wrong so fast.
Phoebe and I had grown up together. Our families had been allies for generations, an
