Chapter 235
Trey hadn’t even processed what he was hearing when the sound on the other end of the line changed again—soft, uneven breathing, close enough to feel intimate.
His grip on the phone tightened.
“Khloe?” His voice cracked with disbelief. “What are you saying? You’re my wife. Who else could you be with?”
His tone sharpened, rising. “Are you trying to punish me just to get a reaction?”
But the answer he wanted never came clearly.
Instead, there was only breath—unstable, broken, as if Khloe was too occupied to respond at all.
And then—
A man’s low voice cut in.
Cold. Controlled. Deep with warning.
“She’s not trying to provoke you.”
A pause.
“She’s with me.”
Trey went still.
Nick’s voice pressed through the speaker again, heavier now, unmistakably dangerous. “If you call again, I won’t take it as a misunderstanding.”
Click.
The line ended.
Silence swallowed everything.
—
Khloe was still breathless when the phone was tossed aside.
Her cheeks were flushed, her thoughts scattered, her body still reacting to the closeness she couldn’t fully recover from. Nick’s arms had only loosened slightly, but not enough to let her fully steady herself.
She swallowed, trying to regain composure.
“Are you… angry?” she asked quietly.
Nick looked at her for a moment.
Then, very simply, “I’m jealous.”
The honesty made her blink.
He lifted her down from the counter and brushed a thumb lightly across her cheek, as if checking she was still real. The touch was gentle—but his eyes were not.
There was something sharp beneath the calm.
“Nick…” Khloe steadied her breathing. “I don’t look back. Not anymore. I’ve blocked him. I’ve made it clear. There’s nothing between us.”
“I know,” Nick said.
And yet he didn’t look entirely reassured.
He exhaled slowly, gaze dropping for a moment before returning to her face. “I’m not doubting you.”
A pause.
“I just…” His voice lowered. “When it comes to you, I can’t always be rational.”
Khloe studied him, surprised by how unguarded he sounded.
He continued, more quietly now. “The more I care, the more I lose control of it. And I don’t want that to become something that hurts you.”
For a moment, the usual sharp edge in him was gone. What remained felt too exposed—too human.
Khloe’s expression softened.
“I won’t get tired of you,” she said immediately.
Nick’s brows tightened slightly, as if he didn’t fully believe how easily she said it.
“Really?”
“Yes.” Her voice steadied. “As long as you don’t lie to me or hurt me, I won’t.”
A beat passed.
Then, softer—almost embarrassed—she added, “I like you too.”
Nick’s breath stalled.
Something in his expression broke open.
Without another word, he lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the bedroom.
Moonlight spilled through the window, washing the room in a pale, quiet glow.
He set her down carefully, as if afraid she might disappear if he wasn’t gentle enough.
Khloe’s fingers curled slightly into his sleeve, her breath uneven, her gaze flickering with hesitation and trust.
Nick hovered above her, looking down.
And for once, there was no restraint in his eyes—only intensity held barely in check, as if the smallest movement from her could undo him completely.
Yet even then, he stopped.
Not because he had to.
But because she mattered more than the moment.