A Divorce He Regrets

Chapter 201:

My heart did a double backflip as I turned my head and saw her lying next to me. The pounding hangover that had been pulsing through my skull disappeared, replaced with ice-cold, steel-hard panic. Eliza. What in the hell was she doing here?

How could this have happened? My mind was racing to piece together last night’s events. It had started out normal enough: a meet-up with my buddies, some drinks, some laughs. But beyond that? Nothing. My memory was a black void.

I stared at her, incredulity twisting my gut. This wasn’t some nobody; this was Eliza, the same woman who’d broken out of prison a few days ago. Now she was here, in bed with me. Naked.

“Relax,” she said, her voice oozing nonchalance, as if she hadn’t just turned my world on its axis.

“Relax?” My voice came out hoarse, tight with the effort to keep from shouting. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

She shrugged, a lazy smile playing on her lips. It made my blood boil. I sat up, yanking the sheet around me as though it could protect me from the truth of what was going on. I knew my body. I knew myself. Nothing had happened. I’d swear on my life that I hadn’t touched her. But to the world, to Faith, it would appear to be something entirely different.

Faith. My gut churned violently. She mustn’t discover this. She would be shattered, wrecked. I could almost picture her face, the devastation in her eyes. Her father had cheated on her mum when she was little. This would crush her.

How could I possibly explain to her that nothing had happened when all the proof pointed to otherwise?

I needed my phone. I had to call her. Let her know I was okay. Explain before she heard anything else. I started tossing pillows and covers, searching frantically. Eliza laughed, the sound shrill and grating.noveldrama

“Careful,” she said, stretching lazily. “I’m still naked, you know.”

“Shut up,” I told her, hardly looking at her. My hands were shaking when I ripped the last pillow aside. Nothing. My phone wasn’t there.

𝒇𝓻𝒐𝓶 𝓈𝓮𝓮 𝓬𝒉𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓲𝓷 g𝓪𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝓈.𝓬o

“You know nothing happened between us,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous.

“How can you be so sure?” she teased, propping herself up on one elbow. Her smirk was infuriating. “If you can’t even remember last night?”

I clenched my fists, feeling the burn of frustration rising in my chest. “I know my body,” I said, my voice sharp and resolute. “If I’d had sex with you, I’d know. And I didn’t. So why don’t you just fuck off?”

Eliza didn’t flinch. Instead, she waved her hand dramatically, holding up my phone as if it were some kind of prize. “Oh, is this what you’re looking for?” she asked, her tone dripping with mock innocence.

My chest tightened, and I lunged forward, snatching the phone from her grasp. The relief was momentary. My heart hammered as I unlocked it and saw the missed calls and texts from Faith. She must be out of her mind with worry. I quickly hit her number and pressed the phone to my ear.

The ringing had just begun when Eliza reached out and ended the call with a single press of her finger. I stared at her, incredulous, anger flashing hot and fast.

“What the hell are you doing?” I barked, my voice echoing in the quiet.

“We need to talk first,” she said calmly, leaning back against the headboard. Her face was maddeningly composed. “You can’t just shove me aside like that after using me.”

“Using you?” I couldn’t help the incredulous laugh that shook from me. “Nothing happened between us, Eliza! And if anyone’s using anyone, it’s you. You’re the one who drugged me and dragged me into this.”

She smiled, fingers tracing lazy patterns on the sheet. “But the world wouldn’t believe that now, would they?” Her eyes gleamed with malicious amusement. “What do you think your wife will say? Hmm?” A cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Faith. The thought of her finding out about this twisted my stomach into knots. She was my world. If she believed for even a second that I’d betrayed her, it would destroy her. It would destroy us.

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