Page 59 of Unfaithful

I knew it was wrong, yet I did it anyway.

Again. And again.

Until the weight of my sins crushed any chance of turning back.

What the hell made me think I was invincible?

That I could weave lies and never get caught in their threads?

Worst of all—what the fuck possessed me, driving me to surrender to the temptation of a devious woman who meant nothing at all?

I shivered, remembering how I had knowingly allowed myself to be trapped. How I played along just to keep the lie buried. I was greedy. I wanted Sara and my child.

And almost every day, Archie was there, either in the morning or picking Sara up after work.

Archie was always with her.

I was angry, but I had no right to be.

I was jealous, but I had no one to blame but myself.

I missed Sara, but I couldn't even talk to her. I refused to hurt her any more than I already had.

The divorce was already in motion, and it took everything in me to lift my hand and sign the settlement that day. Because it felt like I had just signed my death warrant. Like I had agreed to let go of half of myself. My heart. My soul.

Maria was surprised by how easily I accepted everything.

"This is no fun," she scoffed, disappointed that I didn't put up a fight.

But even that wasn't enough to make up for all the pain I had caused her.

At the same time, my custody battle was underway. Too much was happening at once, and I wasn't sure I had the strength to keep up. On Steve's recommendation, I had hired Fred Milles to represent me. He had already filed to establish my paternity, but the court was still in the review and scheduling phase for the DNA test.

Elsa hadn't taken the news well. When Fred explained the legal process, she completely lost it. The moment we stepped into her home, she was screaming and throwing things, shattering half the plates in her kitchen. She was determined to fight me at every step, contesting paternity just to stall the case and maintain control over me.

And somehow, she had gotten a damn good lawyer.

The real question was—where the hell did she get the money? Elsa wasn't exactly swimming in cash, and I knew for a fact she couldn't afford someone that high-profile.

Had she found a benefactor? Or was she playing her usual games, using whatever leverage she had? Either way, she wasn't making this easy for me.

I was walking out of the office, heading to the meeting room where one of my clients was waiting when Bobby suddenly rushed up to me.

"There's a man at reception asking for you," she said, a little out of breath.

I frowned, adjusting my suit. "Who?"

"He said his name is Leo Young."

I shook my head as I pulled out my phone, buzzing in my pocket. "Never heard of him."

"But he—"

I held up a hand to stop her mid-sentence. A message from Nancy had just popped up on my screen.

"I think we're in your office building. I didn't know she would come here. We're on the 15th floor."

I felt as if someone had poured ice-cold water over me, freezing my chest for a second.

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