Bitter Heat Bonus Scene, PT 1

He couldn’t sleep. That was nothing new, but the fact that he continued to lay in bed instead of working, was. There were emails to respond to and dozens of people to touch bases with to ensure everything was in order. Instead, he watched wispy clouds drift past the window and held the woman who, in less than twenty-four hours, would be his wife once more… if he got her to sign the prenup.

He tightened his hold on her, tucking her lax body more firmly against his. She would sign. Whatever price she demanded, he would meet. If she’d answered his fucking calls or text messages, this could have been resolved a week ago. Instead, he’d been forced to watch her on the penthouse cameras and wonder what was going on in her head since she wouldn’t communicate with him. Allowing her to stay in New York had been a tactical error he wouldn’t be repeating. Once she was bound to him again, he would make sure she was always within reach. He’d intended to have the prenup signed within an hour of his return, but her behavior this afternoon changed everything.

Nothing had gone according to plan today, a rare occurrence he normally found unacceptable. But now that Jasmine was back in his life, it was something he would have to get used to.

He offered Lyle Caruso a lift back to the States, determined to assuage his reservations. He was prepared to say whatever necessary to ensure Jasmine’s overprotective brother-in-law wouldn’t interfere in the ceremony tomorrow. But his intention to turn Lyle into an ally went to shit when he witnessed Jasmine’s breakdown.

For years, he fantasized about ways to make her suffer for leaving him. For not letting him apologize for lashing out when she showed up in London. For going to her father to get out of their marriage instead of giving him a second chance. He thought he would relish seeing her miserable, but witnessing her sob on the kitchen floor, rocking back and forth to comfort herself, made him feel like he was coming out of his skin.

**This is a raw draft of Mia’s work. Please do not share or distribute.

Copyright © 2025 Mia Knight. All Rights Reserved.