by Cara Wylde
Tyler hugged her tightly and held her like that for long minutes. As their heartbeats slowed down, the glistening sweat on their skin grew cold, making her shiver. He was still inside her, and Amber had no wish to move from the perfect position she was in.
“I love you.”
Amber’s heart jumped in her throat when she heard him whisper the words. Her brain started working again, chasing away the haze of the orgasm, but that didn’t help much, because she had no idea what to answer him.
“I know this sounds crazy, but I do. I think I’ve always loved you. You were too far away and, well… not alone, so I never tried anything. Today, as I was waiting to come pick you up and trying to get some work done at the office, I feared that you might not be the person I knew online.”
She looked at him and almost told him she had had the same fears.
“But I shouldn’t have worried.” He gave her one of his sweetest smiles. “You’re better.”
Amber smiled back and hugged him tighter, burying her face in the crook of his neck. God, she loved the way he smelled, and she loved that her body fit so perfectly in his arms. But could she say that she loved him too? Maybe not yet. She had just met him, after all. “I’m doing this. Oh, I’m really doing this!” – the voice at the back of her head screamed again.
***
She was in Tyler’s bathroom again, staring at herself in the mirror. She was naked after she had just taken a shower, and she hadn’t bothered to dry her skin with the fluffy towel Tyler had given her. She had removed all her make-up, and now she could see how tired she looked. She should have been glowing with happiness, her eyes should have sparkled with hope, but something wasn’t right. She threw a glance at her smartphone, which she had taken with her and left on the sink after checking her messages. Stephan had called her exactly eight times and left two voice messages she didn’t feel like listening to.
She sighed, took a step back, grabbed the towel and wrapped herself in it. She couldn’t point out exactly why, but even though her body was tingling all over with pure, unapologetic satisfaction, her heart was heavy. She had just thrown herself at the first man she had run into, hadn’t she? Sure, she had been frustrated for months. Stephan had been too busy with his bitch of a mistress to have sex with her, and she was glad, actually. Thinking back to their marriage, she cringed knowing he had often come home to fuck her after he had been with one of his mistresses. Her skin crawled at the thought. She shook her head and tried to relax.
“This isn’t so bad, Amber,” she whispered at herself in the mirror. “It’s okay, really. You’re only human. And Tyler is not just a random guy. He’s your friend. He’s always been your friend. It’s okay, you can trust him. You can let go and enjoy this.”
She exercised her smile for a few more minutes, then gathered her courage and went back into the bedroom. Tyler spread his arms so she could snuggle against his chest.
“Feeling better, sweetie?”
“Yes.”
But he heard the distress in her voice. He caressed her cheek and looked straight into her bright blue eyes.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing…” She gave him a feeble smile.
“Are you…” he cleared his throat before trying again. “Are you regretting this?”
“Oh, no! Never!” She realized she wasn’t lying, and she suddenly felt more at ease. “It’s not that… It’s just…” She sighed heavily and averted her gaze. “It might have been too soon, you know? We rushed into this, maybe we shouldn’t have… After all, I’m still married.”
“Not for long, sweetie. Not for long.”
He smoothed down her dark red hair and kissed the top of her head. He understood her fears, but if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that he would never let her go. Now that he had her, now that she was finally in his arms, he would never let her go. Stephan would have to step aside. If he didn’t, Tyler would make him. His bear growled in approval. For the first time in years, he and his bear were in perfect agreement. And no, he didn’t care who Stephan Castell was, he didn’t care what connections he had. He would take Amber and Ava away from him and protect them with his life.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I think I’m scared…”
“Don’t be. I’m here for you, remember? I won’t let anything bad happen to you. No one will hurt you again, I promise. This is a new beginning, Amber. Let’s embrace it.”
She smiled, closed her eyes and let her head fall on his chest. Yes, Tyler was right. This was a new beginning, and it would be stupid of her to let her fear of the unknown ruin it.
CHAPTER THREE
The next morning, Tyler drove Amber back to Becca’s before going to the office. They kissed for a few minutes in his car before she finally agreed to let him go. He was already late for work. Up in the apartment, she greeted Becca with a huge smile on her face and gave Ava a suffocating hug, making the girl protest. Her friend made coffee, but Amber couldn’t tell her anything since Ava was there, working on her polymer clay fairy house at the kitchen table. However, Rebecca could tell something good had happened to her friend. They would have enough time to talk about it.
Amber finished her coffee and helped Ava with her project while Becca went into her small office to take care of some paperwork. Emil was at work, and the whole house was nice and peaceful. That was… until Becca came to tell her the attorney, Nathan Moore, had called and said he would drop by soon because he had something important to tell Amber, something that was better discussed face to face. Amber’s mood deflated a bit, but she tried to keep it together. Who knew? Maybe he had good news.
