Page 54 of Sinful Sharing

But I’m done with trying to compete.

I nod slowly. A tear rolls down my cheek. Releasing her hand, I reach for my jacket. “I hope you win, Mom.”

“Sweetie, please don’t leave like this,” she calls after me.

I pause at the door, my hand resting on the knob, something she said earlier coming back at me. “Keep your promise to Roman.”

Confusion flickers across her face.

“You promised to invest in the ranch,” I remind her. “Don’t leave him hanging. It’s the least we owe him after what Dad did.”

Mom draws in a rude snort. “So, let me get this straight. You’re looking out for a man you’ve barely known for a little over a month, but you’re abandoning the woman who raised you.”

Seeing she has made her choice, then so will I. “Yes.”

Her face crumbles. For a second, I’m urged to cross the floor and embrace her, but my heart is still splintering.

Instead, I close the door behind me.

31

Taylor

I’m halfway through comparing two apartments in Brooklyn when the intercom buzzes. The sharp sound slices through the silence of my living room, making me jerk so hard I nearly drop my phone. Every muscle in my body locks.

No.

My gaze drifts toward the wall-mounted security monitor. They found me. Shit.

The thought settles in my system, tightening my chest. They’ve been calling, texting, and leaving voicemails, all of which I’ve ignored. I should’ve known it was only a matter of time before they lost their patience—especially Roman.

But I don’t want to see them. I’m still reeling from what Mom told me. The betrayal still sits inside me like broken glass. I keep wondering what was real and which moments happened because there was a paycheck waiting at the end. A conversation might give me the answers I need, but I’m not ready for one.

Because those answers might hurt far worse than what I’m feeling now.

The intercom buzzes again. I force myself to stand and walk to the monitor, and my pulse pounds against my ribs as I tap the screen. The image flickers to life. Relief rushes through me so suddenly that my knees almost give out.

Celeste.

Her bright red hair is unmistakable, even through the grainy security camera. I let out a pent-up breath. Besides that one phone call after everything exploded online, I haven’t spoken to her. Truthfully, I haven’t spoken to anyone, not unless they were handing me takeout through my front door. I haven’t gone anywhere. I haven’t even opened social media, and I avoid the news like the plague. It’s better to live in ignorant bliss than witness strangers debating my life as if it’s entertainment.

So, for the last two weeks, I’ve hidden inside this apartment, pretending the outside world doesn’t exist. It’s lonely, though; more than I’d cared to admit.

I press the button. “Come on up.”

A minute later, there’s a knock on the door. I open it to meet Celeste’s tired smile. She has always looked effortlessly put together, but not today. Her hair is loosely tied back, wisps escaping everywhere. Beneath her eyes are faint shadows, and she appears to have thrown on her clothes without a second thought.

Before I can utter a word, she wraps her arms around me. “I’m so sorry.”

I hug her back without hesitation. She clings to me for a second before pulling away. “I should’ve been more careful bringing Malik here.”

She sighs heavily. “If only I could go back in time.”

I shake my head. “It’s okay.”

“No, it isn’t. Everyone has seen you having sex, and it’s because of me.”

With an assuring smile, I clasp her cheeks. “Look at me.”