3. Jagged

Chapter 3

Jagged

H arper Davenport awoke that morning wrapped tightly in soft, lush sheets. The silky cloth seemed to shave off the jagged edges of the icy barrier of silence between her and Shep. She observed her husband’s slender yet fit frame, salt and pepper hair, and chiseled jawline accentuated with stubble. Shepard’s looks, mixed with his spark of charisma, made him nearly irresistible.

That was the problem.

Desperate women simply couldn’t resist his charm. She was disgusted to admit that she was one of them.

He had stumbled into her room in the early morning hours with the smell of bourbon heavily on his breath, and slid under the sheets beside her. Filled with disgust as she considered their night together, she bit her lower lip hard until she tasted the coppery flavor of blood. It had been so long since she had felt his touch, or any man’s, for that matter. She knew he had sensed her desperation, and now she felt vulnerable and weak. She loathed herself for giving in to him .

Idiot.

She pulled the pillow hard over her face in an attempt to drown out the vivid memories. Ever since Shep had moved back into the large estate, their interactions had been explosive at best. The thick tension and vicious insults between them had become so fierce that Harper had opted to send the twins away to boarding school, an argument she had won with surprisingly little pushback. The private school was the last luxury they could afford, but it was worth every cent. She could handle Shep’s savagery, she had for decades. After Oakleigh’s bombshell viral video exposing their hypocrisy, the last thing she needed was for the twins to hear every tawdry detail of their tattered marriage. Her youngest daughters still looked at her with a shred of respect, unlike Oakleigh and Paisley, who had completely abandoned her in her time of need.

Hearing Shep begin to stir, Harper gave him a wary sidelong glance.

She suddenly felt exposed.

Turning over, she laid still — hoping he’d assume she was still fast asleep. It had been a mistake to bring Shep back into her home, and especially her bed. They had at least agreed to try, even if it was for appearance’s sake. With their waning bank account, he had to find another pulpit soon, or they would be finished.

Shep groaned as he gave a long stretch. Flipping the white sheet off his bare skin, he put his feet on the floor and ran his fingers across his brow. He was obviously nursing a sharp hangover from his overindulgence the night before.

While Harper studied his tan physique, his touch from their night together flashed through her mind. They had chemistry. She couldn’t deny it, no matter how much she had grown to detest him. Although he had hurt her time and again with his persistent infidelity, she still found herself craving more.

Perhaps last night was a new beginning.

Maybe we can salvage this.

Harper rarely allowed herself to feel hopeful. She often took it upon herself to become so numb that she didn’t feel anything at all.

She listened to the sound of Shep’s bare feet making their way across the heated marble floors. The shower began to hiss loudly, and steam soon poured out of the bathroom. Her stomach twisted as she made a snap decision. Slipping out of bed, she felt the warm marble under her feet as she reached for her robe off the back of the chair. She flipped her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder, slid the fleecy fabric over her arms, and tied the belt around her middle. Quietly tiptoeing into the bathroom, she stepped through the thick cloud of steam.

Like most of everything else in the extravagant home, the expansive, white marble bathroom was accentuated with ornate gold fixtures.

Scrutinizing her appearance in the mirror, Harper exhaled in dissatisfaction. It had been some time since she had gone in for routine maintenance, and it showed in the fine lines around her eyes. Shaking away the raw feelings that were always more oppressive in the morning hours, she pulled herself together as best as she could.

Before long, Shep stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. She knew if she were going to initiate, now would be her golden opportunity. Coming up behind him, Harper gently wrapped her hands around him and rested her chin on his toned back. Running her fingers up and down his muscular chest, she took in their reflection in the mirror, imagining them as the power couple they once were and hopefully could be again.

“Last night was really great,” she said. The words felt right.

Shep took her hand in his and caressed it tenderly. He turned to face her, pulling her in. She felt herself melting in his embrace, noticing there wasn’t the usual look of disgust glowering back at her from his hazel eyes. It was almost like a miracle, reminiscent of the foolish fairytales they would spin to swoony, love-struck couples during their marriage seminars. She felt Shep’s freshly clean-shaven chin as his lips brushed across her bare skin.

“Harper,” he said, his tone reminiscent of days long ago before their relationship had gone so sour.

“Yes?” she whispered.

Seeming to savor her touch, he kissed her more passionately than he had in a decade. “Do you know why I love you? ”

“Tell me,” she breathed, running her palms down his smooth chest. If he wanted her again, she was his.

All he had to do was say the word.

He took her wrists firmly. Peeling them off of his body, he forced her back a step.

“Because you’re as easy as ever.”

The words hit her like a fist to her stomach. His lip curled into the cruel smirk she had become so familiar with.

“That’s why I married you,” he spat, his gaze cold and unfeeling. He looked at her there like a prize he had conquered, who existed for his every selfish whim and pleasure.

She swiped his hands away, her vision going red as she shoved him as hard as she could into the bathroom counter.

Slamming the door behind her with a loud bang, Harper could still feel his antagonism haunting her down the hallway. Her heart thumped hard in her chest, but this time, it was fueled by pure rage. She had been a fool for allowing him access to the most intimate part of her.

Now tarnished and unsafe, her bedroom had been her last corner of solitude in the large estate. Making her way down the long hallway of empty rooms that once belonged to her children, the house felt oppressively quiet.

Shep wouldn’t bother following after her, but she still felt the drive to disappear somewhere he would never look. She ducked into a dark bedroom and closed the door quietly behind her. Feeling her temper boiling over once again, she clenched her fist tightly and pounded it into the door .

She was angry with Shep, but she was furious with herself. She had consented, allowing him to tear down her walls of protection and wound her again so profoundly. Her mind began to spin as she took frantic gulps of air.

Collapsing on the large bed in the center of the room, she ran her fingers over the snow-white linens. Taking purposeful deep breaths, she pulled her hand across her brow and slammed her eyes shut.

I’m breathing.

I can breathe.

Pull it together, Harper.

She focused on the sunlight that poured through the delicate, sheer window curtains, and her breath began to slow. Now recognizing the room she had stumbled into, it was a corner of the house she hadn’t dared to venture into for quite a while.

Oakleigh’s room.

“I’m fine,” Harper chanted. “It’s going to be fine.”

Harper knew that was the truth. She was a survivor.

Taking in another deep breath, she gave a casual shrug that defied all the uncomfortable feelings that were bubbling up within her.

“Pull yourself together, Harper. Stop being so weak,” she murmured as she rose and straightened her robe. Her eyes went cold as she steeled herself. They only had to keep up their charade of a marriage for a little while longer. Soon enough, they would step back into the good favor of the religious community. Their books would once again top the charts, and their speaking schedules would be packed to the brim. They could resume the comfortable distance that had made their marriage remotely tolerable.

She could handle anything.

Just a little bit longer.