When Nathan arrived, Rebecca took Ava out for a walk. Initially, the girl didn’t want to part with her fairy house, which was starting to take shape, but then Becca promised her they would stop by the toy store, and Ava was sold. Watching them leave, Amber thought for the thousandth time since she got to New York how lucky she was to have such an awesome friend.
“Shall we step into Becca’s office?” asked Amber.
“Of course. I won’t be long, though,” said Nathan, following her.
Amber liked the guy. It was the second time she saw him, and she was glad Rebecca had recommended him. Even though he was young, having just turned 30, he knew his job well and he was a great professional.
He was also handsome, and that always helped him earn people’s trust. Neatly combed brown hair, light green eyes, thin lips, and a sharp nose. He was tall and rather thin, but the expensive suits he wore all the time masked the fact that he didn’t hit the gym that often, giving him the air of a fancy intellectual. He didn’t need to go to the gym, really. Nathan wooed women with his wits, not with his body.
Amber sat down in Becca’s chair behind her modern desk, and Nathan took the seat across from her. He placed his briefcase on the floor and joined his white, smooth hands on the edge of the table. He didn’t relax against the backrest, which told Amber he would, indeed, try to be as concise as possible.
“Mrs. Castell, you need to talk to your husband.”
Amber cringed at his words.
“Amber. Please call me Amber.”
Nathan smiled indulgently. He had perfect white teeth.
“Amber, you need to answer your husband’s calls. Or call him back, that’s also an option.”
“Why? You’re taking care of this, which means I don’t have to talk to him if I don’t want to, right? The way I see it, you’re my attorney and you should be able to sort this out with his attorney.”
“You’re completely right, but it turns out Mr. Castell doesn’t want to make things easy for anyone. He won’t sign the divorce papers. Under no circumstances, as he himself has put it.”
Amber’s shoulders dropped, and she ran a hand through her long hair.
“Then, what’s the plan? What am I supposed to do now? This marriage is over, Mr. Moore. Does he realize I have evidence to prove it?”
The attorney chuckled bitterly.
“See… that’s the thing. He knows and he doesn’t care.”
Amber cocked an eyebrow, inviting him to give her more details.
“Stephan Castell is a very rich and powerful man. It doesn’t matter what evidence you have, it doesn’t matter that you’re right to want a divorce and the whole world knows it. He has all the connections he needs to keep you legally tied to him for the rest of your life.”
Amber jumped to her feet. She paced the small space behind the desk for a minute, hands squeezed into fists by her sides.
“What does he want? What does he fuckin’ want from me?” She leaned over the desk and looked Nathan right into his pretty green eyes. “He never loved me! He cheated on me from the first year of our marriage! He doesn’t need me, Mr. Moore! He never did. I don’t even know why he married me in the first place. He could have had any woman he wanted. He could have married someone who had the same social status as he had, but no… He chose me! He trapped me in a joke of a marriage, then treated me like dirt for giving birth to a girl, not a boy, and for being unable to have other children. And now he doesn’t want to let me go. Why? Just tell me why, Mr. Moore, because, for the life of me, I don’t get him.”
Nathan took a deep breath and released it slowly. He understood Amber’s anger, but he had no real answers for her.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Amber huffed. “You’re sorry… yeah, you’re sorry… I’m sorry too, but that doesn’t help, does it?”
“It would help if you simply talked to him. He called me this morning, angry that he couldn’t reach you. You have been avoiding his calls and messages all day yesterday. I’m doing my best, believe me.”
“I have nothing to say to him.”
“Maybe he has something to say to you. Just hear him out.”
Amber rolled her eyes.
Nathan checked his watch, stood up and took his briefcase. This conversation wasn’t going anywhere. He had delivered Castell’s message, so he might as well be on his way. He had other cases to take care of, after all.
“Look, Amber: if you ignore the problem, it won’t go away. I understand why you don’t want to talk to your husband. I’m completely with you on this one, trust me, but a simple phone call might make things easier for you. Mr. Castell is a stubborn man. Whether we’re talking about his career or his personal life, he’s a man who’s not used to losing. When dealing with people like him, one must tread lightly and patiently. You will get what you want, I promise you, but you’ll have to help me out a bit.”
Amber breathed in and out a couple of times, slowly, deliberately, focusing on the calming effect of the exercise. When she spoke again, she even managed a genuine smile. It wasn’t the attorney’s fault that Stephan was a dick.
“I’ll try, Mr. Moore. In fact, I’ll call him right now. Thank you for everything you’re doing.”
Nathan nodded respectfully and turned to leave. Amber walked him to the front door.
***
Stephan picked up after five rings. Amber was pacing Becca’s office and cursing under her breath. He was such a jerk. Yesterday, he had called her repeatedly, yet he took his time to answer the phone.
“Amber!”
His cheerful voice almost made her snap. Instead, she took a couple of deep breaths and willed her voice to sound calm and even. There was a reason why she hadn’t been looking forward to this conversation: she couldn’t trust herself to talk about his betrayal and affairs without turning into a sobbing mess. Amber had loved him once. She had loved him a lot. Even though he disgusted her now, it still hurt that he had taken her love and devotion and stomped on them like that.
