Chapter 3

When I woke, Adrian was sitting against the headboard beside me, one arm around my shoulders. At some point in the night, I'd moved close enough to fall asleep against him.

I lifted my head. He was awake immediately.

"How do you feel?"

"Better."

He checked my forehead with the back of his hand. His face was close to mine, and this time his gaze went to my mouth. He leaned in, then stopped.

"Claire. Can I kiss you?"

Before our fight, I would have been delighted. Now, tired and still hurt, I heard an offer of pity.

"Not in the mood."

His arm loosened at once. "Of course. Bad timing."

I moved to my side of the bed.

"It was my fault," he said.

At least we agreed on something.

He stood. "Just don't do that again."

I looked up sharply.

"Disappear," he added. "I didn't know where you were."

"I wasn't ready to talk to you."

He pressed his lips together, then went to get my clothes. He'd changed into a T-shirt and a towel after his shower. I watched him cross the room and resented how easily he still held my attention.

He handed me a clean outfit and turned away while I changed.

Naturally.

I left for the kitchen. Before I reached the stairs, I heard the bathroom door close and the water start again.

A few days later, I noticed things missing from my dressing room.

At first, I assumed I'd put them in the wrong drawer. Then I couldn't find the lace set Maya had given me the week before. I searched the hamper, the laundry room, and every drawer twice.

At breakfast, I told Adrian, "I think someone's been stealing from the house."

He stopped buttering his toast.

"What's missing?"

"My lingerie."

The knife slipped. Butter smeared across his fingers.

I watched him reach for a napkin. "Why are you nervous? Did you take it?"

For several seconds, he concentrated on his hand. Then he looked up.

"What do you think?"

I almost laughed. This was Adrian, who straightened his cuffs before answering the door and hated finding a mug outside the kitchen. What would he do with my underwear?

"Never mind. What time will you be home? I have a gift for you."

The divorce agreement I'd asked my lawyer to draft was folded inside my bag.

He pushed the toast toward me. "Tell me when you need me. I'll come back."

He said it so quickly that I forgot my next remark.

His phone rang before I recovered. His assistant had arrived to pick him up for a meeting, and Adrian left me staring at a piece of buttered toast.