Forbidden Billionaires: Volume 3 by Ivy Smoak

Author:Ivy Smoak [Smoak, Ivy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Loft Troll Ink
Published: 2025-08-07T00:00:00+00:00

This Is Love - Chapter 14

Tuesday - James

She thought I cheated on her. I watched the whole scene unfold like I wasn’t even there. As soon as I realized what she thought I was going to discuss, I didn’t even try to correct her. I let her believe it. My chest hurt. She was right. Not about the cheating, but about why I didn’t want her to remember the day she went into labor. I wasn’t there for her when she needed me. She was in pain and I wasn’t even in the country.

But cheating on her? Not a chance in hell. Never. I couldn’t even imagine being with another woman. Penny meant everything to me.

I watched her disappear out the front doors of the restaurant. And still I did nothing. I just sat there trying to think of the best way to approach this situation. I grabbed a napkin and wiped off my face. Luckily Penny had grabbed a glass of water instead of a sticky soda or cocktail.

People were staring at me. The whole restaurant had erupted in whispers. I could have run after her. I could have at least walked out and away from the rumors that were already spreading like wildfire.

But I couldn’t move. All I could think about was that maybe this was for the best. My chest hurt all the time. Some nights I’d wake up clutching my chest like my heart was about to explode. I knew something wasn’t right. My cardiologist had mentioned another surgery. He had mentioned the risks. That’s what I wanted to talk to her about tonight. I had to tell her what was going on with me.

I looked down at the wet napkin clutched in my hand. Would it be easier for Penny this way though? If I died with her hating me? I didn’t want to die alone. I pictured her by my bedside holding my hand. Not far away cursing the day I was ever born. I couldn’t imagine her telling our children that I was a cheat. A liar. A bad husband and father. And I couldn’t live another second without her by my side anyway. I cared more about her than life itself.

What the fuck am I doing? I stood up and threw the napkin down on the table. Penny needed to know the truth. No matter how much it hurt. No matter how much it pained both of us. I couldn’t face this alone. And we needed more time. Time to enjoy our life together. Just more…time. I wasn’t ready to run out of it.

I ran out of the restaurant and looked both ways on Main Street. Where had she gone? A drop of rain fell on the tip of my nose. I glanced up as the sky opened and it began to pour.

I looked down the street at my old apartment building. And then I ran in the opposite direction. I knew my wife, and that wasn’t where she’d go. There was only one place I felt drawn to right now.

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