Chapter 38

Reese had only met Roman Sanchez twice, and both times she’d been at her absolute worst. Latest content publıshed on
“Thanks. You saved me again.”
The first time, Roman had shown up after a call, taken her from a hotel straight to the station, made sure all the evidence was collected, and then got a female colleague to take her home and calm her down.
Now, here he was again, swooping in when she was completely alone and out of options.
“You’re different now,” Roman said.
He’d followed the noise, expecting to see the Reese from seven years ago—the one who’d fight back without hesitation. But instead, she’d just stepped away and looked for help.
“I am,” Reese admitted, her voice soft.
She knew exactly what he meant. Years of dealing with endless hassles and her mother-in-law’s nitpicking had pretty much worn her down and smoothed out all her edges.
“I used to admire you, you know.” Roman sounded a little disappointed. “I’ve been in Bridger Lake for years. You were the first person who dared to call the cops on someone from the Ratcliff family.
“And you weren’t sloppy about it, either. You had everything documented.
“But why’d you drop the charges?” he asked. “If you hadn’t, you would’ve won. No question.”
Reese went quiet. The memory flashed in her mind-Mr. Ratcliff sitting across from her, holding the papers that showed the Ramos family’s company was hanging by a thread.
“If you drop the case, I’ll put money into the Ramos family. I’ll help your company get back on its feet.”
The company was her grandfather’s and mother’s legacy. After her mom was gone, her uncle took her in and kept the company running. Reese couldn’t just watch it fall apart.
“I married Sebastian.”
Her throat felt tight. “I’d loved him for a long time. We had a fight that day, and I lost it. I said some things I shouldn’t have, and I regretted it later.”
Roman raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced, but he let it go.
“You know filing a false report is illegal, right?” he teased, his voice light even though the words were serious.
Reese caught his meaning and smiled. “Go ahead and arrest me, then. At least I’d save some money on groceries.”
Roman laughed for real this time and waved her off. “Alright, I’m done messing with you. Where are you headed? I’ll give you a ride.”
Reese shook her head. “It’s not far. I can walk.”
Roman glanced at the empty street. “There are a lot of drunk guys around here. Let me at least walk you to the corner.”
She could tell he was just looking out for her, so she agreed. They walked together until the corner, then said goodbye and Reese walked the rest of the way home.
It wasn’t until she turned on the lights in her apartment that she finally felt like she could breathe.
The memories from seven years ago weren’t just bad-they were actual nightmares. For a long time after, just being around men made her anxious.
Even now, after therapy, she still didn’t like being alone with men.
After a shower, Reese crawled into bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. All she could see was the cold look in Sebastian’s eyes, and somehow, his face started to blur into the confused, aroused look he’d had all those years ago.
She shot up, opened her nightstand drawer, grabbed a bottle of pills, shook one out, and swallowed it dry.
Then she turned off the lights and buried herself in her pillow.
***
The next morning, Reese woke up feeling weak and shaky. She managed to drag herself to work, and had barely sat down when Alan walked in.
“How’s it going?” he asked.
“I’ve got a plan drafted.” She handed him the proposal she’d stayed up late working on.
“Looks good,” Alan said after flipping through it. She saw a hint of approval in his eyes.
“Clear your schedule this afternoon. There’s an industry mixer. I want you to come and meet someone.”
Reese figured it was just another business event, but when she got there, she realized it was packed with some pretty big names from politics and the military.
Alan led her through the crowd, chatting with people here and there, then found a quiet corner with a sofa for them to sit down.
“Alan,” Reese said quietly, nerves fluttering in her stomach. She could tell
whoever he wanted her to meet was a big deal.
“Relax,” Alan said, not bothered at all. “Dominic will be here soon, too. Don’t tell me you’re going to let him see you all nervous?”
“Dominic’s coming?” Reese’s eyes lit up.
“Yeah. Sit tight. I’ve got something to handle, I’ll be back in a bit.”
As soon as Alan left, a commotion started at the entrance.
Reese looked up and saw Sofia on Sebastian’s arm as they walked in together.
Their matching outfits left no doubt; they were definitely together.
“Looks like Mr. Ratcliff and Ms. Meyer are finally making it official, huh?”
Honestly, everyone in Bridger Lake’s upper circle already knew about Sebastian and Sofia, but this was the first time they’d shown up at an event, dressed as a couple, for everyone to see.