Chapter 34
ARIA
David Coleman. Olivia's husband. Standing right there with another woman hanging on his arm.
The red bracelet I'd woven for their wedding gift wrapped around his scarred wrist. Those burn scars he got saving Olivia from a fire. The hero husband who couldn't keep it in his pants.
I ducked behind a decorative column, my heart hammering. The woman with him—young, pretty, simpering—had to be Bella. The assistant Olivia complained about. The one who called their house at 11 PM to "check if David got home safely."
Well, looks like he didn't make it home last night.
They moved toward the elevators, Bella giggling at something David whispered. Her hand rested on his chest, fingers playing with his tie. Not the touch of a professional assistant. The touch of a woman who knew exactly where those hands had been before.
My stomach churned. Poor Olivia. Pregnant with this bastard's child while he played house with his secretary.
I fumbled for my phone, nearly dropping it twice. My hands shook as I snapped photos. David's hand on Bella's lower back. Bella leaning into him. Their bodies pressed together waiting for the elevator.
Evidence. Cold, hard evidence that Olivia's hero husband was just another cheating scumbag.
The elevator doors opened. They stepped inside, and I caught David's hand moving to squeeze Bella's ass just before the doors closed.
I wanted to throw up. Actually, I might throw up. Morning sickness hit at the worst times.
The elevator display showed it stopping at the tenth floor. Great. They were definitely getting a room. Not even trying to hide it—walking into the Sapphire Hotel together in broad daylight. The arrogance of men who thought they'd never get caught.
I pressed my back against the column, trying to steady my breathing. What now? Did I call Olivia? Did I march up there and bang on doors until I found them?
Olivia. God, Olivia. She'd been beating herself up, thinking she wasn't attractive enough anymore because of the pregnancy. Wondering if her morning sickness and mood swings were driving David away. Blaming herself while this asshole was screwing his assistant.
The nausea hit harder. I barely made it to the marble planter before dry heaving. Nothing came up—I hadn't eaten yet—but my body didn't care. It wanted to purge the disgust of what I'd just seen.
I wiped my mouth and straightened up, finding a quiet corner to sit. Sipping water slowly, I let my stomach settle while figuring out my next move.
Olivia deserved to know. Right now. Before David came home tonight with lies about working late, smelling of another woman's perfume.
I pulled out my phone and hit her number. It rang once, twice—
"Aria? Everything okay? It's pretty early."
Her voice sounded tired. Probably hadn't slept well. The Coleman in-laws were likely already up, criticizing her breakfast choices or something equally ridiculous.
"Liv, are you alone? Can you talk?"
"Yeah, I'm in my room. David left early for a meeting." A pause. "Why? What's wrong?"
A meeting. Right. A meeting with his assistant's vagina.
"Liv, I don't know how to say this..." I took a deep breath. "I'm at the Sapphire Hotel. Remember how it's connected to the club?"
"Okay?"
"I just saw David. With Bella. They went upstairs together. To a room."
Silence. Such complete silence I thought the call had dropped.
"Liv?"
"You're sure?" Her voice came out small, broken.
"I took pictures. They were... intimate. Very intimate. I'm so sorry."
A sharp intake of breath. Then a sound that might have been a sob, quickly muffled.
"That son of a bitch," she whispered. "That absolute son of a bitch."
"Do you want me to go up there? Confront them? I can—"
"No." Her voice gained strength. "Send me your location. I'm coming there myself."
"Liv, are you sure? In your condition—"
"My condition?" She laughed, bitter and sharp. "You mean pregnant with a cheater's baby? Yeah, I think I can handle walking into a hotel."
"What about your in-laws?"
"They're at their morning prayer group. Won't be back for hours." More bitter laughter. "Praying for their son's marriage while he's out destroying it."
"I'll wait for you in the lobby. I'll keep an eye on the elevators, make sure they don't leave."
"Aria... thank you. For telling me. Most people wouldn't."
My throat tightened. "You're my friend. My only real friend. Of course I'd tell you."
After we hung up, I approached the front desk with my best professional smile. Time to use those PR skills I'd learned at Morgan Enterprises.
"Excuse me," I said to the clerk, a different one from earlier. "I'm Mr. Coleman's assistant. He asked me to bring some documents to his room, but I forgot the room number. Could you help me out?"
The clerk hesitated. "I'm not supposed to—"
"Oh, I understand completely. Privacy policies." I leaned in conspiratorially. "It's just that these contracts need his signature before nine, and you know how he gets when things are delayed. Something about the Singapore merger?"
The magic words—business merger. Rich people talk. The clerk's eyes widened with understanding.
"Room 1030," he whispered. "But you didn't hear it from me."
"Of course not. Thank you so much."
I found a seat in the corner where I could watch the elevators without being obvious. My phone buzzed with texts from Olivia.
Olivia: [On my way. Twenty minutes.]
Olivia: [I can't believe this.]
Olivia: [Actually, yes I can. All those late nights. All those calls.]
Olivia: [I'm such an idiot.]
Me: [You're not an idiot. HE'S the idiot.]
Me: [Room 1030 when you get here.]
Twenty minutes felt like hours. I watched other guests come and go, happy couples checking in for romantic getaways. Business people grabbing coffee before meetings. Normal people living normal lives while my friend's world fell apart ten floors up.
A wave of dizziness hit me. I gripped the armrest, breathing through it. Not now, baby. Mommy needs to help Aunt Olivia first.
Finally, I saw her. Olivia walked through the lobby doors, and I barely recognized her. Gone was the glowing pregnant woman I'd had lunch with. This Olivia moved with deadly purpose, her face a mask of controlled fury.
he looked elegant even in her rage. A stylish maternity dress, immaculate makeup, not a hair out of place. But her eyes—her eyes burned with the kind of anger that could level buildings.
"Aria." She grabbed my hands. "You look terrible. Are you okay?"
Trust Olivia to worry about me when her world was crashing down.
"I'm fine. Just morning sickness." I squeezed her hands back. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I'm sure." She studied my face. "But seriously, you're white as a sheet. And why are you at a hotel this early anyway?"
I hesitated, then told her everything. Emma's invitation last night. The humiliation. Blake taking Emma's side. Leaving my father's keychain behind.
Olivia's expression darkened with each word. "Emma Grant is nuts. She invited you here just to humiliate you, didn't she?"
"Pretty much."
"And Blake defended her?" She shook her head in disgust. "Those two deserve each other. A cold-blooded businessman and a manipulative witch. Match made in hell."
Despite everything, I almost smiled. "That's exactly what I thought."
"Right." Olivia straightened her shoulders. "Let's deal with my cheating husband first. Then we'll figure out how to handle yours."
"He's not really my—"
"Aria." She cut me off. "Contract or not, Blake Morgan is your husband. And he should be protecting you, not throwing you to the wolves for Emma's entertainment."
We walked to the elevator together. Olivia hit the button for the tenth floor with decisive force.