I twist the knob. It’s the regular, cheap, golden doorknob of a house way below the standards of the bunker. It stands between my heart and the naked bodies of the man I love and the woman he’s betraying me with.

I’m hemorrhaging.

I don’t think of her past, how deserving she is of someone like him. This is me and my life. In the midst of my hurricane, this moment needs to count for years and decades to come.

I force air into my lungs, because this time I will yell. I will roar, lion-like, with all the righteousness of a wronged lover. I’ll do it— A catharsis—

A small yelp escapes me as I take in the room.

“Savannah, you’re home early! Shit, I wanted to...” He groans, eyes closing. “I’m so sorry, baby girl. I really didn’t want you to find out this way.”

I can’t speak.

I take one step, staring, staring.

All the air in my lungs dissipates with the scene around me. I thought I had steeled myself for anything.

What is happening in here? I can only mouth it.

“Come here.” He opens his arms for me, sweater-clad against the blaring A/C. Princess wiggles by my feet. She whines with contentment, so normal, so natural.

A desk. Shelves. A barefoot Ciro. I make no move toward him, so he stands and pulls me in until I sit stiffly on his legs. I hiccough.

He sighs, unhappy, but then he squeezes me and shifts me to one knee so he can swing us around on the chair. “It was supposed to be a surprise for tonight, but maybe this is just as well.”

I wasn’t steeled for this. I draw a breath my lungs don’t know what to do with, and he cups my face, brows drawing together. “You're crying?”

I was only steeled for the worst.

“Don’t do that.” I wipe my hand over my face. “What surprise?”

I let him kiss my eyes before he starts a video on a computer. There was no desk in here before, no computer. The room only held the bed and two nightstands.

“No. I don’t want to see.”

“I think that maybe you do.”

A woman comes into focus, and she is lovely. It is Silk with a man who’s not Drake Constantine. Her hair and body glow as he caresses her between soft sheets. Creamy drapes flow in a gentle, tropical breeze, barely touching the two of them while they make love.

“Why are we watching this?”

“Shh. Listen.”

I do. Pleasure permeates their air and flows out through the speakers. I look up. Ciro meets my stare—and then the sounds of the man are his!

I gasp. “What is this?”

“Voice-over.”

My eyes draw to the microphone by the keyboard. My baby wiggles it, gaze intent on me.

I’m quiet.

I start to laugh.

I can’t stop laughing, and my laughter climbs and becomes shrill before it tapers into sobs. He lifts me, then, and nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck. My baby rocks us carrying me out of the guestroom, and into our room.

I crush him tight. Even on the bed, I keep crushing, and it makes his chest rumble happily. I scissor my legs around him. We stay like this, tight, tight while I sob, and he doesn’t make any attempts at changing our Status Quo.

“Is this my girl being content?”

“I can’t... believe...”

“... that I’ll do anything to see you happy?”

“My woman is delirious,” Ciro says to Ana when Aaron and she arrive. He juts his chin at me, winking, and my face hurts with joy.

“Ooh, look at that. Did you celebrate before the party?” Ana winks at me and forms a plump red pout for me to giggle at.

“Of course. I’m not sure if that’s what triggered it though.”

“Aww, honey. You’ll do better next time,” she mocks, and I giggle again. I cannot for the life of me stop giggling. I scoop up Princess, who’s unused to being scooped up. She’s heavy as hell, but Ciro’s setting up the bar and manning the ovens to heat up the tapas, and I need a hug by someone in the know.

“So what’s going on?” Ana leans in over Princess. She takes a gulp of her champagne and blinks gorgeous lashes at me.

“I’ll let him brief you once he’s ready. I’m— Ah. I’m stoked.” I do a little fizzy-laugh in my throat, which makes Ana wiggle her hips on her stool. Aaron joins us, embracing his girl from the back and kissing the top of her head.

The doorbell rings. I didn’t know we had one. I’m wearing my deep red mini dress, the one I bought to impress Ciro what feels like ages ago. I tiptoe down the steps barefoot with my shiny toenails and open to a barrage of friends.

