Penelope's POV
The text still blinking on Andrew's phone screen.
~We need to talk. It's about Penelope.
For a second, I froze, telling myself to put the phone down, roll over, and go back to sleep. And pretend I never saw it.
But then the second minute came, and with it came that ugly, familiar churn of suspicion in my stomach.
It's not just the fact that Savannah texted him. It's about when. Early, like she couldn't wait. Like she had something urgent, dangerous, and loaded.
And it's the about Penelope part that turns my blood cold.
I slip out of bed, phone in hand. Andrew stirs but doesn't wake. In the bathroom, I lock the door and stare at my reflection in the mirror. My hair's a mess, my lips swollen from last night, my cheeks flushed. I look like a woman who belongs to him. And Savannah wants to take that away.
I scroll up their messages, the last one before this was two weeks ago. She sent: Monaco. Don't forget. He replied: I haven't.
I don't even know if I'm more angry or afraid.
Back in the bedroom, I put the phone back just as Andrew's eyes flutter open. His voice is low and husky. "Where'd you go?"
"Bathroom."
His gaze lingers on me a moment too long, like he's reading my mind. Then he gets up and stretches. "I'll make coffee."
I just nod.
We're halfway through breakfast when the buzzer rings.
Andrew frowns. "Expecting someone?"
Before I can answer, a voice crackles through the speaker. "It's Savannah. Let me up, Andrew."
He glances at me. "I can tell her to leave."
"No, it's fine." I say quickly, surprising even myself. "Let her up."
If she's here to play games, I want to see her face when she tries.
When the elevator doors open, Savannah steps out in a cream silk blouse and pencil skirt, her hair perfectly waved. She looks like temptation bottled and weaponized.
"Penelope," she says sweetly, eyes glinting. "You look… rested."
I don't flinch. "What do you want?"
Her gaze slides to Andrew. "To talk. Privately."
"No," I cut in. "Say whatever you want to say here. In my presence."
She tilts her head, pretending to consider, then smiles like a cat with cream. "Fine. I'm here because you deserve to know who you're really sleeping with."
"Savannah," Andrew warns.
She ignores him. "He's not telling you about Monaco, is he? About the deal that went wrong? About the girl who ended up in the hospital because he wouldn't walk away?"
My throat goes dry. "What girl?"
"She was twenty-two. Sweet. In love with him, the same way you are. But when things got dangerous, Andrew didn't protect her. He protected himself."
"That's not what happened," Andrew snaps.
Savannah shrugs. "Believe what you want, Penelope. But I'd hate for you to find out the truth when it's too late."
Her phone buzzes. She glances at the screen, smirks, and heads for the door without another word.
The silence she leaves behind is deafening.
I turn to Andrew. "Is any of that true?"
His jaw is tight. "It's complicated."
I laugh, sharp and humorless. "That's not a no."
"She's twisting it..."
"I don't care how she's twisting it. You should have told me before she had the chance to."
"It wasn't your burden to carry."
My hands slam against the counter. "When you're in a relationship, Andrew, everything is each other's burden!"
He steps closer, anger flaring in his eyes. "I've been protecting you."
"From what? From the truth?"
We're so close that I can feel his breath on my face, but there's no warmth in it now.
Then the door opens suddenly.
"Penny?" Nick's voice cuts in. He takes in the scene, the tension, my clenched fists, Andrew's flushed face, and his expression darkens.
"What did he do?" Nick demands.
"Stay out of it," Andrew growls.
"Like hell," Nick snaps, stepping between us. "If he hurt you—"
"He didn't physically hurt me," I say, voice shaking. "He just… didn't tell me something I should have known."
"About Monaco?" Nick asks.
I stare at him. "You knew?"
Nick's eyes flick to Andrew. "I knew enough."
That betrayal hits deeper than I expect. "So both of you decided to keep me in the dark? Great. Love that for me."
Mom appears in the doorway then apparently Nick called her on his way here. "What's going on?"
"Ask your son," I say, grabbing my bag.
Andrew catches my wrist. "Don't walk away like this."
I wrench free. "You don't get to tell me how to walk away, Andrew."
****
Andrew's POV
I watch her leave, and the air feels like it's been sucked out of the room.
Nick rounds on me. "You never change, do you? Always thinking you know best."
"You have no idea what happened in Monaco."
"Then enlighten me."
I run a hand through my hair. "There was a shipment. It was Illegal. I didn't know at first not until I was in too deep. The girl Savannah's talking about… she was leverage. She got hurt because I refused to sign off on the final drop."
"You should have told Penelope that from the start," Mom says quietly.
"I didn't want her looking at me like…" I trail off, unable to finish.
Nick snorts. "Like she's looking at you now? Yeah, you earned that."
****
Penelope's POV
I walk for hours. The city blurs past me, just noise and light and strangers.
By the time I stop, I'm outside the a rooftop bar Savannah invited me to. And she's there leaning against the railing, sipping champagne like she knew I'd show.
"Now you come to me after he screws up," she says with a smirk.
"I'm not here for you," I snap.
"Of course you are. You want answers."
"I want the truth."
She steps closer. "The truth is, I'm not after Andrew anymore. I'm after you."
That throws me off. "What?"
"I want you to see him for who he is, so when he breaks, you're not collateral damage. I've been there. I survived. But you? You won't."
There's no gloating in her tone now, just a quiet certainty that unsettles me more than any threat could.
Later That Night
I'm back at Andrew's door, not because I've forgiven him, but because I need to see if he'll finally give me the whole truth.
When he opens it, his eyes are shadowed, like he hasn't stopped thinking about me since I left.
We argue. We kiss. We fight harder as the line between anger and desire blurs until we're in his bedroom, tearing at each other's clothes, each kiss half accusation, half apology.
It's hot, desperate, teeth-clashing need, the kind that feels like it could fix everything but also might destroy us.
I lie beside him butt naked, my chest heaving heavily. "Tell me everything," I whisper.
He does. Every detail of Monaco. Every mistake. Every consequence.
"There was an illegal shipment. I didn't know at first not until I was in too deep to withdraw. The girl Savannah's talking about… she was leverage. She got hurt of me. Because I refused to sign off on the final drop..."
By the time he's done, my chest is tight, but I realize I'm not leaving tonight.
The next morning, my phone buzzes with a photo.
It's me in Andrew's bed, taken from the street outside his apartment, through the window.
There is a message attached to the photo from an unknown number.
~ Leave him, or everyone sees this.