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Chapter 1

When the door to ht invoice called for me and I was paralyzed with fear My cheeks were stained with dark pink streaks fro all day, because I knehat I had to do and desperately did not want to do it

He didn’t cheat He revealed so to the media about my best friend, Jessica, and lied toto theive hiaudy headlines:

Billionaire playboy Luke Pardini hires escort to dupe dad

Luke Pardini’s girlfriend’s drug-fueled past

Luke Pardini and blonde escort no more!

The ‘escort’ wasa billionaire whose reputation was already fragile This would destroy both of the so of how they were no longer together And the reason why just walked through my front door

She must hate Ben

I couldn’t take it I had to do it now

I got up from my chair and opened the door I didn’t want him to corner me in the bedroo blonde fiancé stood in the kitchen The crack of his teeth slicing open an apple er punctuated the fearful thoughts running through ?

He ju him “There you are Gosh, you scared me”

Ben smiled at me, still without a clue I tre open helplessly He would get angry He would pound the walls with his huge fists andthat to him, but I needed to do it Jessica was my best friend

“Ben, I—”

“Hey, do you want to get dinner tonight at that new Chinese place? We’ve never tried it”

His eyes shined with excite, never mind that Ben knew perfectly well that I never really liked Chinese food Why do I alant to please him? “Um, Ben, we need to talk”

“Okay,” he chuckled at my serious voice “About what?”

The anger dug in like sharp spurs “I knohat you did” I aletically

Ined confusion appeared on his face His blonde eyebrows knitted down and his eyes wandered the walls of ood lie

“I know you talked to the press about Jessica Don’t lie”

He balked at the uncharacteristically harsh tone in e he was and how th it held Finally, his brows knitted in concern He was finally noticing

Dumbshit

“Natalie, have you been crying?”

His huge hand cradled er stu to distract me

“Ben, stop it Don’t make this any harder than it has to be”

My feet took me away from him, but he followed