Page 11 of Shattered Oaths

“What the hell is going on?” My voice is accusatory and hardly recognisable as I stare between them.

Justin, who clearly hadn’t heard his office door open, practically jumps a foot away from the female who I now recognise as the missing receptionist.

“Bella. What’re you doing here?” He asks, the panic in his tone minimal but there.

I hold up the paper bag but don’t answer him, my eyes never leaving the blonde as she turns to face me, adjusting the length of her skirt as she goes. “Shouldn’t you be downstairs?” I ask her.

She blanches, her eyes flitting back and forth between myself and Justin. When she doesn’t answer me, I turn to myboyfriend.

With a raised brow, I repeat the question. “Isn’t she supposed to be downstairs? You know, doing her job and making sure not just anybody can walk right into your office.”

Justin folds his arms across his chest, his muscles tensing against the fabric of the shirt I watched him dress in this morning. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

Now it’s my turn to be surprised but I quickly cover it with a scoff. “Right. Because myboyfriendgetting up close and personal with his secretary isn’t my business.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he argues, the earlier panic in his voice now replaced with that same sarcastic sneer that was present on the phone a month ago.

I laugh but the sound is empty. “Okay.” Taking a step further into the room, I drop the bag on the desk beside him. “Here’s your lunch.”

Right as I’m about to turn my back on him and leave, his hand snaps out and grips my wrist in a tight hold. The action is becoming too familiar.

My eyes fly up to his, brows furrowed as he leans in, his voice low and full of a darkness I’ve never heard from him before. “We’ll discuss this at home.”

I stare at him blankly for a moment, his face suddenly becoming unrecognisable to me, before I tug my arm free of his hold. “I won’t be there.”

I spin on my heel, retreating for the door as he calls out, “Oh yeah. And where will you be?”

I pause one more time, looking over my shoulder and straight into his cold eyes. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.” And then I walk out of his office, not bothering to closethe door behind me as I go.

CHAPTER 4

BELLA

APRIL, PRESENT DAY

Justin:I’ll be home late again tonight. Don’t wait up.

Rolling my eyes, I drop my phone into the front pocket of my apron and stare at the ingredients laid out on the countertop in front of me in disappointment.

I had the whole evening planned out perfectly.

I was going to cook Justins favourite comfort meal - homemade mac and cheese, followed by my infamous cinnamon rolls that he claims were the very thing that made him fall in love with me. I thought it would be nice to spend some time together for once since he’s been working late every night for the past three weeks, but that doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon.

After the incident that happened in his office two months ago, he’s been like a different person.

I expected a huge fight when he got home from work that day. Especially after the departing comment I threw over my shoulder as I stormed out of his office. I expected him to question where I had been all day and who I had been with, much like he had every time I would leave the house for more than a few minutes.

But none of that happened.

He came home with dinner from his brother’s restaurant and flowers. As we sat down for dinner, he explained what was going on in the office and apologised profusely. And then he had the audacity to be surprised when I didn’t forgive him right away as if some flowers and a nice dinner is supposed to make me unsee what I saw.

He has been trying to prove himself to me since then. He promised me that he’d stop questioning every move I make and so far, he has. Sure, he checks in a few times throughout the day, but not in an accusatory way. It’s more of a ‘I was thinking of you and wanted to see how you were doing’ type of way, which I appreciate.

But checking in and actually spending time with someone are two very different things. Which is why I thought it would be nice to make his favourite meal tonight. Instead, it looks as though I’ll be spending yet another night alone.

I sigh, wishing in this moment that I still lived with my best friend, Daisy. If she were here, we would likely crack open a bottle of wine, put a face mask on and curl up on the couch with a movie playing on the TV. But unfortunately, she’s married to my brother and living in their cabin in the woods –literally– and I no longer live in the house we once shared.

God, I miss my friends.