The mention of my girlfriend twisted my gut. The thing with Chloe and I was complicated, at least to me. I knew I said no strings, but this woman had taken up space in my head no other woman had occupied. Not even Billy Anne bothered me this much when I upset her.

“Are you sure you can take care of the family?” Wilson’s dark hair was tied up in a ponytail tonight, and her right arm was covered in tattoos hidden behind a black shirt. Her ears, as always, were filled with piercings. She always tried to break the norm, and I supported her in this goal.

“I can. Now go!” I didn’t need to be told twice.

I rushed to my office, changing from my scrubs to my white shirt and trousers. I put on my Rolex, which I had removed because of protocol, and slipped into my jacket.

As I gathered my things, only one thing was on my mind.

Go home to your girlfriend.

Wilson’s words echoed in my head. And that was exactly what I needed to do. Thankfully, Billy Anne and Charlie weren’t home because I wanted to put my focus on the lovely lady across my penthouse.

Jesus, I was so stupid. I should’ve faced Gwen before everything exploded in my face. I knew nothing was going on between us anymore. We were old news, former friends who called each other when we needed a fuck.

But I had my shit sorted out now. I had this great thing with Chloe, and I was trying to make amends. Things were going well, she’d been so happy the past month, and in some weird fucked up way, I was too.

My days wouldn’t start without seeing her, and I wouldn’t want it to end without telling her good night and kissing Sofi to bed.

There would be times when I’d find her asleep on the couch when I had just gotten home from work, Billy Anne and Sofi on the floor playing. She’d offer to pick up Billy Anne at school, too, and the three of them would grab an ice cream and visit the park, something Billy Anne never had the time to do because the adults in her life were always busy.

Chloe would text me. Sometimes, when I’d fail to reply, she’d call me. But when she’d bring Billy Anne home, she’d say a quick hello and goodbye. She couldn’t even look me in the eyes and wouldn’t let me touch her. It stung, of course, but I knew that she was upset about the whole Gwen thing.

She didn’t want to talk. Fine, I understood. I had taken her out for her birthday, and we went home to my former fuck buddy in my penthouse, calling her a bitch.

But I was coming clean. That was the plan. I needed her to hear my side of the story. I didn’t want her to assume I was still seeing Gwen when she was all I could think of every minute of the day, even when I closed my eyes to sleep.

On my drive home, I rehearsed in my head what I would say to Chloe. I had planned on telling her how I met Gwen, why I had entertained the idea of having a casual sex partner, and that I had told Gwen we needed to stop. That’s when we saw her during my mother’s party, I hadn’t spoken to her in months despite her relentless texts.

But when the elevator pinged on our floor, the atmosphere shifted, and unease settled in the pit of my stomach. Billy Anne was not here, so that meant—

“Frankie!” Her high-pitched, muffled voice echoed in the hallway, and it was enough for me to run sprint from the elevator to her side of the building, only to see the door ajar.

My heart thundered against my chest, and all I could think of was that I wanted to see her in one piece, safe—

“No!” she yelled.

When I pushed the door open, there was a man’s body pressed against her in the kitchen. The man was almost six feet tall, in a navy blue top drenched in sweat at the back. He buried his face in her neck while she tried to push the man away, her body struggling against his.

“Let go,” she pleaded, but the man wasn’t hearing her.

Sofi was in her crib, watching something on the TV screen, oblivious that her mother was being violated in the kitchen corner. I could smell the scent of sweat, smoke, and alcohol, and I knew immediately that it was from the man because Chloe didn’t smoke or store alcohol in her home.

“Frankie, please.”

This was Franklin Hollis? The man who had booked the penthouse and her best model friend who doesn’t seem to understand the word ‘no’.

I could hear the soft sob escaping Chloe, and all I could see was red as I marched into the kitchen and pulled Franklin away from her. She stumbled forward as he was caught off guard, his rough and filthy hands trying to unbutton her top. Tears ran down her cheeks, and a breath of relief escaped her as Franklin was now off of her.

Chloe yelped in surprise as I threw a punch at Franklin's face before I could change my mind. He doubled over before his body fell to the floor, his drunken state making him unable to keep his balance.

Anger seeped through me as I straddled him against the floor, staring into a confused pair of eyes that would be sporting a pretty shiner in the morning. The asshole reeked of booze, and it only enraged me more as I raised a hand, my fist in the air.

“Ben, no!” Chloe screamed, running to my side, and she stopped me by holding onto my fist. I didn’t even realize that Sofi had been crying her lungs out from her crib. Chloe’s breath was labored, and her lips chattered in fear.

“Please,” she pleaded as new tears rolled down her face. I sneered, knowing that if I threw another punch, I’d either end up killing him or with a lawsuit.

“Get the fuck off me—”