Chapter Two
KENDRA STILL WASN’T the prayerful sort, mostly because she was afraid of putting her faith in God. Everyone around her had already broken her trust. She didn’t think she could bear it if God turned out to be just like all the others.
But despite that...
She couldn’t help but think it was God behind her mother’s surprising decision to bequeath her home to Kendra instead of Thelma.
After all, Kendra wasn’t her favorite daughter.
And yet she was the one who ended up with the house while Thelma had all the cash.
Honestly, Kendra had thought Thelma would get everything, and she would have been fine with that.
But thankfully, that wasn’t the case, and it was why Kendra had somewhere to go even when she was broke.
The first three months after walking out of her home, she had simply kept herself busy. Anything and everything was fine. All she cared about was not having to think of Porter and Thelma.
On the fourth month, the divorce papers arrived. Even now, it shamed Kendra a little, how those papers had made her curl up in a ball on the floor and just...cry.
It made her feel dumb, crying for people who clearly didn’t care about hurting her.
But in the end, that was exactly what she did.
She cried and cried and cried.
And then she had prayed.
Please, God.
Please.
I just don’t know what to do now.
It was only the second time in Kendra’s life that she had prayed, and that...that shamed her a little, too. She still wasn’t convinced if God was real, but if He was, would it matter to Him that she only remembered to pray when she was desperate and hopeless?
Even now, she wasn’t sure of the answer to that. But what she did know was that when she woke up the day after, her heart wasn’t as heavy, and she had somehow found the strength to pick up a pen and start signing.
Kendra Selleck.
She actually had to ask ChatGPT about that. Do I sign my divorce papers under my married name or not? And unfortunately, the answer was yes in her case, since her married name was her legal name.
Kendra Selleck.
She felt like crying when she was all done because she knew this was the end. This was the last time she would sign anything with that name. Once these papers were filed, she would be back to the name she was born with—
Kendra Tully.
—while her twin sister presumably would change hers as well, almost like they were swapping names just like they were about to swap lives.
Kendra, once a Selleck, was now back to being a Tully. And Thelma, once a Tully, would someday become a Selleck.
It was on the sixth month when Kendra received a call from the law firm that handled her mother’s estate.
“I’m sorry to be a bother, ma’am, but will you be able to come to our office to sign one last document? Our firm will cover your fare and accommodation.”
And that was how she ended coming back to New York City, and worse, making the mistake of calling herself the wrong name when she arrived at the law office.
“Um, good morning. I’m Kendra Hop—I mean, Kendra Tully, sorry.”
The receptionist behind the front desk simply smiled. “A moment, please.”
While the other woman did a bit of typing, Kendra was just as busy doing a bit of face-palming, mentally that was.
Seriously, Kendra?
“Your meeting has been confirmed. Please head up to the tenth floor, Ms. Tully.”
An intern was there to welcome Kendra when the elevator doors opened on the tenth, who then led her to a fancy-looking conference room.
“Here are the papers, Ms. Tully. Would you like something to drink?”
She shook her head. “I’m good, thanks.”
“Alright, Ms. Tully. Please excuse me for a moment.”
Kendra picked up the pen as the intern stepped out of the room, and then she almost made the same mistake again.
Argh!
How long would it take to for her to remember that she could no longer sign her name as Kendra Selleck? It wasn’t as if that had been her name her whole life. That name had only been hers for months. And here she was acting so horribly pathetic—
The sound of the door opening cut through her thoughts, and Kendra set the pen down, relieved to have a distraction. “I think I’d like something to drink, after all—”
“And what would that be?”
That...was not the intern’s voice, and the thought had her turning toward the door—
Huh.
Kendra’s first instinct was to look away...out of habit.
Because that was what she had done the moment she became Porter’s wife.
Look away where other men were concerned.
But then...she remembered.
I’m no longer married.
And so even though she had never been the type to stare, she forced herself to do just that.
