Covet: Trusting the Billionaire (The Trophy Wife Book 4) by Charlotte Rose

comfortable in the plush movie theatre and sip the marvelous red liquid.
    I’ve never drunk this much before, this fast, and it’s starting to affect me. The wine eventually puts me into a serene state, and at least for now, the pain is numbed. All my worries are gone as I fall asleep.
     
    In the morning, I’m awakened by one of the maids. “Mrs. Stone, please wake up. Mr. Stone is on the phone and he’s very upset.”
    My eyes flutter open. The maid is holding the house phone in front of me, waiting for me to take it. I realize that I’ve fallen asleep in one of the theatre seats. There are numerous empty wine bottles laying on the floor beside me.
    “Not now,” I mumble incoherently. I suddenly feel nauseated. My stomach lurches and I rush to the nearest washroom. The maid follows and holds back my hair as I heave. After I’ve finished, my head starts pounding.
    “Mrs. Stone, this will make you feel better,” the maid says as she hands me a bottle of water and a hangover pill.
    I swallow the pill and, after a few minutes, my headache subsides.
    “Mr. Stone urgently needs to speak with you,” the maid insists and pushes the phone into my hand. “He’s upset you drank so much.”
    “Hello,” I croak into the phone.
    “Cheryl, what are you doing?” Julian asks. “Do you really think I’m fucking cheating on you?”
    “Yes. I saw the text messages. I know it’s your whore. You’ve always loved whores. You told me yourself when we first met. Some things never change,” I shout.
    “How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t know who messaged me. ” Julian’s voice is clipped.
    “Can’t you trace the number?”
    “It’s untraceable,” he explains. “This woman has been texting me for several weeks.”
    Does this explain everything? Could one of Julian’s jealous ex-girlfriends be trying to destroy our relationship?
    “Is that what makes you think I’ve been cheating on you?” Julian asks.
    “Yes,” I respond.
    “Cheryl, I love you. I would never cheat on you.”
    I don’t know what to believe anymore . If it wasn’t for Julian’s dubious past, I’d probably have an easier time trusting him.
    “I want you to find out who sent those text messages,” I demand.
    “I’ll try. Anyway, I’m going into a meeting,” Julian says. “I’ll call you later.”
     
    In the evening, I read my boy a story, shower, and slip into bed. I roll onto my side and touch the spot that Julian always sleeps on. I miss him. I feel so lonely without him.
    I grab the pillow he sleeps on and hug it tightly. It smells like him. I hug the pillow tighter. Though it’s not him, it’s comforting, and eventually I drift off to sleep.
    I’m jerked awake when I hear the house phone ringing. I glance at the time; it’s 3:45 a.m. I stare into the dark, trying to adjust my eyes.
    I turn on the bed stand lamp and reach for the phone.
    “Hello?” I answer in a croaked, sleepy voice.
    There is dead silence.
    “Hello?” I say several times.
    I listen intently and hear someone breathing on the other end.
    “Julian?”
    The silence continues even though I hear someone on the other end.
    “Who is this?”
    I suddenly feel frightened by the silence and hang up. Who was that?
    The phone rings again, but I stare at it with apprehension. It continues ringing insistently.
    I grip the pillow that smells of Julian and stare at the phone, feeling anxious. The ringing stops for a moment, then starts again.
    The ringing is getting on my nerves, and rather than feeling frightened, I start to feel annoyed. I reach for the phone.
    “Who is this?” I demand.
    The breathing is louder, but the person on the other end doesn’t say a word.
    “Stop calling,” I yell and hang up.
    It seems to work, as there are no further phone calls. I turn off the lamp and go back to sleep.
     
    I am jerked awake again by ringing. I turn on the lamp and reach for the house phone.
    “Stop calling me,” I shout.
    There is a moment of silence,