Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 88270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
I force my eyes to close against the growing light, and nestle deeper into his hold. I memorize his scent, inhaling deeply, letting it fill my lungs like a drug I can't quit, committing it to memory for the days when this fantasy ends. I listen to his heartbeat, strong and even. Thump-thump against my back. A soothing rhythm compared to my own frantic pulse.
Slowly, I feel myself drifting away. I’ll join him in dreamland.
A phone call wakes me up, the shrill ring cutting through the haze of sleep like a knife, jolting me upright in bed. My heart slams against my ribs as I fumble around on the nightstand. My body is still disoriented and heavy with the languor of deep rest as I reach for the phone. But when I see the number flashing on the screen, I panic and almost jump out of bed. It’s the real Carolyn! My pulse skyrockets, and a cold sweat breaks out on my skin as guilt crashes over me. I feel suddenly vulnerable, like I've let my guard down too far.
I glance behind me and see that the bed is empty. Only the indentation where Blake slept tells me last night was not a fantastic dream. He must have slipped out quietly while I slept. The sun is shining bright, streaming through the cracks in the curtains with cheerful insistence. It's Sunday, and quite late in the morning from the angle of the light, probably past 10.
Nervously, I stare at the screen as it vibrates in my hand, nerves twisting in my gut, and wonder why she is calling. So far, she hasn’t even called to check on me, or ask if everything is going well. No updates, no questions about the family or the routine. Just radio silence that's surprising in its completeness. It's almost as though she doesn't care. Like she's washed her hands of this life entirely. But she hired me for this elaborate swap, poured good money into it, and wasted her precious time training me, so there is absolutely no way she has walked away. The detachment must have been to let me find my feet. She’s only calling now because I left her an urgent message to call me back about Freya’s sleepover.
I swipe the screen and bring the phone to my ear. "Hello?" My voice comes out hoarse, still thick with sleep.
Carolyn's voice is cool and composed on the other end, a stark contrast to my turmoil. "Hello. I came by the house during the night to get something I had forgotten to take and saw you naked and curled up in the sweetest way in bed with my husband."
My blood runs cold, the words hitting like ice water. I freeze and clutch the sheet to my chest as if she can see me now. “I… I…”
“You’ve broken the terms of our contract, and I could throw you out on your ear right now.”
I gulp speechlessly.
“Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” she demands.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. What should I do? What can I say? “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It was an accident. It just happened. It won’t happen again.” The words pour out of me, but they are lies. I’m not sorry. It was not an accident. And if I continue to stay here, it will happen again.
She laughs suddenly, a harsh sound. “Ha, ha, look at you getting your panties in a twist. Relax, I was only kidding. Good work, actually. I like people who take the initiative," she continues, her tone approving. "You may carry on, but don’t forget it’s just a temporary fuck, but with any luck, by the time you leave, you'll have prepared the way for me to make an easy comeback."
I’m speechless with shock, but apparently, she is pleased that I am sleeping with her husband. “So what’s going on with the brat that was so urgent?”
“Er… It’s okay. I solved the problem. She wanted to go on a sleepover, and I just didn’t know which family would be suitable, and it was short notice, but she went to Li—”
“So, it’s solved,” she interrupts in a bored voice.
“Yes. It’s solved.”
“Good. Call me if anything else crops up that you can’t handle.” The call ends abruptly, leaving me staring at the phone in complete shock.
To start with, the idea of Carolyn watching me sleeping gives me the creeps. A cold spider-like sensation crawls up my spine as I imagine her lurking in the shadows, peering through the windows downstairs, or coming right up to the bed and standing over Blake and I while we are asleep and unaware. Her eyes on our entwined bodies—Blake's arm around me, my head on his chest—like some voyeur of her own life. Being observed like that is violating and invasive, and it makes my stomach churn with unease. The prickling sensation is a warning. Carolyn is… dangerous. I’ve been a little fool. Behaving as if this whole thing is a great adventure, or something that could be fun and games. There is no happy ending for me here.