CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Chloe Henshall was exhausted.

For someone who didn't draw a salary, she felt like she sure worked hard.

She got out of her car service ride and wandered—trudged, more accurately—along the path to the front door, making a mental note to call the body shop to see if her car would be ready soon. While her driver, Albert, was a sweetheart, she wanted her personal vehicle back. It was her safe space.

Chloe tried not to let self-pity creep in. After all, she'd chosen this life. She could have happily enjoyed the spoils of being married to a tech mogul and spent her days getting facials or playing tennis at the club.

Instead she's decided to make use of the blessings she'd been given and do something worthwhile. That was why she had started the Henshall Scholarship Foundation. And she was proud of it. In just four years of existence, they'd provided over two millions dollars to 125 students from underprivileged backgrounds. The goal was help these kids finish college without any debt, something she hadn't been so lucky to do.

She got to the front door of her Hollywood Hills mansion and waved to Albert that he could leave. As he pulled away, she reminded herself that even if she'd had it rough for a while, she was in no position to complain right now. Yes, she'd had to work her way through school and graduated with nearly $100,000 in student loans to pay off.

But now she was married to Sean, an amazing (if serially absent-minded) guy who was both kind enough and wealthy enough to pay all that off for her. She lived in this incredible home. And just last month, they'd finally found a surrogate they liked. Her life was better than 99% of the population, so if she had to spend six hours at an endless foundation meeting going over Department of Education scholarship eligibility requirements, that was a small price to pay.

She opened the door and stepped inside, locking it behind her. Slipping off her shoes even before leaving the foyer, she dropped her files on the console table and headed for the kitchen to get a snack. Missy, their white poodle, ran up and licked her ankle. Chloe was just fishing a treat out for her when the doorbell rang.

She glanced at the security system's app on her phone to see who it was. Unfortunately the front door camera wasn't facing the porch but pointing down at a hedge off to the side. She wondered if it had been blown that way by the heavy winds in the last day or two. Since it was too high for her to reach, she'd have to ask Sean to fix it when he got home.

The bell rang again. Missy was small but had a tendency to bark and leap at visitors, so Chloe closed off the kitchen to make sure she wouldn"t get out and "attack" whoever was at the door. With that done, she headed back the way she came. It was at times like this that she half-wished they had a permanent live-in housekeeper rather than the one that came in three times a week. Then, she could just ask them to greet potential guests.

She looked through the peephole, partly hoping it might be a solicitor so she could just ignore them. But it wasn't. In fact, this was someone she didn't mind seeing. She unlocked the door and opened it wide.

"Hey," she said with a smile, "I didn't expect to see you back here so soon. Did I forget something earlier?"

"No," he said. "This is a little embarrassing. I have another job nearby, but it"s not for another half hour. Since I was already right here, I thought I"d see if I could stop in and borrow your restroom really quick. Sorry to bother you."

"No, it's cool," she said. "I was just trying to figure out what Sean and I might have for dinner. Come on in. I could get you some water too."

"Actually, that would be great," he said. "I finished my last bottle about an hour ago and I don't have another one."

"Not a problem," she said, motioning for him to come in and closing the door after him. "Besides, it looks like you could use a little break from the elements. You're shivering."

"I have to confess," he said, turning to face her as they walked down the hall, "I'm not shivering because of the cold. I'm just nervous."

"Why?" Chloe asked. "You're one of the most chill people I know."

In fact, now that she thought about she couldn't remember him ever seeming ill at ease.

He shook his head, looking awkward. "It's just that I have to do something soon and I'm starting to have second thoughts about it, like maybe I should reconsider whether it's really worth it."

Chloe smiled. "I don't know what this ‘something' is, but in general, I think it's a good idea to go for it. You know, try to push past your fears. I apologize if this is overstepping, but may I ask if this is related to a woman?"

"It is, actually," he answered bashfully.

"Exciting," she said as they made their way through the living room toward the kitchen. "Do I know her?"

"That's the thing," he said, pausing for several seconds before continuing. "It's you."

Chloe, about to open the kitchen door, stopped in her tracks. Behind the door, Missy yapped excitedly, sensing a visitor on the other side.

"Oh, that's so sweet," Chloe said as diplomatically as she could, "but you should know, you're talking to maybe the most happily married woman in L.A. Sorry if that bursts your bubble."

He smiled back at her, almost apologetically.

"You misunderstand," he said slowly. "I'm not confessing a crush. That's not what I meant that I have to do."

It was only then that she noticed what he was gripping tightly in both hands. Before she could do or say anything, he had swung it around her neck. He began to twist and squeeze it as she stumbled back, falling to the floor. He climbed on top of her, pulling at the ends, his knuckles white from the effort.

Chloe gasped, trying to catch her breath, but no air could get in. She stared up at his eyes, so warm earlier, now full of frenzied rage. Her vision began to blur as her arms, batting futilely at his chest, grew weak.

Even though Missy was a mere few feet away, only separated from them by a door, her yelps sounded like they were coming from a great distance. And then Chloe couldn't hear them at all.