Page 11 of Unfaithful

Lawrence, Cole's PA, stared at me with wide eyes and an open mouth as if bracing for impact. I glanced to my right—Maisie, Cole's secretary, was also staring. Both of them had risen from their seats to greet me, something they had never done before. Ever.

I didn't come to Cole's office often, but I had been here enough to know that something was definitely off with them.

"Uh... what?" I had to ask. This was getting weird.

Lawrence and Maisie exchanged a quick, uneasy glance before snapping their attention back to me.

They shook their heads.

I shrugged, then continued my walk.

"Cole's in a meeting," Lawrence said abruptly. "An overseas conference call. It might take a while."

"Oookay..." I trailed off, coming to a stop, my gaze drifting to the chair across from Lawrence's desk. "Then I'll just wait here."

Maisie shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Lawrence quickly before returning her gaze to me. "I think it's okay ifyou go in," she said, her voice slightly shaky. "It's an important meeting, but you're his wife, so..."

She trailed off as she and Lawrence exchanged another uneasy glance.

"But it could take hours," Lawrence added a little too quickly.

I narrowed my eyes. "And?"

Maisie forced a smile. "Lawrence probably just doesn't want you to waste your time."

I crossed my arms. "I don't mind." Pulling out the chair across from Lawrence's desk, I sat down, making it clear I wasn't going anywhere. "I can wait here."

Lawrence exhaled slowly, his fingers twitching against the desk. Maisie looked like she wanted to say something but pressed her lips together instead.

Something was definitely off.

I frowned, my gaze bouncing between the two of them. "Okay, what the hell is going on?"

Maisie hesitated, staring at me for a long moment before finally sighing. "Just go in, Sara. It'll be fine."

Lawrence shot her a sharp glare, but she didn't acknowledge it.

My eyes stayed on Maisie, trying to decipher the strange, almost resigned expression on her face. Seriously. What's going on?

Slowly, I rose from my seat and walked toward the door, hyper-aware of their eyes tracking my every move.

My fingers curled around the handle, and for a split second, I hesitated. Then I pushed the door open.

Cole stood by the floor-to-ceiling window behind his desk, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone. His suit jacket lay over the back of his chair. At the sound of the door, he turned. His face was calm and composed—but there was something in his eyes that made me pause.

But I wasn't sure what. Maybe it was just in my head.

I pushed the thought aside and shut the door behind me. "Hey," I said.

"Hi, babe." Cole offered me a soft smile.

I glanced around the room—empty. Just the two of us. "I thought you were on an important call."

"I was," he said, swallowing. "It's done already."

"Lawrence said it might take hours," I pressed.

"We solved the problem quicker than I expected."

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