Twenty-Six receipts of betrayal Novel novel Chapter 57

Sean emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel and came up behind me.

Something cold slipped around my neck–a necklace.

He leaned down, his warm lips brushing against my skin.

“You like it?”

It tickled. I tilted my head away. “I’m exhausted today.”

He didn’t pick up on the coldness in my voice. His hands settled on my shoulders, kneading gently.

“Charlotte signed the papers. Three more months and I’m finally free.”

“When it’s done, I’ll take you to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. We’ll go to Hawaii, then exchange vows at the base of a snow–covered mountain.

We’ll spend the rest of our lives together. How about that?”

His voice carried the relief of a man who’d just shed a massive burden. I forced a brittle smile, my voice eerily calm.

“Congrats.”

I wasn’t even sure what I was congratulating him for–the divorce, or baby number two.

My flat response threw him off balance.

He turned me around to face him, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Lanie, aren’t you happy? You’ve waited SEVEN YEARS for this.”

I reached

up and smoothed the crease between his eyebrows, softening my voice back to what he was used to.

“Of course I’m happy. Sean, do you remember what you promised me? You said you’d never lie to me.”

His arms stiffened around me. I could feel him avoiding my eyes.

He let go, pressed a kiss to my forehead, and said, “Lanie, I love you! Everything I do is for us–for YOU! You have to

trust me.”

I pushed him away gently, gave him a small smile, and walked into the bathroom.

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Twenty–Six Receipts of Betrayal: My Silence Was the Countdown to His Eternal Regret

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Chapter 2

Staring at my reflection–almost thirty years old–I felt completely lost.

I’d spent the best years of my life revolving around Sean Winters.

I believed he loved me.

But Sean at thirty couldn’t afford to have a world made only of love.

He had family obligations.

Responsibilities as a father.

Even after ten years, Sean and I were never going to end up on the same path.

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