Page 67 of Shattered Oath
"Perfect. I'll come over straightaway. We can grab dinner somewhere nice."
"Actually, can you just come to my place? I'm exhausted, and I don't feel like going out."
A pause. "Sure. I'll pick something up on the way. That Thai place you like?"
"That's fine."
"Brilliant. See you in an hour."
He hung up before I could respond.
I stared at my phone for a moment, uneasiness stirring in my chest, then slipped it back into my bag.
Femi arrived with Thai food and a bottle of wine.
He spread the containers across my kitchen counter, chatting about his day while he worked. Something about meetings.A property in development. Numbers and projections and timelines.
I watched him move through my space with easy familiarity. Opening drawers to find serving spoons, reaching for plates from the cabinets without asking where they were. Making himself entirely at home.
"So," he said, handing me a plate. "Tell me about your day. How's the bridal shower planning coming along?"
"Good. We finalized the venue and the menu. Priya has everything organized down to the minute."
"That's great."
He was already turning back to the food, scooping pad thai onto his plate.
"The rooftop garden is beautiful," I continued, watching him. "Views of the whole city. Aria wants string lights everywhere, hundreds of them."
"Mmm." He took a bite, nodding with approval. "This is excellent. Better than last time we ordered."
"We're doing a signature cocktail. Nalani designed it. Something with champagne and elderflower."
"Nice." He reached for the wine bottle, poured two glasses. "Listen, I've been thinking about us."
"Have you?"
"We should take a trip after the wedding. You should be willing to take a proper break then, surely? Somewhere romantic." He slid a glass toward me. "I know you weren't keen on the Hamptons, so perhaps the Maldives. Or Bora Bora. Somewhere we can just be together without all these distractions."
"Femi—"
"I know you're busy. I know the boutique needs you. But we need time too, Isabelle. Time to reconnect properly. To remember why we work so well together."
"Do we?"
He stopped mid-bite. "Do we what?"
"Work. Do we actually work together?"
The question hung in the air between us. His expression shifted—confusion first, then something warier, more guarded.
"What do you mean?"
"I just told you about my day. About the shower planning, the venue, the cocktail Nalani designed." I set my plate down. "You said 'that's great' and 'nice' and then started talking about the Maldives."
"I was listening."
"What venue did I mention?"
