Chapter 4
691 Words
That night, Niels received an urgent call. There was an issue with the company's newest project, and he had to deal with it immediately. Wearing a silk nightgown, I leaned against the doorway and watched him without saying a word.
He looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Babe. This project is too important."
I walked over and straightened his loose tie, speaking gently. "Your work matters. I understand. Go ahead, sweetheart."
Niels held my hand tightly and lowered his head to kiss it. The warm, lingering touch instantly reminded me of every detail from those humiliating photos.
Just hours earlier, those lips had been pleasing Helena. Now, hours later, they were touching me with the same mouth that had betrayed me.
I couldn't endure it any longer. The disgusting images, the room carrying another woman's scent, and the fake, twisted expression on the face of the man I loved all appeared in my mind at once. The revulsion wasn't only in my heart. My body rejected it as well.
I yanked my hand away, my nails digging deeply into my skin. The sharp pain helped keep my collapsing emotions under control.
Niels stared at me in confusion. "Ainsley, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Go handle your work."
He didn't notice the smile I was pretending to wear. His brown eyes softened as he smiled and said, "Babe, you're the sweetest. I'll give you a huge surprise for our third anniversary tomorrow. Don't stay upset tonight, alright?"
A surprise from the man who had just been with another woman? I lowered my gaze, unwilling to waste another second listening to his overly coy words.
After Niels left, I didn't go back to our bedroom. Instead, I chose a spotless guest room. The light from the computer screen flickered across my face, hiding every trace of the emotions buried in my eyes.
I had planted a monitoring program on Niels's phone a long time ago. It had been something I did years earlier. For these three years, he had made me feel so secure that I almost forgot about it. If Helena hadn't appeared, I probably never would have remembered.
The screen displayed everything happening on Niels's phone. He wasn't heading to the company. He had gone straight to the presidential suite at Royal Hotel.
Owner: Making me wait this long means you'll have to make it up to me.
Niels: She wasn't feeling well, and I was worried about her. I didn't come late on purpose.
Owner: Is she more important than me?
Niels: Tonight, I'll let you have your way.
The conversation ended there. I closed my eyes and suppressed the violent urge rushing through me, the urge to go there and make him pay.
The project was nothing but an excuse. Going to the company was a lie. The only thing that was real was how badly he wanted Helena.
I had come back too early that afternoon and interrupted their little game. So he had found another excuse to leave tonight. As someone born into a mafia family, there was nothing I despised more than being lied to over and over again.
I made another call. My emerald eyes shone with a cold, hidden light in the darkness. "I want that suite. Get everyone inside out immediately."
The Leone family had several businesses operating in Vandell City, and coincidentally, Royal Hotel was one of them.
The manager immediately sensed the fury in my voice and didn't dare waste a moment. Even though the presidential suite I mentioned was occupied by someone with influence, he had no choice but to gather his people and personally go there to "escort" them out.
My fingers moved lightly across the keyboard. In no time, the live surveillance feed from the scene appeared on my computer.
I rested my chin on my hand, enjoying the drama unfolding before me. Niels and Helena stood outside the door, both half-dressed and completely embarrassed. When my eyes lowered, I noticed the obvious reaction beneath Niels's towel and burst into laughter without restraint.
The man I would never sleep with again wouldn't be allowed to belong to anyone else either.
- Writer
