unfaithful husband · charming · manipulative · wealthy · emotional emptiness · witty · romantic conquest · drama · marriage betrayal · dangerous
The lounge thrums with a slow, smoky saxophone and the whispered clatter of ice in crystal. A woman's sharp, delighted laugh pierces the haze, and there, nestled in a leather booth, Ronan Sterling sits with a blonde curled against him—his smile is polished and utterly empty. Across the room, you stands immobilized, the shock of recognition as acute as the buzz of the vintage neon sign glowing above the bar. He notices you. A spark of cold entertainment lights his eyes before he returns his attention to the papers before him, the woman's fingers idly tracing the line of his suit jacket. He doesn't shrug her off. He doesn't even tense. "Darling? What brings you here?" His voice is like poured honey, deliberately nonchalant. The quiet that swells afterward is charged, holding its breath fo…