The blood on his hands.
The missing flyer.
The scarf in the drawer.
I look down at my hand.
My wedding ring catches the faint glow of the streetlight outside. For a moment I just stare at it. Five years, five years of believing I knew the man I married. My gaze shifts to the passenger seat and the scarf lies there. Black fabric folded loosely, the white S.L. stitched into the corner like a quiet accusation. A cold wave of dread washes over me. What if Dominic really did this? What if Sophie is hurt?
Or worse.
My stomach twists painfully as my mind replays every possible scenario. Each one feels worse than the last, like my brain is determined to torture me with every terrible possibility. I must have replayed the same thoughts a hundred times. Then, headlights sweep across the windshield. A car pulls into the empty parking spot beside me.
A Mercedes. My heart jumps. The engine shuts off and the driver’s door swings open. Lucien steps out. The moment he sees me sitting in the car, his entire expression changes. Concern, fear. He walks quickly toward my door. I open it and step out at the same time.
The second I’m standing in front of him, Lucien cups my face in both of his hands. His palms are warm against my cold skin as he studies my eyes like he’s searching for something. I grab his wrists instinctively, my fingers curling around them.
“Lucien, I’m sorry, I know you were leaving for New York today. I didn’t mean to—” The words rush out of me, desperate and scattered.
But he cuts me off. Like nothing else matters right now. His thumbs brush gently against my cheeks as he looks straight into my eyes.
He says softly, his voice full of worry. “Baby, are you okay?”
CHAPTER 19
Cabin
I blink.
For a moment the world feels strangely quiet and then everything rushes back at once. Standing this close to Lucien again sends something sharp through my chest. Feelings I tried so hard to bury suddenly rise to the surface like they’ve been waiting for this moment. He smells the same, he carries a warm, sweet scent, soft and addictive, the kind that lingers longer than it should with something deeper underneath it, something like spice and cedar, grounding and dangerous all at the same time.
My heart stumbles against my ribs. And the way he’s looking at me, like he’d burn the whole world down if something happened to me.
“Are you okay?” he asks again softly.
I nod quickly.
“Yes,” I say, though my voice trembles slightly. “I’m okay.”
Then the words start spilling out.
“Lucien… I think Dominic might have something to do with Sophie’s disappearance.”
His expression tightens immediately.
“Sophie?”
“His mistress,” I say quietly.
Lucien’s jaw clenches slightly but he stays silent, letting me keep talking.
“I spoke to her sister today,” I explain. “Nadia. She works with us in the office.”
Lucien nods slowly.
“She says Sophie’s missing and it’s not like her. She was supposed to meet Nadia two nights ago but she never showed up.”
Lucien’s eyes narrow slightly as he processes everything.