She Was Never Just the Billionaire’s Wife (Natasha and Chase) novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41 The Morning After

(Gloria)

Dawn bleeds through the gap in the heavy blackout curtains, casting a sick, gray wash over the tangled hotel sheets.

Piper lies on the far side of the mattress, her back stiffly turned on me. A dark cascade of hair obscures her sharp profile.

The jagged, screaming desperation that started in the foyer last night and continued in this room, is completely spent.

What remains is a heavy, complicated exhaustion that settles deep into my marrow.

We didn’t fix anything. We just bled on each other, and I don’t have the energy to keep doing it.

Piper is an emotional minefield. One wrong step and she detonates.

I need coffee, not round two.

Pulling my trench coat over my wrinkled clothes doesn’t fix anything, but it has structure and right now I need to borrow some.

I don’t look back at the bed, or say anything before I leave.

I’m not sure there’s anything left to say.

The click of the door shutting behind me echoes down the empty corridor.

When the elevator drops me in the opulent lobby, I find Julian Morton lounging in a low velvet armchair near the revolving doors.

Fuck my life.

He’s holding an espresso cup and he looks entirely too awake, his dark eyes sharp and predatory.

“Early checkout, Gloria?” Julian asks.

His voice carries perfectly in the quiet lobby.

“Or just a strategic retreat?”

I keep my pace steady. “Go to hell, Julian.”

He chuckles. The sound is dark and genuinely amused.

He stands up, smoothing the lapel of his impeccably tailored jacket, and falls into step beside me.

“I have to applaud the sheer talent,” Julian drawls, his gaze dropping to the wrinkled collar of my coat.

“Bagging two out of four Morton siblings takes a very specific, ruthless kind of magnetism. Should I feel left out? I can be quite accommodating.”

“You should feel pathetic,” I tell him flatly. “Don’t you have a trust fund to drain somewhere?”

“Careful,” he murmurs, stepping dangerously close as the automatic doors slide open.

The crisp morning air hits my face and I feel some of the cobwebs clearing.

Chapter The Morning After

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“Piper bites. But you already knew that, didn’t you? Let’s just hope the golden boy doesn’t find out his favorite Corporate shark is swimming in his sister’s pool.”

Ignoring the bait, I walk out into the cold.

Julian doesn’t follow. He just watches the go, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

He knows nothing, but I’m sure he’s going to make it his mission to find out what’s going on.

Poor Piper.

Even after the savage rant she subjected me to last night, I still feel sorry for her.

We were close once, and caring about someone doesn’t just die.

I get home to find Mason leaning against the hood of his sedan parked right in front of my building.

His hands are shoved deep into his pockets. His shoulders hitch up against the cold, and he looks miserable.

He takes one look at my rumpled trench coat, the smudged makeup under my eyes, and makes his own assumptions.

He swallows whatever comment sits on his tongue.

“Mason. It’s barely seven in the morning.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” he admits. His voice is tight and brittle.

Unlocking the front door, I push it open.

“Come inside before you freeze to death.”

He follows me into the kitchen, but doesn’t sit down.

He paces annoyingly while I start the coffee maker. The frantic energy rolling off him fills the space.

“She chose to stay, Gloria,” Mason says, dragging a hand through his hair. “Natasha is staying at the Estate. With him.”

“She lives there,” I remind him gently. “For now.”

“She’s playing house with him,” Mason argues, his volume rising.

“She’s living under his roof. Raising that baby in his nursery. What if she’s falling for him again? What if being near him every single day is pulling them back together?”

“Stop pacing.”

I slide a hot mug across the counter. He stares at the black liquid like it might explode.

“She’s surviving,” I say, keeping my tone even.

“That house is a snake pit. Natasha isn’t falling back in love with a man who treated her like garbage. She’s playing the game.”

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