What was I thinking? She’s never said she has feelings for me. I’m…convenient. I tick all the boxes, right? I just need to keep quiet and play the part. His wife had all kinds of secrets, and it looked like she had no intention of ever letting him in. After talking to Dante, he’d been trying not to be curious, not to wonder, or cross the line, but he was damn sick and tired of feeling precarious, like one wrong move and she’d be out the door.

Unfortunately, he’d caught feelings, and he ached so bad because he wanted more; he wanted…everything.

Chapter 25

For the past month, things had been different.

Leanne couldn’t put her finger on it, but…something was up with Trev. Sure, he did the same work in terms of household chores, but he was more…remote, responding politely but not warmly. And he didn’t come to bed when she did. He spent more time in the guest room gaming if he wasn’t working online, then he’d sometimes crash on that bed.

When she’d asked about it, he’d said, “I don’t want to bother you.”

She’d started to say that him coming to bed could never be a bother, but then it had occurred to her that he might prefer that distance. It wasn’t like they had a regular marriage, and she couldn’t demand cuddles as part of the agreement. So she kept her mouth shut and tried to pretend it didn’t upset her. Her relationships always had an expiration date, and this one had lasted longer than most. It wasn’t like she’d thought she could keep him around forever.

Maybe it’s time to let him go?

By now, he was likely earning enough to get his own place; he was doing simple websites in addition to his social media stuff, but dear gods, it hurt to think of him packing his stuff. The condo would be so empty without him, and—

I will miss him so much.

Just the mere prospect of him leaving swept her at the knees, and she crawled into the closet to hide because she couldn’t stop these tears. The last time she’d wept like this had been at the coven meeting—when she’d been so scared the council might take Trev.

She hadn’t reacted this way even after watching her father die. Instead, she’d thrown herself into writing proposals in preparation for assuming her seat on the city council and built up some business for her freelance PR and marketing work. As she sobbed silently into a pile of clean laundry she hadn’t gotten around to putting away, she could no longer deny how much she’d invested in this relationship without even realizing it.