Chapter 3His, and His Brother's

That night, we split up. Zoe went to a clinic for a full check-up, and I went back to the penthouse to pack our severance.

On the way, I called a friend from my hometown in Maine and had her rent a secluded house for us on the coast. I booked two one-way bus tickets for five days from now.

The same day as the wedding.

When I got back to the apartment, I ran right into Connor.

He was fresh from the shower, a towel slung low on his hips, his dark hair still dripping onto his shoulders. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, toying with a small, velvet box.

He saw me and beckoned with one finger.

I walked over, and in the next second, he pulled me into a tight embrace, resting his head against my chest. A cold, thin band of platinum slid onto the ring finger of my left hand.

Then he took my right hand, lifted it to his lips, and placed a soft kiss on the bare ring finger there. He smiled. “Baby, in five days, we’re getting married. And I’m going to put the most beautiful pink diamond in the world right on this spot. Okay?”

I crushed the heavy feeling in my gut and nodded numbly, unable to speak.

He reached out to pull me closer, but his phone buzzed on the nightstand. When he saw the caller ID, his expression shifted, just for a second. He answered, a simple, “Okay,” into the phone.

“Are you going out?” I asked.

He stood and kissed my forehead, his voice a warm, gentle whisper. “Something came up at the office. I have to take care of it. You be good and get some sleep. Don’t wait up for me.”

He disappeared back into the bathroom to dry his hair.

The phone on the nightstand buzzed again with a text notification. I picked it up. The passcode, for both their phones, was my birthday—a detail meant to be a sweet part of their charade. They both knew I’d never check.

This would be the first and last time.

Two messages from someone named “Ash.”

Ash: Connor, darling, I heard you’re getting married to that Chloe girl. A show like that? You know I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Ash: I’m back. Come pick me up. Waiting for you xo.

Ash. The name echoed in my mind, and then it clicked into place. Ashley Davenport. The queen bee of the New York social scene, Caleb’s childhood sweetheart. The one he’d worshipped, followed around like a puppy, until she left for Oxford after high school.

Of course. It all made sense.

Connor came out of the bathroom, dressed in a sharp suit. He saw me lying in bed and leaned over me, his weight pressing me into the mattress. “I’m leaving now, baby.”

I forced a smile. “Okay.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he murmured, his eyes fixed on my lips.

I tilted my head up, and our lips met in a brief, feather-light kiss. Satisfied, he lingered, kissing me again and again as if he couldn’t bear to leave. Finally, he pushed himself up. “Get some sleep. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”

The roar of his car’s engine faded into the night. I wiped my mouth, as if touching something unclean.

Then I swung my legs out of bed.

Sleep? Not a chance. The walk-in closet full of bags and jewelry wasn’t going to pack itself. An opportunity like this only comes once.

I had to hand it to them, Caleb and Connor were generous. The designer bags were all limited editions. The necklaces and rings were either emeralds or diamonds. My mouth practically watered as I looked at a flawless, emerald-cut diamond the size of a pigeon’s egg.

Pack it. Pack it all.