*Shelby*“Shelby, what are you doing here?” Giani asked me.“I’m just exploring the area a little. My boyfriend bought a townhouse just down the road, so I thought I’d take the day and get to know the neighborhood,” I explained as Giani pulled me into a hug.“It’s so good to see you. Is your boyfriend who I think he is?” he asked me with a raised eyebrow.“His name is Michael,” I said simply.“Not just any Michael,” Giani said with a smile. “Aubrey told me all about him. You are dating Mr. Michael Astor, arent you?”“Yes, that’s the right Michael,” I said with a smile.Giani and Aubrey had been dating for years, and I’d come to love him like a brother. He had a rather rough-looking exterior, the classic bad-boy look. However, he was one of the most kind-hearted and well-mannered men I knew.“What are you doing here?” I asked, bumping his shoulder playfully.“My family actually lives around here. We’re having lunch at the deli next door, and
*Shelby*Michael and I were seated at a table near a small pond filled with koi fish swimming lazily in circles. The Chinese restaurant smelled amazing, like spices and ginger. My stomach growled in anticipation of our meal.“I’m so excited to try all of the different restaurants in this area. It’s fun to think about how one day we will have our regular places we love to go to, just minutes from the townhouse we share together,” I said with a smile.“I’m excited for us to start that next chapter of our lives,” Michael said with a smile, looking over the menu at me.I studied my own menu, catching a glimpse of my ring. I’d be sad to lock it up in Michael’s bank deposit box, but it would be nice to keep the engagement under wraps until we were ready to share the news. “So, what were you up to today while I was at the office?” Michael asked me.The thought of my conversation with Giani rushed into my memory. I knew I needed to tell him about Blaine being in
*Shelby*It was extremely difficult saying goodbye to Michael on the Sunday morning that Bruce was driving me back to Cambridge. Even though I wanted to stay and spend more time with him, I knew I couldn’t miss classes.The car pulled into town, and my anxiety over telling Lin that we had to uproot everything and move into a new house was building the closer we got to home. I got a text message from Michael, a picture of a stately brick home. Once Lin saw this, I knew she’d have no problem moving out of our apartment.“Miss Hatton?” Bruce called from the driver's seat.“Please, Bruce, just call me Shelby.”“Right,” Bruce said with a smile in the rearview mirror that told me he had no intention of calling me Shelby.“I was just going to tell you that the packers will be here any minute to get your stuff boxed up, and the movers will arrive at noon today to move your boxes over to the new place. I’ll wait down in the parking lot for you. Just call me when yo
*Michael*It was strange sleeping in the bed without Shelby waking up next to me, but I did wake up to a text from her. I stretched out across the soft sheets and grabbed my phone to text her back.Shelby: Michael, I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you for this amazing house. I can’t believe how much space there is. Lin’s thrilled too.Michael: I’m so glad to hear that you like it. Did you sleep well last night? I missed waking up next to you.Shelby: I slept okay, but nowhere near as well as I do when I sleep next to you.Michael: You probably sleep better next to me because you're so exhausted from our before-bed activities.Shelby: That makes sense. Sounds like we’ve found our new nightly routine.I smiled at her response before heading downstairs to make myself a cup of coffee. I‘d decided to return to the townhouse rather than my apartment the night before. There was a warmth to the place that my penthouse lacked. The plastic shee
*Shelby*I sat unpacking the last box of my personal belongings, the ones I asked the unpackers not to touch, placing my books on the built-in bookshelves in my office. I’d never had somewhere so nice to work and study, and my office had quickly become my favorite room in my house. It sat in the living room, and the large bay window filled the room with natural light.“Is that your last box?” Lin asked me.She was leaning in the doorway, and I hadn’t heard her sneak up on me. She was toweling her wet hair; she must’ve just gotten out of the shower. “Geez, Lin, you scared me. I didn’t hear you come in,” I said, holding a book to my chest.“That’s because this house is so damn big. We're used to living on top of each other. We always knew where the other person was,” Lin said, wrapping the towel around her wet hair.“That’s true. I guess I’m just not used to it yet. There’s a lot to get used to,” I said with an unnoticeable sigh.“Hey, I don’t know abo
*Michael*I waited for twenty minutes outside a seedy bodega; the sidewalk in front of the store was glowing from the neon signs in the window. The entire place smelled of stale beer and urine. Just when I had enough and was contemplating walking away, a man in a black tracksuit bumped into me, slipping a large padded envelope under my arm.“Watch where you’re going next time,” he called as he walked away from me.I tucked the package further under my arm and walked away from the fluorescent lighting. As I rounded the corner, I pulled out the envelope and ripped it open. I kept walking, seemingly aimlessly as I pulled the contents out. A pile of papers was crammed inside, and on top was a bright yellow note.*So far I’ve been able to trace 100 million to an offshore account. The account is registered to a women’s boutique that doesn’t exist. The funds haven’t moved since the original hack. I’ve included all of the evidence I found. P.S. Don’t forget to pay the man.*
