Chapter 2

Julian' s eyes flickered from my face to Chloe' s, a flicker of annoyance crossing his features. He stepped inside as if he owned the place, tossing a leather briefcase onto the chair with his jacket.

"Who' s this?" he asked Chloe, completely ignoring me.

"Julian, this is Ethan," Chloe said, her voice thin. "My husband."

Julian raised an eyebrow. He looked me up and down, a smirk playing on his lips. He was assessing me, the small-town football coach, and finding me lacking.

"Husband?" he said, a note of amusement in his voice. "Chloe, darling, you didn' t tell me you had a husband."

He walked over to her and put a hand on her pregnant stomach, a casual, intimate gesture that sent a bolt of lightning through me.

"Don' t touch her," I growled, taking a step forward.

Julian turned to face me fully. "I think I can touch my girlfriend and the mother of my child whenever I want."

"Girlfriend?" The word exploded out of me. I looked at Chloe, who was staring at the floor, unable to meet my eyes. "He thinks you' re his girlfriend?"

"Ethan, please, it' s complicated," she pleaded.

"It' s not complicated," Julian cut in, his tone condescending. "She' s with me. We' re having a baby. You' re the complication."

Something inside me snapped. I lunged at him. I wasn' t a fighter, but years of coaching had taught me about leverage. I grabbed the front of his expensive shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"You son of a bitch," I spat in his face.

He just laughed, a low, ugly sound. "Got some fire in you, coach. I' ll give you that."

Before I could do anything else, Chloe was on me, pulling at my arm.

"Ethan, stop it! You' re hurting him! He' s sick!" she screamed.

I let go of Julian, stunned. I turned to look at my wife, the woman I loved, who was now looking at me with pure hatred in her eyes. She was defending him.

"Get out, Ethan!" she shrieked, her face twisted. "Just get out of my apartment!"

"Your apartment?" I yelled back. "I pay half the bills for this place! This is my home too!"

The noise was loud. The fight, the screaming. A sharp knock came at the door.

"Everything alright in there, Mrs. Vance?" a voice called out.

Chloe' s face went from rage to cold calculation in a second. She smoothed her robe, took a deep breath, and opened the door. It was the doorman, a stout man with a worried expression.

"Everything is fine, Robert," Chloe said, her voice now calm and collected. "My… my brother just showed up unannounced. He' s a little emotional. We were just having a family disagreement."

She called me her brother.

The doorman looked past her at me, then at Julian, who was straightening his shirt. Robert' s eyes lingered on Julian, and a look of recognition crossed his face.

"Oh, Mr. Croft," the doorman said, his tone respectful. "Didn' t see you there. Is everything okay, sir?"

"Everything' s fine, Robert," Julian said smoothly, stepping forward and putting a protective arm around Chloe. "Just a misunderstanding. Thanks for checking."

The doorman nodded, his eyes flicking back to me with suspicion. "Alright then. Have a good night."

He left. Chloe closed the door and turned to me, her face a mask of stone.

"He thinks Julian lives here with you," I said, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. "He called him Mr. Croft. He thinks you' re Mrs. Vance. You' re using his name."

She didn' t deny it. She just stared at me, her eyes cold.