Chapter 3

Quitting time came. Everyone streamed out of the office building in twos and threes.

I got up to leave and joined the crowd piling into the elevator.

Renly squeezed in, too, his face like thunder.

The moment the elevator doors opened, he took a few steps out, then stopped dead in his tracks, standing off to the side and watching me with a dark, sinister look.

Sure enough, Renly grabbed me and yanked me into the building's main lobby.

My coworkers' eyes lit up with the hunger for juicy gossip. Every single one of them was sneaking glances our way.

"Molly, are you so bitter about me and Trisha being together that you went and filed an anonymous complaint against me?"

Renly practically spat the words through gritted teeth, loud enough for the entire floor to hear.

In order to get with Trisha Cunning without any public backlash, he'd already started the rumor that I'd cheated on him.

Everyone believed that our breakup was my fault.

So nobody criticized him for moving on to someone new so fast.

"What? I'm the one who's been desperate to break up! You were the one stringing me along as a backup, playing both sides, clinging to me and refusing to let go, threatening me with violence! You have the nerve to say I'm the bitter one? What, am I some kind of masochist?"

I screamed the words with every ounce of strength I had, completely shattering the quiet, sweet image I'd always projected at work. A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Renly flinched. A flash of shock crossed his face, and his voice came out panicked: "Molly, don't you dare go spouting lies and twisting the truth!"

Then he leaned in close to my ear, so close only I could hear him. His voice was a low, menacing snarl: "Who gave you the guts to say all that? Aren't you afraid I'll mail those nude photos to your parents' house?"

I forced back the bone-deep chill that ran through me and offered him a defiant little smile.

As soon as my paycheck had come in, I'd bought my parents tickets for a senior tour group. Out of the country. They were already on their way.

Renly raised his hand to slap me, his expensive watch flashing on his wrist, the gesture second nature to him by now.

Instinctively, I dodged—and backed right into someone.

I spun around. It was Ms. Laurie.

I turned my head again, and saw Renly's hand stopped in mid-air, caught by a slender, elegant hand.

I followed the arm up. It was the last person I expected—Trisha Cunning.

Maybe it was my imagination, but I could have sworn I saw a flash of deep loathing in Trisha's eyes as she looked at Renly. It was there and gone in an instant, quickly replaced by sweet affection.

Renly couldn't hide his shock. He stared, baffled. "Trisha, what are you..."

Trisha wrapped her arm around his, coquettish and sweet. "Honey, we have a family rule. Men don't hit women. No matter what kind of nonsense she's spouting, you can't hit her."

Renly gave her a strained, forced smile. Before he could get a single word out, a slap to the face shut him up.

Crack!

The slap echoed loud and clear. The side of his face instantly turned a splotchy, bruised purple. Renly stared at the person who'd hit him in total disbelief.

It was Ms. Laurie.