CHAPTER 10
Adrian
I took a slow sip of my coffee, letting the bitterness burn its way down my throat, hoping it would do something—anything—to clear my head.
“You look like shit,” William said, deadpan as always.
We were grabbing a quick lunch before heading back to our own offices. William was basically my brother at this point. We’d been tight since college, the kind of friendship that survived dumb decisions and way too many bad hangovers.
“How’s Elena?” he asked.
“Still the same,” I muttered. “She barely talks to me.”
“Poor you,” he snorted. “Must be going through a dry spell.”
“Fuck off.”
“No, seriously,” he said, laughing. “How is she?”
“It’s hard, man.” I admitted, rubbing a hand over my jaw. “Honestly, if I were her, I don’t think I’d forgive me either.”
“Astrid was livid after she talked to Elena,” William said.
I frowned. “About Phoebe?”
“Yeah.” He scoffed. “She said I should’ve stopped the whole damn thing before it even started. You know how much she hates that woman.”
I let out a slow breath. “Yeah. I know.”
William studied me for a moment, then shook his head. “You really screwed up, man.”
“I’m aware,” I muttered.
Silence fell between us for a few seconds.
“What did Elena say to Astrid?” I finally asked.
William scratched his temple. “She didn’t give details. She just asked if we knew anything... and Astrid put two and two together.”
I closed my eyes briefly, the shame burning all over again.
“Look,” William continued, leaning forward, forearms on the table, “I’m not gonna sugarcoat this. Elena’s hurt. Badly. And you made that wound yourself.”
My jaw tightened. “Yeah.”
“But,” he added, shrugging a little, “the fact she called Astrid instead of calling a lawyer? That’s something.”
I stared into my coffee, voice low. “I’m holding onto that.”
He leaned back, arm crossed. “Do I need to say ‘I told you so’? Phoebe might be pretty, but she’s always been a goddamn snake.”
“I know. I was stupid.” I tightened my grip on the cup. “I fell for her bullshit. I actually believed her.”
“Believed what?” He asked.
“The sob story,” I said flatly. “It was just leverage to make someone finance her problems.” I took a breath. “And I fell for it.”
William scoffed. “Yeah, yeah... but the real stupidity is you ending up in that hotel room with her. That’s fucking insane, especially you.”
I didn’t say anything. What was I supposed to say? He was right. Every word of it.
And no matter how many times I replayed that night, it all came back to one thing—I fucking let it happen.
“Does Judy know?”
I shook my head. “I can’t bring myself to tell her. And I don’t think Elena has told her either. But if she ever does...” I exhaled slowly. “I don’t know. She might cry. Or she might explode.”
“Oh, so Elena still has a heart. God bless her.” He nodded, almost disappointed. “And you wasted a wife like that.”
“Don’t remind me,” I muttered. “I’m already drowning in guilt.”
“You think divorce is still on the table?” Will asked.
“God, I hope not,” I muttered. “I avoid that topic like hell. I swear to God, I’m not letting her divorce me. I’ll get on my damn knees if I have to. I’m keeping her.”
“Tsk...” William crossed his arms, shaking his head. “You really went and created your own nightmare.”
“If only I didn’t get swept up in that damn woman’s lies.”
“That’s not entirely on her.” He scoffed. “Come on, man. I knew you were tempted the second she reached out after the reunion.”
He leveled me with a look. “I always knew you had a thing for her back in college. And when she came back into your orbit, it felt like… I don’t know—” he shrugged, “unfinished business or something?”
I didn’t answer, because he was damn right. And the fact that she chased me, needed me, felt like some stupid, meaningless victory.
“When you two were texting and meeting up, be honest with me,” William said. “Did it ever cross your mind to sleep with her?”
“No,” I answered quickly. Maybe too quickly.
I leaned back, jaw tight. “I was wrong for giving her attention, for letting the line blur, but I never planned to sleep with her. I didn’t go into any of it wanting that.”
William stared at me for a long moment, expression unreadable. Then he let out a low whistle. “So you’re telling me you didn’t even think about it? Not once?”
I shot him a glare. “No.”
He raised both brows, skeptical as hell. “You’re saying that didn’t even flicker in your brain?”
I hesitated. Just a second too long. “Of course not.”
His brows lifted slightly.
“It wasn’t something I wanted,” I continued, voice low. “And it sure as hell wasn’t something I meant to act on.”
He leaned back, arms crossing. “But you stupidly let yourself get close enough that it could happen.”
I didn’t argue.
“I don’t know, man,” he muttered, picking up his cup again. “All I can say is... I hope there’s still something worth saving.”
I stared into my coffee, the words settling heavy in my chest. I didn’t say anything, but God, I hoped he was right. I hoped there was still something left for me to fix, something Elena hadn’t completely given up on.
William didn’t give me long to linger in it. “When you slept with her, did you at least use a condom?” he asked.
“Yes. Hers. I didn’t bring any. I mean, come on, you’ve never seen me screwing around when I’m out of town.”
He blinked at me. Slowly. Like he couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth.
Then he scoffed. Hard.
“...Right. Because that’s exactly what this looks like,” he muttered.
Before I could respond, he leaned in, eyebrows raised in pure disbelief.
“She even brought a condom to meet you. That means she planned it, and you just walked straight into it,” he said.
But he didn’t stop there. “And it was her condom. Man, what the hell is wrong with you? What if she tampered with it? Poked holes in it? Do you not think?” He shook his head, still staring at me like he was trying to process the stupidity.
“Imagine her showing up months later with a baby and calling it yours. Jesus.”
“No,” I snapped. “I went out and got a morning-after pill right after. Made sure she took it right in front of me.”
Even saying it out loud made my stomach twist. None of it sounded right. None of it erased what I’d already done.
He let out a low whistle. “Well, good. Elena doesn’t need another surprise.”
I only grunted in response.
He took another sip of his drink while checking his watch. “Alright, I gotta head back.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not heading out?” he asked.
“Nah. I’ll stay a bit.”
He nodded once and left.
I lifted my cup again—lukewarm now—and stared into it like it had answers.
How the hell do I get Elena to forgive me?
To move forward without the pain eating her alive?
I didn’t want her recoiling every time I touched her, I didn’t want her haunted by my mistake, and I sure as hell didn’t want her leaving me.
Not now. Not ever. Because she was it. The only one.