*Michael*I stared at the website in front of me as Shelby waited on the phone for my response. The heading of the article stared back at me in bright red lettering.“Billionaire Playboy Turns into Billionaire Bad Boy: Michael Astor is an Abusive Boyfriend.”My stomach sank at the picture taking up the entire computer screen after the title of the article. It was a poorly timed photo of me pushing the woman away from me in the bar after she felt up my family jewels.The photo made it seem as though I was holding this woman’s wrists, pushing her across the room. Her face was conveniently turned toward the camera, and there was fear etched in each of her features. I looked at my own face and saw the anger flowing from my eyes. If I was Shelby, I’d be worried if I saw this picture too. It looked bad, really bad.“Michael? I need you to explain what’s going on in that picture,” Shelby said, her voice shaking with emotion on the other end of the phone.“Dammit,
*Shelby*As soon as I got to Michael's office, I could tell that something was going on. I made my way to the receptionist's desk, hoping that maybe she had some answers for me. I was glad to see the middle-aged woman sitting behind the desk. I liked her a lot more than Michael's previous receptionist, who had purposely embarrassed me in front of a room full of people.“Good afternoon Miss Hatton,” she said to me with a smile.“Is Michael here?” I asked.She lifted her hand, pointing to the conference room. I could see exactly what was going on inside because of the glass walls. Michael was standing there in front of three large cameras. I immediately recognized Bruce on his left, but there was another man with graying hair standing on his right. Both men looked extremely serious as Michael talked to the cameras.“What’s going on?” I asked his secretary.“Mr. Astor is pressing charges against the news source that leaked the fake story. He’s also goin
*Shelby**Five Months later*I sat staring out the small window in my office. It was nowhere near as impressive a view as Michael's top-floor CEO office, but I liked the fact that it was mine. I’d been an attorney at Stockton and Associates for five months now, and just last month, I was promoted from my tiny cubicle in the corner to my very own office.I’d framed photographs of Michael and me at our wedding, at a castle in Ireland on our honeymoon, and of us in Greece from our most recent vacation. I couldn't help but imagine another picture frame of a beautiful little baby, swaddled up tight in a hospital bassinet sitting next to the rest. Michael and I had taken a more active approach to try to have a baby. I took my temperature every morning to track my fertility window, and our bathroom was littered with boxes and boxes of ovulation tests. It seemed like the majority of my free time I now spent thinking of our future family. I even had an entire nursery planne
*Shelby***One Year Later**“To you, my amazingly talented, intelligent, and beautiful wife,” Michael said, holding a glass of wine in the air over our cozy two-person table.I clinked my glass on his and took a small sip of the wine as I looked out over the dark blue sky littered with thousands of tiny bits of starlight. The lights of the city shone brightly below, illuminating the blue dome roofs over the buildings. The waves crashed against the cliff faces below, sending bits of seawater into the air, making everything smell like salt.We’d been in Greece for the last few days and were currently eating dinner in a quaint little restaurant toward the top of the city, with an amazing view. For the past month, we’d been touring Italy and Greece on our yacht. I’d recently graduated from NYU with my law degree, and Michael planned the trip as a way to celebrate. I’d been interning at a law firm called Stockton and Associates, and I was surprised by their o
*Shelby*I woke up and stretched across the king-size bed. It felt so strange to be in such a large bed all by myself. I lay there, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings of the hotel room. Then the realization hit me; it was my wedding day. The day I was going to become Mrs. Shelby Astor.I sat bolt upright, and let my feet hit the floor. In one swift motion, I was up and taking leaps across the room with a little squeal. I swung open the door and rushed into the main room of the hotel suite.“Aubs! Lin! Get up! I’m getting married today!” I squealed.Within a few seconds, Aubrey was up, rubbing her eyes as she opened the door to her private room. All we heard from Lin’s room was a sleepy moan, which made me laugh loudly.“I know that some brides get cold feet on their wedding day, but something tells me we don’t have to worry about that with you,” Aubrey said, yawning a little.“I can’t believe it’s actually here, Aubs. I mean, after all that we’ve gone t
