Watching Merritt leave so he can go meet with Exlon, I’m still so sick to my stomach, and mentally I…I’m a mess, so fucked up about all of this, and not sure what to do. I’m lying to him, and I hate it. But what do I say to him? How do I tell him? I keep asking myself over and over, and each time, I come up with nothing.

My palms are sweaty, and my insides are sick with deceit. I can’t bear to hurt him; he’s been so good to me. Biting my thumbnail, there is a knock on the door. Getting up to answer it, I assume it’s Merritt, and he forgot something, but as I look out the peephole, it’s Charles, and I’m not sure what to do.

“Quinn, I know you’re in there.”

Placing my hand on the handle, I turn it as my heart races, and he steps inside. I back up and sit down on the bed, barely able to look at him. He’s standing in the middle of the room, glaring down me, and I hate myself so bad. “Why are you doing this?” I can’t answer him; I can’t even look at him. “Are you doing this to get back at me?”

I swallow and remind myself to remain in control. I remember how Charles can be—very unreasonable. “I didn’t know he was your son.”

“Oh come on, you expect me to believe that? You’re my financial advisor. You know everything about me.”

“I don’t. I never managed your accounts from the day they came into our office.”

“That’s a lie, and you know it. You gloated about signing me. Bought that shiny new car.”

“I didn’t, and that’s the fucking truth.”

“So you want me to believe that you being with my son is a mere coincidence?”

“Yes, it is. Honest to God.”

“Honey, you need to get better at lying. Even you can’t believe that.”

“I’m not your ‘honey.’ Merritt told you we met on vacation in Colorado, through Ari. How could I have known he was going to be there? I go on those trips every year.”

“I’m not buying what you’re selling. I think this is your way of getting back at me because I ended things.”

“It’s not, I love him. What he and I have is real. We have to tell him about us.”

“You’re not telling him shit!”

“The hell I’m not. You can’t tell me what to do anymore.”

“Come on, Quinn, we both know you’re not good enough for him. You’re just a money-hungry whore. Name your price, and I’ll let you walk, he’ll never know. But I don’t need you in his head.”

“I’m not leaving him, and most definitely don’t have a price.”

He steps close to me, the smell of his cologne now nauseating to me and he says, “If you won’t leave him, then I’ll show him the things you’ve done with me. I recorded them all.”

“You didn’t record shit, you fucking bastard.”

“The choice is yours, sweetheart. Do you think my son’s gonna want you after he sees you are my sloppy seconds?”

I open the door to the hotel room, anger blazing in my eyes. “Go!” I shout, and he tries to touch me as I push him out. “Keep your fucking hands off me,” I yell and slam it.

Sliding down to the floor, huddling my knees to my chest, I sob uncontrollably like a baby. How could he do this? Does he really not care about Merritt’s happiness at all?

Thinking of everything makes me so sick. This will crush him. Charles is right—he’ll never look at me the same way again, no matter what.

Picking up my phone, I need to have the upper hand. I have to get to Merritt before his dad does if I want any chance of saving this relationship. But looking at the screen of my phone, I can’t bring myself to call him. I’m just in shock—stunned that this is my reality.

Deep down, my gut is telling me that Charles doesn’t have a video. I’d know if he recorded us doing anything, so it’s my word against his. I imagine what it’ll do to Merritt finding out, and I can’t do that to him. He means too much to me.

But what if somehow, there is a video, then what? I decide to send Merritt a text to get him back here, to talk to him, he needs to hear this from me.

But as I type the words, they nauseate me. Running into the restroom, I throw everything up and lie on the cold tile floor. I can’t hurt him. I can’t imagine the way he’d look at me.

Completely fucked, I stare up at the ceiling, broken from the inside out. Why is this happening to me…why?

* * *

Waiting for Merritt to return from his meeting, I’m on edge. My mind is constantly battling within itself about what to do. And as I feel like I’m about to lose it…he walks into the room.

“You know, I love knowing you’re waiting for me, baby.”

I about cry, imagining that soon, he won’t want me waiting for him. “How was your meeting?” I barely choke out the words, trying to settle my belly.

“It was good, I closed the deal, babe.”

He is so happy, I can see the excitement all over his face, and I can’t bring him down right now. Inside, I hate myself. This man that I’ve grown to love and depend on so much, who is my everything, doesn’t know what I’ve done. Even though it wasn’t intentional, it’ll eventually come out, and that scares me. Charles is a ticking time bomb. At any minute, he’ll ruin it all, video or not. But looking into his eyes, I just need one more normal day, before I let him go.

“I’m so happy for you, babe,” I tell him and hold him close.

“It’s the first step in securing our future.”

“Yeah?” I ask, hating that it can’t be true. This is the first he’s spoken of a future together, and it won’t happen.

“Yeah, what did you think? I’d get the company, and we’d still be traveling every weekend?”

“Well, I’d hoped not, I guess.”

He kisses me, and I kiss him back, praying to God that somehow, our time doesn’t end, that we can persevere and last forever.

“You guess?” His eyebrows rise as he looks deep into my eyes.

“You know what I mean.”

“I do, I’m just teasing you. I’m so happy right now; we should celebrate.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Just this…” he says, “Just this, baby…”