Page 78 of Unfaithful

I was going to sue Elsa.

She and that bastard Phil Jones had stolen something from me—precious time, love, a future that, as it turned out, had never truly been mine. And I was going to make sure they paid for it. I would rain hell down on them, make them face the full force of the law. They deserved nothing less.

As I walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water, a noise from Elsa's room caught my attention. It was faint but enough to make me pause. She had been coming and going as she pleased, barely making an effort to keep up appearances anymore. The pretense was gone. Whatever act she had once put on for me had crumbled the moment the truth came out.

It was a strange, almost surreal feeling, sharing a roof with the person who had single-handedly destroyed my life. I should have thrown her out. Should have made her suffer the way she made me suffer. But Elena was still here, still caught in the crossfire, and that was the only reason I hadn't burned this entire house to the ground.

Elsa had been missing for days—probably off gathering information from Phil, who was now out of a job. Fired from the clinic, disgraced, and well aware that a lawsuit was looming over him. It was only a matter of time before he faced the consequences. And Elsa? She wasn't far behind.

I heard footsteps approaching from behind me.

I already knew it was Elsa.

Slowly, I set my glass down on the counter. Then I turned around.

And there she was, standing before me, naked as the day she was born.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Sara

I woke up at 11 a.m. with a pounding headache and aching feet. I hadn't even drunk that much last night, but I had definitely danced until my legs nearly gave out.

From downstairs, the sound of clanging and clattering drifted up from the kitchen. They must already be awake.

Sleep had evaded me last night—my mind was too restless, too full—and by the time it finally claimed me, daylight had already crept in.

I padded to the bathroom for a long, hot shower, letting the water wash over me as my thoughts swirled. Archie's words kept turning in my mind.

And then there was Cole, sitting outside in the cold, looking wrecked. Looking like he had nothing left. Why?

I exhausted myself by overthinking everything.

After pulling on an oversized shirt and yoga leggings, I headed downstairs and found Archie alone in the kitchen, casually eating cereal in a white shirt and track pants, probably ones he'd left here before.

He looked up and smiled. "Good morning."

"Morning," I muttered, heat creeping up my neck as the embarrassment from last night hit me full force now that I wascompletely sober. I'd practically thrown myself at him, only for him to say no.

Avoiding his gaze, I slid onto the stool beside him.

Archie chuckled softly, clearly noticing.

He pushed the cereal box and an empty bowl toward me. "Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Not really," I admitted.

"Been thinking all night?"

"Yeah..." I mumbled, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. "Did you?"

Archie, who had crashed on the sofa last night, stretched his arms with a groan. "Yeah, well, I didn't sleep well either. There were a lot of noises keeping me awake."

"Noises?" I frowned.

Archie nodded, a mysterious grin spreading across his face.

I figured it must've been the traffic from the street out front.

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