Page 16 of Angels Are Falling

No. That was impossible.

No one could meet the Prince of Darster and forget. I was married, not dead. If his looks didn’t imprint on you, his captivating presence would do the trick. It was the closest I had come to meeting royalty.

I had written him off as someone you dished to your girlfriends about. The hot, rich eye candy, who was the total package. He was a fantasy that women gossiped about during spin class—our version of locker room talk. The conversations were never serious because someone like him was unattainable.

So, what the hell was going on?

“You’re enough for me,” I spoke slowly, weighing each word so nothing set Stefan off or sent him running back to the roof. My hand sought out his, nervously playing with the silver band on his ring finger. “I’m sorry Kai made you doubt our marriage. I love you. I get that life’s been unfair, but what you were thinking of doing wasn’t the solution.”

“Do you see a better option?” he asked, sounding broken. “I can jump off the roof and get out of the way. I can even bear to share you with him. What I can’t bear anymore is failing my family every day. I can’t buy you a decent gift or take you on a proper date. It destroys me when the kids are the only ones sitting out on field trips because we can’t afford the fees. I can’t do it anymore, Amelie. I just can’t.”

A few hours ago, we were madly in love. Now, his only choices were to either end his life or share me with another man. Feeling deflated, I whispered, “Our life may be hard, but it’s honest, dignified, and full of love. We can’t corrupt our values with Kai’s perverse ideas.”

His demeanor brightened when I spoke in a subdued tone. If Stefan hadn’t admitted to suicidal thoughts, perhaps I would have spoken with venom. It was impossible to yell at someone considering a morbid choice. “Our morals aren’t all that different. He’s tired of coming back to an empty house and wants a lively family. If anyone understands loneliness, it’s you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t try to forge a connection between us or make me feel bad for him. We’re nothing alike. He’s a monster preying on people’s weaknesses. He’s trying to break us.”

“No.” His voice held a renewed hope. “He’s giving us the chance to make it as a couple. We’ll still live together, except now, we can spend time together. Money can provide more than luxury. The real win here is our freedom. Imagine if we had nannies and could scale back at work. Even if you split time between him and me, we’ll have more quality time together than we do now.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. You’re rationalizing something that you know is wrong.”

“What’s wrong is you passing out after a sixteen-hour shift. Work could finally be a choice, not a mandatory obligation. The kids will also be set for life. The best boarding schools in the country, trust funds, college tuitions, childcare.”

“We can’t introduce another person into our marriage just to push our obligations onto him,” I snapped. “We should teach the kids how to navigate life with the resources within their means, not rely on a rich man’s generosity.”

“We can still give them that guidance,” he countered. “But the truth is, they can have extraordinary lives from our one sacrifice. How can we not consider it?”

Our one sacrifice?

I couldn’t bear to say it out loud, but this wasn’t an equal sacrifice. I’d be a whore, dividing my time between pleasing two men in exchange for money. Stefan would no longer be my husband; he’d be my pimp. And Kai was a despicable man. I couldn’t stomach the idea of spending time with him, let alone marrying him.

“I would do anything for the kids, but this⁠—”

“Kai can secure a future that we never dared to dream for them, whereas we’re one mistake away from ruining their lives,” he interjected. “It’s the difference between becoming the next president and squandering their lives away at dead-end jobs.”

The scenarios were irrefutable. Then again, successful people came from families like ours, too, didn’t they? Perhaps there was no correct answer, and we were both a little wrong and a little right.

I closed my eyes. “I know this opportunity seems tempting, and I want the kids to thrive as well, but at what cost? Are you okay with another man touching me?”

“He guaranteed me that he wouldn’t touch you without permission.”

It took everything in me to keep my promise not to get mad. “He also said I had to be willing to make things work and sleep in the same bed. A wife who doesn’t consummate the marriage isn’t willing to make it work. This man claims he won’t take outside lovers. It’s naive to think he’ll live like a monk, not when he’s shelling out millions of dollars for a wife. He might not force me, but sex is expected.”

Stefan stilled. Just when I thought I had cornered him, he shattered my heart. “Then I’ll find a way to deal with it. As long as I’m the only one in your heart, I can handle it. We can adopt a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. Even if you’re married to two people, I’ll always be married and faithful to only you. No one else will own my heart or body because there isn’t space for anyone else. If you feel even a fraction of how deeply I love you, we’ll be okay.”

The absence of outrage surprised me. Stefan was too compliant—no indignation from a man who claimed to revere the sanctity of marriage. No disgust from someone who detested cheaters.

But was it cheating if my husband consented to it?

I supposed not.

He was confident I would never love Kai, rather than being horrified that someone would lay a claim to my body. That left me feeling betrayed, even though both men were pledging their fealty to me.

“You’re willing to share me?” I asked, stunned. My eyes burned with hot tears.

Stefan reached over to wipe the corner of my eye with the pad of his thumb. “I’m willing to look the other way as long as you and the kids have a better life,” he said softly.

I couldn’t help but make a sarcastic retort. “I never knew you could become a sex worker within the confines of a marriage.” Because even if Stefan looked the other way, I would be the one physically giving my body away to another man.