She would stare at this man because that was what single women did, and...and she would appreciate him, too.
That was what single women did, right?
They allowed themselves to find men attractive, and this stranger—
Argh!
Kendra quickly looked away upon realizing that he had noticed her staring all along. That was so embarrassing! She was—wait a minute!
Oh, you idiot!
She had actually forgotten she was single, and that was why she had felt guilty for being caught staring!
Kendra turned to look at him again. And forced herself to continue staring at him even as his lips slowly curved into a smirk.
I know you think I’m hot.
He didn’t say the words out loud, but his smirk said it all, and she...she let him think that because it was true, and she was single again, and so it was fine.
He was hot. Like...record-breaking hot, with his midnight-black hair, rock-gray eyes, and the kind of build that made his obviously expensive suit fit him like a thousand-dollar armor he could wear to flirt with someone or kill someone or—whoa, Kendra!
Just because she was newly single didn’t mean she should start thinking silly thoughts!
Kendra started in surprise when the stranger sat down like he was the one she was supposed to meet all along. He had even positioned herself right across her like they had something to negotiate.
“Hello, Kendra.”
And he knew her name.
How did he know her name?
“W-Who are you?”
“Dario La Rocca.”
That...sounded familiar. Where had she heard that before? Was he a friend of a friend? Or maybe Porter had mentioned him before? Because that name...
Dario La Rocca.
The moment she repeated his name in her mind was the moment Kendra finally remembered, and it almost had her gasping out loud.
He was indeed connected to Porter.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say he was someone her ex-husband would have rather didn’t exist at all...since Dario La Rocca was the man who'd been buying up Porter's debt piece by piece. He was the man responsible for dismantling Porter’s company—but so what?
“I can see you have something to ask me.”
The old Kendra would have denied it right away. Porter had rules on what she could and couldn’t say to anyone connected to his company, and in a nutshell, it was that she didn’t say anything at all.
That was then, though, when they were still married.
But now?
“Why are you here?”
She was single, and single women could say anything they wanted. That was all there was to this. She wasn’t being immature or shallow. This was not revenge against Porter, but instead—
“Because I need you.”
Okaaaay.
“For what?”
“Marriage.”
Kendra was about to laugh...but ended up coughing instead when he simply gazed at her with a lazy expression.
Marriage?
What exactly was he saying?
“I’m not a wedding coordinator—”
His dark eyes gleamed in amusement. “I want you to be my wife.”
His...what?
Kendra cleared her throat. “I thought you said you wanted me to be your wife—”
“I did. I want you to marry me. As soon as possible.”
Kendra fought against the urge to give her face a quick, hard...slap.
Just to, you know, check if this was real or she was dreaming.
Because otherwise...
This made no sense at all. Why would Dario La Rocca want to marry her? And why was he asking her this like it was the most natural thing on earth? She tried to understand what was going on here, but it was just impossible.
And so...
“I’m sorry.”
After what happened to her marriage, which she had thought would last forever, she didn’t want to have anything to do with men, much less men that were in the slightest way connected to her ex.
“If this has anything to do with Porter—”
“I didn’t say his name, did I?”
“I’m sorry,” she said again. “But I’m really not—”
“I haven’t told you yet my reasons,” he drawled.
Why was he being so insistent?
“Mr. La Rocca, I don’t...” She found herself squirming in her seat, having a hard time finding the right words to say. “I mean, I’m sure it’s a horror—”
It was only when he raised a brow that she realized what she had accidentally said.
“I mean, an honor! It’s an absolute honor—”
“Is that what you call a Freudian slip?”
“I’m so sorry.” Kendra couldn’t make herself say the truth even with her cheeks turning red. “I have no idea what that means. I’m not that smart—”
“I’ll have to agree,” he said pleasantly. “It takes a special kind of stupidity, not to have seen how evil your sister is."
Kendra’s mouth opened and closed. She didn't know whether to feel insulted or gratified. On one hand, he'd called her stupid. On the other, he'd called Thelma evil—
Wait.