With eyes that are happy streaks of black, Lin claps his hands butterfly-fast. Frieda dons a half-smirk, and even Charlotte’s deep lakes glimmer with excitement.

“Where’s the booze?” Sam asks curtly. I show them all upstairs.

“You’re off early?”

“Your boyfriend sent us up with this.” Frieda rolls her eyes and holds out three bags full of Mintrer’s food. “He also paid for our waitress services and then some.” She commits another eye-roll, so I say her face will get stuck that way if she doesn’t stop.

Suspicious, she finally notices my state. “What’s with you?”

“Nothing.” I giggle.

“You’re giggling. What the hell?”

“Let it go. We’re guests, Frieda,” Charlotte murmurs while her eyes roam over my boyfriend’s paintings and sculptures. “Hi Ciro. Good to see you.”

“Hey, kids. Glad you could make it.”

“You bought us,” Frieda says for my ears only and cusses when another giggle escapes me.

We’re halfway into tapas and champagne and rosé when Ciro leans back in his chair and tells us he won’t be holding a speech. “As you know, Savannah had her first college exam today.”

“And bombed it,” I add. Ana woots, palms in the air, which makes Lin cheer with her.

“And got an extension?” Ciro nods at me.

“I did.”

Ana woots again, which sets off Frieda and Charlotte. Sam has gone straight for the whiskey and is on his second on-the-rocks round. So far he hasn’t acknowledged Ciro’s presence at all.

“But we have bigger news.” I giggle, which makes Frieda groan. “Baby, tell them.”

“Sure.” Leisurely, Ciro stretches his arms in the air before he crosses them behind his head. “I was lucky with the timing. My agent and I had been working on this concept for a few months, and with the slide-over of a friend to Harmony Femme, the opportunity finally materialized.”

“Oh and this bad boy kept it a secret from me the whole time.” I bite down on my lips to keep from giggling again.

Ciro sends me a tender gaze. “Yeah. I didn’t want to create hope I couldn’t fulfill. There were a lot of legal and administrative obstacles to sort through, and a shit-ton of negotiations with the studios because I wasn’t going to crash and burn in month two. Anyway. That part’s out of the way, and I think I just hauled the moon down for my baby girl this morning.”

“God, yes,” I murmur, and his smile breaks open. In a rush, I understand why he loves to see me happy. I can’t think of anything better than watching him like this. I know what he’s thinking; by grabbing the moon for me, he’s secured it for us both.

“At six this morning, I signed my fourth long-term contract for my new company Drake-On-Demand. I’m now legally bound to Harmony Femme, Sensations Playground, Lucid, and Tolerance U.S.”

“What the...? And you’re happy about this?” Frieda’s glare could kill entire bug colonies. My exuberant nod doesn’t appease her, and neither does it Sam. He’s staring into his drink like he wants to murder it.

“Oh my god, that’s amazing! Four contracts at once?” Ana wiggles and claps, bringing Lin with her. “What films?”

“Harmony Femme’s is their three-year short series Twenty-Four Hours.”

“Are you kidding me?” Ana is so excited for him. “That’s a dream come true. You’re such a star.”

“Eventually, maybe?”

“Right.” Ana and Aaron both laugh.

“Gotta start over again now, you know, making a name for myself, since my new company is voice-over only.”

Everyone hears it, and while people are rendered speechless around us, my chest explodes with Carpe Diems.

I have a pretty good idea of what they’ve been thinking about me. Poor Savannah. She doesn’t know how to say enough is enough. God knows how long she’ll let him take advantage of her. They won’t think that anymore.

“Silveira.” Samuel’s eyes lift slowly and bore into my boyfriend for the first time tonight. “Are you telling me that you’re quitting porn?”

“No, I’m not.” Ciro smiles. So do I. “I just won’t be a visual performer anymore. ‘No more skin’ as my baby girl says.” He caresses me with another gaze.

“I’ll be your go-to voice-over-actor only.”