Chapter 3
1322 Words
Isla’s POV
I woke to Theo's warmth.
We were pressed together like spoons, his arm locked around my waist. His breath fell steady against my neck.
Everything was the same as it had always been.
Except he didn't love me anymore.
I felt him stir. His lips found my shoulder, then my neck. The familiar trail of morning kisses.
"Good morning, beautiful," he murmured.
His hand began to wander, sliding beneath the silk of my nightgown.
I shifted away. "We have the interview this morning, don't we?"
"Mm. We do." He sat up, running a hand through his hair. "The follow-up piece from yesterday's segment."
"What time?"
"Ten." He checked his phone. "We should leave by nine."
I slipped out of bed and headed for the closet. Behind me, I heard him get up, heard the shower start again.
The studio was exactly what you'd expect. Bright lights, too-cheerful producers, a set designed to look like someone's living room but too perfect to be real.
Theo held my hand as we walked onto the set. Cameras flashed. A producer rushed over with a clipboard.
"Mr. and Mrs. Astor! So wonderful to have you both. We're thrilled about the response to yesterday's segment. America just can't get enough of you two."
We took our seats on the cream sofa. Theo's hand found mine automatically, his thumb tracing circles on my palm. I smiled. Leaned into him slightly. Played my part.
The host—Linda something, with perfect teeth and aggressive enthusiasm—beamed at us.
"Welcome back! After yesterday's incredible interview, we received thousands of messages from viewers who want to know your secret. How do you keep the romance alive after five years?"
Theo smiled. "You know, Lindae." He squeezed my hand. "Every single day, I try to remind Isla why I fell in love with her in the first place."
"Oh, that's beautiful," Linda gushed.
I kept my smile fixed.
"And intimacy?" Linda's voice dropped conspiratorially. "Five years in—how do you keep that spark alive?"
Theo laughed, charming. "Well, Linda. Every time when Isla walks into a room, I still feel the same way I did on our first date. ."
"Never?" Linda pressed.
"Never." He brought my hand to his lips, kissing it softly.
The audience erupted in applause.
"I have to say," Linda addressed the audience, "if all husbands were like Theo Astor, divorce lawyers would be out of business!"
Laughter rippled through the studio.
"We're going to take questions from our audience now," Linda announced. "Who wants to go first?"
Hands shot up across the studio.
Linda pointed to someone in the third row. "Yes, you in the white."
Oh, it's Amanda.
Amanda stood, microphone in hand, wearing a pristine white suit. Her smile was practiced.
"Hi, I'm Amanda." She looked directly at me. "My question is for Mrs. Astor."
"Of course," Linda said.
"I think every woman here would agree—you have what we all want. The perfect man, the perfect life." Her voice was sugar-sweet. "What did you do to deserve him? How does it feel knowing every woman wishes they were you?"
The audience murmured appreciation. They thought it was a compliment.
I met her eyes across the studio.
"That's a interesting question." I paused. "Sometimes I wonder that myself. What did I do to get this lucky?"
Theo squeezed my hand.
"Don't you ever worry?" she pressed. "About losing him? About someone else catching his attention?"
Theo took the microphone from Linda before I could answer. "She'll never have to worry about that." His voice was firm. "Isla is my forever. Nothing and no one could change that."
The audience erupted in applause.
I kept my eyes on Amanda. Her face had gone pale, two spots of color high on her cheeks.
"Thank you for that question," I said softly.
The cameras stopped rolling.
"That woman was intense," Linda said.
"Just a fan," I replied. "Can't blame her."
Theo and I made our way to the green room. His arm was around my waist, solid and possessive.
The green room door had barely closed behind us when it opened again.
Amanda.
She walked in carrying a leather portfolio, her white suit still immaculate. "Mr. Astor. I have those contracts you requested."
She addressed him like I wasn't there.
"Amanda." I smiled. "You could have waited until we were finished here."
Her eyes flicked to me, then back to Theo. "Mr. Astor's schedule is very tight. I wanted to make sure—"
"That's enough." Theo's voice was sharp. "Wait outside, please."
Amanda's face went through hurt and humiliation. She clutched the portfolio tighter.
"Of course, Mr. Astor." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "My apologies."
She left, closing the door too carefully.
I watched her go, then turned to Theo. "You didn't have to be so harsh. She's just doing her job."
He pulled me close, his voice low. "I don't allow anyone to disrespect you."
I looked up at him. Studied his face. The strong jaw. The eyes that had promised me forever.
For a moment—just a moment—I wondered if I'd imagined everything.
"I should get home," I said. "I have some work to catch up on."
"Already?" He looked disappointed. "I thought we'd have lunch."
"Rain check? I'm exhausted." I touched his cheek. "These early mornings are killing me."
"Alright." He kissed my forehead. "I'll see you tonight."
"Tonight," I agreed.
I didn't leave the building.
Instead, I waited in the hallway around the corner, pressed against the wall like some character in a bad spy movie. The green room door was ten feet away.
I didn't have to wait long.
The door opened. Amanda slipped inside.
I moved closer, staying in the shadows. The door hadn't closed completely. She was too emotional to notice.
"I'm sorry." Her voice was thick with tears. "I shouldn't have come to the interview. I shouldn't have asked those questions. I just—I needed to see you."
Silence.
Then Theo: "That was reckless. Isla could have recognized you."
"I know. I know." She was crying now. "But I can't do this anymore. Watching you with her, listening to you say those things—"
"Amanda." His voice was gentler now. "We talked about this."
"You said you loved me. You said we'd be together."
"We are together."
"Not like this! I want—I need more. I need—"
"What do you need?"
"You. Just you." She was pleading now. "Please. Tonight. Just give me tonight."
The sound that followed was unmistakable. The soft rustle of fabric. A zipper being pulled down.
"Amanda, not here—"
"Please. I need you."
I didn't wait to hear more.
I moved quickly down the hallway. Behind me, I heard Amanda's soft gasp, then silence.
My phone buzzed as I reached the elevator.
My phone showed a text from Theo: Emergency meeting with investors. Will be late tonight. Don't wait up.
Right on schedule.
I walked out of the building into the bright afternoon sun. On the street, I flagged down a taxi.
"Where to?" the driver asked.
I gave him the address of the coffee shop two blocks away. Then, as we pulled away from the curb, I leaned forward.
"Actually, change of plans. See that black Mercedes pulling out? The one with the tinted windows?"
The driver's eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. He was older, probably in his sixties, with the weathered face of someone who'd seen everything.
"You want me to follow it?"
"I do."
A slow smile spread across his face. "Lady, I've been driving a cab in New York for thirty years. I've been waiting for someone to say that."
"There's an extra hundred in it for you if you don't lose them."
"Ma'am," he said, pulling into traffic three cars behind the Mercedes, "I won't even let them know we're here."
- Writer