“How do you know about my sister?" she demanded.
"In my world, information is a commodity."
His world? Like rich people’s world, was that it? But whatever.
“That doesn’t explain why—” Wait a minute! “Did she dump you?” she blurted out. “Is that why—”
The way his lip curled had the rest of her words dying in her throat.
“I am not the kind of man who would find your sister attractive.”
So...was he saying he was blind? Because she and her sister might be identical twins, but people had always found Thelma more attractive, and Thelma had always been the popular one, too.
“I think it’s time that you hear my terms, cara.”
If not for the way Dario had purred the last word out as he leaned forward, Kendra would have almost believed that he had forgotten what her name was.
"Be my wife.”
“But I just—”
“You alone will do. And in return, you will have a husband who will never be stupid enough to mistake someone real like you for fake."
Why did he know all of these things about her and Thelma? Why did he even care to know? And how is it that this man whom she was only meeting for the first time...
How was it that he was offering exactly what she wished her own husband could have promised?
“I’ve been watching you for six months, Kendra.”
What?
“I was waiting for you to come to your senses. But in all honesty, I was also slowly losing patience. I would have taken matters into my own hands if fate hadn’t intervened. And when I found out that you had left your worthless husband—”
Dario leaned back against his seat.
“I knew it was time to make my move.”
Kendra instinctively knew what it meant.
“Y-You...you’re the reason he was so quick to divorce me?” she asked jerkily.
“It was time.” He said the words so, so simply. This was clearly a man who was used to getting his own way. But if he thought that included having her just meekly going along with his plans—
“I’m sorry.”
Dario’s gaze narrowed. “Are you turning me down because of what happened between your sister and Selleck?”
Kendra kept shaking her head. It was all she trusted herself to do.
“I am nothing like your husband—”
But the moment she heard Dario say those words—
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
Because Porter had made vows.
He had said he’d love her and only her, but he had lied.
“You could just as easily mistake Thelma—”
“I won’t.” His voice was smooth. “But you’ll have to simply trust me on that.”
Seriously?
Kendra decided enough was enough. She was done talking about...about things that made no sense at all. She jumped to her feet, and in the corner of her eye, she saw Dario rising to his feet as well.
Whatever.
She turned to him and stuck her hand out. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. La Rocca—”
“Surely, we can do better than that?”
And before she realized what he intended to do—
Aaah!
His fingers had already caught her chin, and she didn’t even have time to draw another breath. He was already kissing her, his mouth claiming hers like her lips had always belonged to him, and she...
She had never been kissed like this.
Because Porter...
He had never kissed her like he hungered for her.
Had never gripped her hair so tightly it was as if he wanted her completely still because he wanted to savor the taste of her.
And maybe that was why Porter had cheated—
“Stop thinking,” Dario suddenly growled against her lips, “if you don’t want me to punish you.”
Kendra didn’t have a chance to answer, with the kiss suddenly deepening, and Dario pulling her even closer, her body now pressed tightly against his, and it was like stepping into a blazing fire. One moment, it was exactly what he said.
She could still think.
But the moment the space between their bodies disappeared, everything just...vanished. Everything was just...vanquished. And all that was left was the drugging, all-consuming heat of his mouth moving over hers, and his teeth sinking into her lower lip for a moment—
And then it was over.
He had lifted his head without warning, and all she could do was stare up at him, completely breathless, almost boneless, and nearly mindless.
"You taste as sweet as I thought you would...Mrs. La Rocca."
That had Kendra crashing back to earth in a snap, and she shoved him away. Or at least she tried to, but honestly, her body was shaking too hard to put any effort in it, and that was why she knew none of it was her doing, but his choice to step back.
"I'm not—" She swallowed. "I'm not that. I just got divorced—”
“I know, cara. I made sure of that.”
“I’m not your wife—”
“But you will be.”