“There. I called,” she said. “You have five minutes to tell me what you want.”
A chuckle at the other end of the line.
“Amber, Amber… What did you think you were doing when you decided to leave without a word? Did you really think that what you discovered gave you the right to run away, take Ava away from me, ask for a divorce and then… well, simply be free to do whatever you wanted?”
“I don’t have time for your bullshit, Stephan. If you have something meaningful to say, then say it and let’s get this over with. And don’t try to make me change my mind. I will get the divorce whether you like it or not. I don’t care about your money or connections. I don’t even want alimony. I just want you to get the fuck out of my life.”
“Amber, when did you get so feisty and demanding? Honey, you were never feisty and demanding. Who’s been screwing with your head?”
She could hear the mock exasperation in his voice, and she couldn’t believe her ears. She had been wrong. There was no way he could make her cry anymore. In fact, she could barely keep herself from bursting in laughter.
“You’re not getting the divorce,” he continued. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about yesterday. I mean, I’m pretty sure deep down you actually know you’re not going to win this.”
“I don’t believe you,” she whispered, shaking her head vigorously. “I don’t… Your delusions are beyond me.”
“Honey, listen to me: you have to come back home. Soon. There’s nothing for you in New York, and you’re turning your friend’s life upside down too.”
“What are you talking about?” But a pang of guilt had already made its way straight to her heart.
“Rebecca Gilbert? Your friend? She has just gotten married, right? With that guy she met in Romania?”
“How do you even know all this?!” She was losing the ability to keep calm.
“Oh, I know more than you think,” he chuckled coldly. “She probably wants to spend time with her husband, and you’re ruining the mood.”
“Why…” she gulped and realized how thirsty she was. “Why do you always have to be so mean?”
“Because you deserve it, honey.”
He said it in such a matter-of-fact way that Amber didn’t know what to reply.
“I’m not exactly delighted that you ran away. I had to invent a complicated story about how you and Ava took a short vacation and I couldn’t go with you because of my work at the office. My family would be all over me if they knew you’ve actually left me and now you want a divorce. Things don’t work this way in the Castell family, Amber, you should know this by now. You can’t walk out on me, treat me as if I were a fool, and give my family and the media something juicy to gossip about.”
“You’re insane. This is not about you and your stupid reputation. I don’t care what your family thinks. All the Castell men are douche-bags and the Castell women are the rags they wipe their feet on. I’m…” she sniffed, but tried to hide it. “I’m angry at myself for not having seen this earlier. I bet your father is cheating on your mother, and all your brothers are cheating on their wives.”
Stephan sighed. “Well, there’s no use in trying to lie to you anymore, is it? But it’s nothing personal, Amber. I don’t know about my sisters-in-law, but I do know that mom has known this all her life. She was clever enough to understand how things work and not give dad a hard time. But you… you’re taking it way too personally.”
“What the heck are you trying to say? That I shouldn’t mind you cheating on me? That it’s normal in your family and I should just accept it?”
“It’s just sex, Amber. Nothing else.”
“Shut up! Just shut up!” It was a good thing Becca and Ava weren’t home yet. She yelled so loudly that the neighbors could probably hear her.
“See? You’re taking it personally. I don’t love Julie.”
Julie was his current mistress and the woman in the photos her private investigator had taken.
“I never have. I never loved any of the women I’ve slept with.”
“Then… why?”
He sighed. “I don’t know… A man has needs.”
“Fuck you!”
“Language, Amber. Language! I’ve always liked you because you were so sweet and classy.”
“Liked me? You’ve always liked me? You j
erk! You married me! You were supposed to love me!”
He paused for a second, but not because he was thinking about what she had just said. She could tell he was bored. Stephan had never had patience for arguments, especially not with her. She either gave him what he wanted, or he made her without even bothering to try to talk her into it. Well, not this time.
“Right,” she continued. “So, this conversation was a waste of time. From now on, please talk to my attorney and stop bothering me. It’s over. There’s nothing you can do to stop this from happening.”
“Nothing is happening, Amber. Do yourself and our daughter a favor and come home before things get out of hand. You’ve had your fun, good for you, but it’s time to stop acting like a victim.”
“I am a victim!” she yelled again. She was sure Rebecca’s neighbors weren’t pleased.
“Give me a break! You’re no better than me. I know all about your little tryst from last night. What’s his name? Tyler Atwood?”
“How did you…”
“A graphic designer, Amber? Really? That’s so below you! I gave you everything you could have possibly needed: a good name, a house that’s more of a palace, made you part of a respectable family, bought you more dresses, shoes, and jewelry than you could wear in a lifetime… And you screw the first guy who pays a little attention to you. You know what? If it had been that pretty-face attorney of yours, I would have understood. The guy at least has a brain and a career. But a graphic designer? Does he make enough to pay his rent?”
