Page 23 of Harder Betrayal

“Why is it so hard for you to talk about—”

“Because you slept beside me for three years.” He raised his chin and looked at me, eyes furious. “Because I asked you to marry me. Because I asked you to be the mother of my children. It’s a little fucking weird to talk about my romantic life with you.”

“So the relationship is romantic.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Your words. Not mine.”

He looked down at his food again but didn’t touch it.

“You’re my only friend in the world, Grave. I guess I just want to hear about your life. I didn’t mean to pry. She’s very pretty and seems nice. And I can tell she’s really into you.”

“She’s a whore, Camille. She’s paid to be really into me.”

“I think it’s more than that.”

He reached for his glass of wine and took a drink.

“Men don’t usually keep the same woman for long unless there’s more to it.”

“She asked me.”

“What?”

“She asked me to be her full-time client.”

I’d never heard of that before. “Then she really is into you.”

“Or she prefers me to the other guys. Can’t say I blame her.”

“Are you not really into her?”

He looked at me with dead eyes, like this conversation was deeply annoying.

“Based on the way you talk about her, I think you are. So instead of paying her to be your whore, why don’t you ask her to move in and make her something more?” He hadn’t wasted any time with me. Within a month, I was the woman of his house, and we lived a domestic life as man and woman.

“That’s never going to happen.”

“Why not?”

“She’s got kids.”

“So? You said you wanted to have a family.”

“I wanted a family with you. Our own kids. Raised from birth. I’m not going to be a stepfather. Fuck that.”

“Oh…”

“Are we done with this heart-to-heart now?” he asked in a bored voice. “Because I have shit to do.”

“On Christmas?”

“I don’t care what day it is.”

We went back to eating in silence, our utensils scratching the plate, the darkness outside the windows pressing into the glass. His eyes remained down most of the time, like he was eating alone.

I felt alone. Wasn’t sure how I ended up here, sitting across from Grave, in a strange form of friendship.