*Shelby*After a hasty breakfast, Lauren’s words still lingered in my mind. The click of the coffee pot being pulled off of the warmer snapped me back to reality. I set my phone down on the counter and flashed Michael a soft smile. He grabbed a travel mug from the cupboard and poured the remainder of the dark liquid into his cup. While he screwed the lid into place, he leaned over and kissed me quickly on the lips.“I’m so sorry I don’t have time to say much in the way of a goodbye, but thank you for breakfast. I had an emergency meeting with investors pop up last minute,” Michael said, slipping his arms through his sport coat.“That’s okay, I understand. Will I see you for dinner?” I asked.“Yes, you will. I’ll make sure I’m home by five at the latest. What are your plans for the day?” Michael asked.“I’m going to the country club to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow,” I answered.A huge smile took over Michael’s face, “Well, that sounds like a great way to spend
*Shelby*Lauren looked… humbled.Even her clothes were telling. She wore a long, demure skirt and a blouse that didn’t show a hint of cleavage and covered her arms down to her elbows. No big brand names or luxurious accessories. Her hair also needed a wash.I’d never seen her dress so modestly or look so run-down, and I had an inkling of what she was trying to accomplish by coming here. I stood there, frozen, not knowing what to do. I wasn’t sure Michael would want to see her, and part of me didn’t want Michael’s day to start off with a fight. On the other hand, I couldn’t make those decisions for him.“Come in,” I said, stepping aside to let her pass. I closed the door and gestured for her to sit in the adjacent living room, just as I heard Michael’s quick steps running down the stairs. “What smells so good? My mouth is watering! Shelby, honey—” He froze when he saw Lauren sitting on the couch. She gave him a smile and a quick wave.Michael’s eyes focused on me,
*Shelby*Ever since that kiss in the elevator, my body ached for Michael. When he whispered into my ear, a shudder ran down my spine, turning me on.He gave me a taunting look, and his eyes wandered around the park. “Michael…” I said, “what’s going on in your head?”He chuckled and leaned closer to me. “It wouldn’t be the first time we made love out in the open,” he said in a low voice.I almost spit out the coffee I’d just sipped.“But we were alone on the beach! Well, the second time, anyway. This place is full of people.”“There are some dark places…” He smiled mischievously at me. “And you’re not making it easier for me.”His eyes wandered to my chest, where my dress hung really low and gave him a great view of my breasts thanks to the way I was leaning toward him.I felt his leg caressing mine under the table, and I pretended to scowl at him.“You aren’t making it easier either,” I said. He took his phone out of his pocket and grinned, informing me that the
*Michael*When Shelby walked into the office, I could tell she was dying to tell me something. Her excitement was written all over her face.“I suppose the hunt for a dress went well?” I said, and she immediately ran around the desk and gave me a kiss. “I’ll take that as a yes,” smiling at the joy on her face.“I found the perfect one,” she said as she sat in the chair across from me. “I just wish I could show you or tell you about it, but you know how that goes.” “You could wear a T-shirt and jeans, and you’d still be the most beautiful bride to walk this earth,” I said dramatically, eliciting a giggle from Shelby. I would never tire of hearing her laugh.“I thought your lawyer would be here already,” she said, looking at her watch.“Aren’t we going home?” I had no idea what she was talking about.“Did you really forget?” Shelby laughed. “Only you could forget that we’re going to sign our prenup today.”The truth was that it had completely slipped my mind. Shelby was
*Shelby**One Month Later*“I can’t believe it’s the end of the summer already,” Lin said with a sigh.I pushed open the door to the salon and was instantly enveloped with the smell of cucumbers and ocean salt.“I know. It seems like it went so fast, but I’m so glad we get to spend more time together before you have to go back to Cambridge,” I said.“Damn, this place is so posh,” Lin said rather loudly.I chuckled, “Shush, Lin. Just pretend that we come to places like this all the time.”“Oh, right,” she responded, a small smirk on her lips.We walked up to the front desk where a woman with purple hair greeted us. Once she found our appointments, she took us back to a private room to get our pedicures. The lights were dimmed and soft piano music played from an indistinguishable place in the room. She handed us each a glass of champagne before leaving us to wait for the nail artists.“So what are we having done today?” Lin asked me as we slip
*Shelby*I’d just slid the baking tray, with two salmon filets and vegetables, into the oven when I heard the front door open. It abruptly closed with a shutter that echoed through the house.“Michael?” I called down the hallway.“It’s me, Shelby,” he called back, and my heartbeat slowed at the sound of his voice.“You’re just in time. I just put dinner in the oven, and it should be ready soon,” I said as Michael walked into the kitchen.I looked up to see him wearing a very serious expression on his face. The corners of his mouth were tugged down in concern, and there was a strange expression in his eyes—a mix of sadness and anger.“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” I asked, my heartbeat speeding up again. “Is Bruce okay? Lucille?”“Everyone’s fine. I just had a very unpleasant conversation is all,” Michael said, sliding onto one of the barstools.“With who?” I asked, picking up and folding a dish towel with nervous anticipation.“I went