Chapter 2

"Mr. Pruitt, I'll take the North America project. And I want to start as soon as possible."

The reply came fast. Flight details landed in my inbox before long, departure set for three days out.

When that job offer first came, leaving had never once crossed my mind.

As far as I was concerned, nothing in the world, all of it combined, could ever outweigh Duke Gilbert.

But now I finally understood just how absurdly wrong I'd been.

When I got home, Duke was in the kitchen, apron on, busy at the stove.

Eight years married, and he'd never once been willing to let me set foot in the kitchen. Every chore, big or small, he handled himself.

Anything I so much as glanced at twice would show up on my vanity the next morning. Everyone envied me for marrying such a good man.

Friends in our circle used to tease him: "The great Mr. Gilbert, who runs the whole business world, and he still comes home and circles obediently around his wife."

He always smiled, warm and easy, and said it outright: "A man should spoil his own wife."

I walked straight to the couch and sat down without a word.

Seeing me low, Duke came over, lifted a hand to pat my shoulder, then pulled it back at once.

As if the smallest touch of me stirred a physical revulsion in him he could barely hide.

"Honey, if it doesn't work this time either, we'll go to the best hospital abroad, together. We'll have a baby. I promise."

That earnest look. For a while it made me believe he truly wanted a child of his own blood with me.

A deep, heavy ache rose up in me. "Duke, we need to talk."

The words had barely left my mouth when the fingerprint lock beeped open.

Leah Henson pushed the door open and walked in, as familiar with the place as if it were her own home.

It struck me all at once. Back when I'd deleted her fingerprint from our door lock, I remembered the clear flash of displeasure on Duke's face.

He'd explained that keeping her print made it easier for her to come over and keep me company.

I hadn't thought much of it then. Now I understood it had only ever made things easier for the two of them to meet in private.

"I could see the IVF's been wearing on you lately, and your sister just got back from overseas. You two are so close. I asked her to come stay and keep you company."

I didn't answer. I turned my head and let my eyes drift over the dining table.

The whole spread was heavy and spiced, sharp enough to sting tears into my eyes.

Duke knew perfectly well I'd just come out of surgery and needed to eat bland.

I held the tears back and forced them not to fall. "I'm tired. I'm going to lie down."

He barely spared me a glance, brushing me off with a distracted told me to rest.

As I turned to shut the bedroom door, I caught Leah lifting a bite with her chopsticks, taking one taste, then frowning and complaining: "It's too bland. Here, try it."

Duke calmly took that same leftover bite into his own mouth, then stroked her hair, doting. "My fault. I'll make you a new batch."

But anything I'd touched, he'd always kept his distance from.

A little while later Duke pushed the door open, a takeout container in his hand. "Honey, I just ordered you some goji porridge. Drink it while it's hot."

I looked at the goji berries floating in the bowl and pulled a bitter little smile at the corner of my mouth.

I'm allergic to goji. One bite and my throat swells shut, and I can't breathe.

Three years ago I ate some by accident and was rushed to the ER. Duke knelt at my bedside, sick with guilt.

And now, just like that, he'd forgotten it clean.

Seeing how cold I was, he simply set the porridge aside, turned, and went back to the living room.

I hesitated a moment, then opened the living-room security camera anyway.

On the screen, Duke, the man who was allergic to any contact with women, held Leah tight against his chest.

She leaned into his shoulder and asked, aggrieved: "Duke, when are we going to lay it all out for her? Every time I see the two of you together in the same room, it turns my stomach."

He stroked her hair, his voice gentle.

"Give it a little more time. She's still your sister. We can't be too ruthless about it. Back when you were set on going abroad to study, I went along with what you wanted and married her first. And that was only to hold the Mrs. Gilbert seat for you, wasn't it?"

He patted her back and went on: "I've never forgotten what I promised you. Eight years, and I never once touched her. You know that. There's only you in my heart."

Leah let out a soft laugh. "Who would've guessed? My little sister, married all these years, still untouched. I really can't imagine how she's been taking care of her needs on her own all this time."