THEIRS TO KEEP

THE PRESENTS

~ MIA ~

The cab pulled up to the house, and I sat there for a long moment, staring at the front door.

It looked the same as it always did. From the outside, it was the picture of success. The dream life. The house that proved Daniel and I had made it.

I had never hated it more than I did right now.

The cab driver cleared his throat, and I realized I had been sitting there too long. I handed him some cash, I didn't wait for the change, and climbed out onto the sidewalk.

My legs felt unsteady. The headache had faded to a dull pulse behind my eyes, but my body still ached, and every step reminded me of exactly what I had done last night. I could still feel their hands on me. Adrian's mouth on my throat. Cole's fingers tracing patterns on my skin. Nate's voice, low and commanding, telling me exactly what he wanted.

I pushed the memories down and walked up to the front door.

The house was quiet when I stepped inside. Daniel's car was in the driveway, so he was home, but I didn't hear him moving around. Maybe he was still in bed. Maybe he was in his office, on another call with Vanessa, telling her how much he missed her while his wife was out sleeping with three other men.

The thought made something twist in my stomach. Guilt, maybe. Or satisfaction. I couldn't tell the difference anymore.

I made it to the stairs before I heard his voice.

"Where the hell have you been?"

I turned around. Daniel was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, a coffee mug in his hand, his expression somewhere between annoyed and amused. He was wearing a robe over his pajamas, his hair slightly disheveled. He looked like he had just woken up.

"Out," I said.

"Out." He repeated the word like it was funny. "I called you twelve times."

"I know. I saw."

He set the mug down on the hallway table and crossed his arms over his chest. "You were gone all night, Mia. No text, no call, nothing. I thought something had happened to you."

The concern in his voice was almost convincing. But I knew him too well. He wasn't worried about me. He was annoyed that I had done something unpredictable, something outside the script he had written for our marriage.

"Something did happen," I said. "You told me I could do whatever I wanted in private. So I did."

His expression flickered. Just for a second, something dark passed through his eyes, and then it was gone, replaced by that smooth, controlled mask he always wore.

"I see," he said. "And did you enjoy yourself?"

I didn't answer. I just turned and walked up the stairs.

I spent the rest of the morning in the shower, letting the hot water run against my skin until it turned cold. I scrubbed myself so hard, but I couldn't wash away the feeling of their hands on me, the memory of what I had done. I didn't want to wash it away. That was the problem.

When I finally got out, I wrapped myself in a towel and sat on the edge of the bathtub, staring at the tile floor. My phone was on the counter, and I picked it up, scrolling through my contacts until I found their names.

Nate Lawson, Cole Mercer, Adrian Cross.

My thumb hovered over Nate's number. I could call him. Explain why I had left. Apologize for sneaking out like that.

And then what? What was I going to say? Sorry I ran out on you after the best night of my life, but I'm married and this was a huge mistake and it can never happen again?

It couldn't happen again. I knew that. No matter what Daniel had said about doing whatever I wanted in private, this was different. These weren't strangers I would never see again. These were Ryan's best friends. If he ever found out what I had done, he would never forgive me. He would never forgive them.

I deleted their numbers before I could change my mind.

Then I got dressed, went downstairs, and pretended like everything was normal.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Three days passed.

Daniel and I moved around each other like ghosts. He went to work, came home late, disappeared into his office to make phone calls that I didn't ask about. I went to work, sat through meetings I didn't care about, smiled at people who didn't know my life was falling apart behind closed doors.

At night, I lay in the guest bedroom and stared at the ceiling, trying not to think about the hotel room. Trying not to remember the way Nate had looked at me, the way Cole had touched me, the way Adrian had laughed against my skin like being with me was the most fun he had ever had.

I failed every time.

On the fourth day, the first package arrived.

I was working from home, sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop open and a cold cup of coffee beside me. The doorbell rang, and I assumed it was the usual delivery, some business documents or a package Daniel had ordered. I opened the door without thinking.

There was a small box on the doorstep. Black box, tied with a silver ribbon. No shipping label, no return address.

I picked it up and carried it inside, setting it on the kitchen counter. For a long moment, I just stared at it, afraid to open it, afraid to find out who had sent it.

Then I pulled the ribbon loose and lifted the lid.

Inside, nestled against a black silk, was a diamond necklace. Simple but expensive, a single teardrop pendant on a delicate chain. It caught the light from the kitchen window and threw tiny rainbows across the counter.

There was a note tucked beneath it. I unfolded it with shaking hands.

The handwriting was bold, slanted slightly to the right.

You left without saying goodbye. I don't like that, Mia. Next time, you stay until I tell you to go. — Nate

My hands were trembling so badly I almost dropped the note. I read it again, then a third time, my brain struggling to process what I was seeing.

He knew where I lived. He had sent this to my house, the house I shared with my husband, like it was nothing.

I shoved the necklace back into the box and hid it in the back of the pantry, behind a bag of flour that nobody ever touched.

Then I poured myself a drink, even though it was barely noon.

The second package arrived the next morning.

This time, it was a pair of earrings. Diamond studs, classic and elegant, the kind of thing I would have picked out for myself. The box was identical to the first one. Black box, silver ribbon, no return address.

The note inside was shorter.

Your home address. I memorized it the night we met. Just so you know. — Cole

My stomach flipped. I read the words again, slower this time, letting them sink in.

He had memorized my address. That night at the bar, before we had even kissed, he had been paying attention. Taking notes. Planning.

I didn't know if that was romantic or terrifying. Maybe both.

I hid the earrings with the necklace and tried to convince myself this was all some kind of joke. A game they were playing, a way to rattle me. They would get bored eventually. They would move on and forget about me, and I could go back to my miserable life and pretend none of this had ever happened.

The third package arrived that afternoon.

A bracelet this time. Delicate, beautiful, with small diamonds that sparkled. The note was written in messier handwriting.

We're not done, Mia. Not even close. I've been thinking about that night every second since you left. And I know you have too. — Adrian

I sat down at the kitchen table, the bracelet still in my hand, and tried to breathe.

Three packages. Three notes. Three men who knew exactly where I lived and had no intention of letting me disappear.

This wasn't a joke, and this definitely wasn't a game.

They wanted me. All three of them. And they weren't going to let me pretend the night at the hotel had never happened.

My phone buzzed on the counter. I grabbed it, expecting another message from Daniel or maybe Sophie asking about a work thing.

It was a text from an unknown number.

Dinner. Today. 8pm. I'll send a car.

No name, no explanation. But I knew who it was from.

I stared at the screen, my heart pounding, my mind racing.

My thumb hovered over the keyboard.

The front door opened, and Daniel's voice echoed through the house.

"Mia? You home?"

I shoved the phone in my pocket and closed the jewelry box, my hands shaking.

"In the kitchen," I called back.

He walked in a moment later, dropping his briefcase on the counter without looking at me. "Board meeting ran late. I'm going to shower and then I have a dinner thing tonight. Don't wait up."

A dinner thing. Vanessa, probably. Or someone else. It didn't matter anymore.

"Fine," I said.

He paused, glancing at me like he was noticing something different but couldn't figure out what. Then he shrugged and walked away.

I waited until I heard the shower running upstairs.

Then I pulled out my phone and typed a single word.

Yes.