Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 90075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
His devotion broke my heart, and I’d stood beside him and handed in my resignation before he could.
We’d argued.
The boss had told us to sit back down.
He didn’t care what we did in our personal time. There was no nonfraternization policy in our contracts and no morality clauses that we’d crossed. He’d called us in to chat. Not to scold us, but to ensure we were handling the gossip mill okay.
Nick and I had shared a look of absolute relief. We’d even managed to joke about it. Kate had been right that none of the rumours were malicious, merely curious and a tad envious.
It’d been a simple matter of signing some paperwork outlining our consensual, committed relationship and consolidating our house lease into one rent payment instead of two.
A few months later, I’d had a breakthrough with soundwaves and mould. I’d taken the study of visible sound and vibration called cymatics—a fabulous phenomenon discovered by Hans Jenny in 1967—and used the same experiments he’d done on different liquids and membranes to see if I could change mould compounds. I didn’t care that some scientists claimed cymatics was a pseudoscience; to me, the ability to rearrange the structure of molecules already proven to have medicinal properties had the undeniable potential to create new drugs and healing.
Kate and I had run multiple tests on multiple strains of mould until we were finally able to say...eureka.
A brand-new molecule. A molecule that devoured cancer cells within days.
To upscale the experiment, Kate and I partnered with Nicholas and his lab partner Ralph. Together, we’d fallen down the rabbit hole of hope.
Working together as well as living together had been an absolute joy. We’d gone from barely talking and carefully avoiding one another to living in each other’s pockets, and I couldn’t be happier.
My head ripped up at the sound of the front door opening and closing.
“Nick...” I dashed toward him and flung my arms around his suited waist. The prim grey dress I’d worn to work fluttered around my knees. “Thank you so much for the flowers and for remembering.”
“Of course, I remembered.” He kissed me and cuddled me close, his chin shadowed with scruff and his eyes alight with love. “How could I forget the night you gave me everything you are? I also seem to remember you in delirious sobs as you came all over my dick. Definitely not something I’ll forget in a hurry.” Tugging on my infinity medallion, he smirked. “If only people at the lab knew what this symbolises.”
“What? That it’s your version of a collar, and you make me crawl on a nightly basis?”
“Not nightly, Ella. I’m not that much of a sadist to give you carpet burn every night.”
I laughed under my breath and kissed his black shirt-covered chest. “I’m not complaining that you’re home early, but...I thought you were pulling another couple of hours at the lab?”
He squeezed me, then let me go, heading into the kitchen and placing his satchel on one of the chairs. “That was the plan, but then...I got a message.”
I followed him with a frown. “What message?”
“Take a look for yourself.” Fishing his phone from his trouser pocket, he tossed it at me. Going to the fridge, he snagged a beer for himself and a lemon and lime for me while I sat down and opened his messages.
The latest one blazed at the top of the screen.
A name I never thought I’d see again.
Hunter Dixon.
Shit.
Guilt swamped me.
Not that I’d done anything wrong.
Hunter had messaged me a few days ago.
I’d never replied as I had no idea what to say or how Nick would react if he knew.
So why...
My gaze ripped up. “Why is Hunter messaging you?”
“Read it and see.” Nick placed the cold beverage beside me before cracking open his beer and taking a healthy swig.
I did as he said and froze.
Hey, Nick.
It’s been a year. I messaged Ella but never got a reply. So...I tracked down your number, courtesy of my contacts, and wanted to ask...are you still together? Or did you fuck it up, and she’s single?
My hands shook as I looked up before reading Nick’s reply.
True panic filled my veins.
God, if he thinks I’m cheating on him...
“I didn’t reply to him, Nicholas,” I rushed. “I would never. Not now—”
“I know, sweetheart.” Nick grabbed my hand on the table and raised it to kiss my knuckles. “I trust you one thousand percent. And you can text whoever you want. Whenever you want. Keep reading.”
My eyes lingered on his before returning to the message thread. Nick’s reply was harsh and firm.
Hunter,
She’s taken.
She’s mine.
This is your one and only warning.
I gulped as I skimmed Hunter’s reply.
I’m happy for you guys.
In that case, my next question is...do you want to celebrate your relationship by reliving where it all began? I’m in town tonight. Same park. Same big top. Should we share?