Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
My lips parted slightly, and I hesitated for a moment, wondering if he was speaking to me. “Thank you, Henry,” I replied, completely confused by the private compliment. I’d probably seemed as if I’d just witnessed a ghost. The ghost of my husband’s past when he truly used to love me.
That was until someone behind me cleared their throat and said, “It’s always nice to witness a man who cherishes his wife.”
My pounding heart? It slowed its pace. There had been nothing private about that sweet moment. Shame on me for getting big feelings from something that was nothing more than an act.
“Oh, you made it,” Henry exclaimed, shifting his stare to the person behind me. He then moved in closer to me and placed his hand back around my waist. He began to turn my body around as if I were one of his robots and gestured in front of me. “This is my brilliant wife, Kierra, and Kierra, this is Gabriel Sinclair, the outstanding man I was telling you about earlier.”
Did he say Gabriel Sinclair?
As my gaze rose to meet the guy in front of me, my heart malfunctioned. My mind turned into a puddle of mush as I stared into his eyes. Eyes that I’d known a little too well once upon a time.
Brown eyes, beautiful dark-brown skin, and a full, thick beard paired with a remarkable smile.
A smile that I also once knew all too well.
There was no way…
Without any thought from me, the glass in my hand slipped through my fingers, shattering instantly as it hit the floor.
Everyone in the room turned to face me. Funny how a once-solid thing could fall apart so quickly. While all eyes were on me, my eyes were still on him. Gabriel Sinclair. The Gabriel Sinclair. My Gabriel Sinclair.
For a few seconds, I couldn’t recall how to breathe. My chest tightened even more as his deep-brown eyes stayed on me. Every thought possible began to swirl through me. We held eye contact for mere seconds, but that was long enough to know he saw me. Yet at the same time, he didn’t see me. He didn’t remember me at all. He stared at me as everyone else had—as if I were nothing more than Henry Hughes’s wife.
“Sorry,” I blurted out to the room filled with fancy people in fancy suits who were all looking at me as if I were the clumsiest person in the world. I hurriedly shook my attention away from Gabriel, bent down, and began trying to gather the broken pieces. Within seconds, I felt a hand wrap around mine.
“It’s fine, leave it,” Henry stated, gripping my arm.
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make a commotion,” I said with a shaky voice that mimicked my shaky soul. What was Gabriel doing in this room? What was he doing standing in front of me? What in the world was happening?
“Kierra,” Henry growled through gritted teeth. “You’re embarrassing me. I have Jacob on it. Don’t worry. You should head upstairs and get changed.” Of course, he said it with a smile. Henry always kept a smile around others. Though I knew I’d hear about my clumsiness later that evening after everyone headed off to their own homes.
I looked down at my wet dress and then back toward Gabriel. He had a look of pity packed in his stare, as if he felt embarrassment for me.
Just then, a beautiful woman with red hair walked over and stood extremely close to Gabriel. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
I was going to be sick.
Who was that?
Were they in love?
Did he love her?
Why did I check so quickly to see if they were wearing wedding rings?
They weren’t.
But why, oh why, did I even look when there was a heavy ring resting on my own finger?
What was happening?
“Kierra,” Henry urged as Jacob rolled over and began to vacuum up the mess. “Go change,” he repeated.
I pushed out a smile toward Gabriel and the woman who seemed superglued to his side. “I’m sorry. How embarrassing. I swear I’m not always this clumsy,” I explained.
Gabriel grinned. It was such a comforting smile. He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “I’m probably the clumsiest person in the world. If my head wasn’t attached to my shoulders, I’d probably lose that, too.”
The woman laughed. A little too hard, if you asked me. She threw her head back and poked her chest out as she smacked Gabriel’s chest with her palm. Henry laughed, too, but the tone of his chuckles was more a warning for me to get a move on.
I shook off my nerves the best I could. Which wasn’t saying much. “I’ll be back after I change, and I’ll make a better second impression,” I swore, before hurrying up the stairs to my bedroom.
After reaching my room, I shut the door behind me and held my hand to my stomach. The swirling taking place within me made me hesitate for a second. I swallowed deeply, but before I could finish, I was darting for the bathroom, throwing up the birthday cake I’d shoved into my system not that long ago.