Hard As Stone (Beautiful Betrayal Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

breakfast nook. An eternity has passed since the moment we first arrived; but in truth, it’s only been a couple of hours.
    “Your laptop is chiming,” I supply, picking up the last of the fruit.
    “Thanks for dinner, Phoenix,” Simon says and I nod.
    “Anytime,” I reply, forcing a smile to my lips.
    He leans down and kisses Brooke on the cheek. “Later, baby.”
    “I’ll call you,” she murmurs off-handedly, staring at her laptop screen as it dings.
    Simon laughs like he’s heard that one before and I bet he has from Brooke. In mid-stare he catches me and unfazed says, “Don’t sweat that bullshit. Better that you found out before the wedding.”
    “Thanks, for everything,” I relay as we hug.
    When he trounces out the door, I tell Brooke, “With Spence, I thought if I went for the guy who offered stability and consistency, it would be enough.” I’d bartered away hot sweat-infused passion, believing I’d be saved from constant emotional upheavals and screaming fights. Or so I imagined . “I never saw that coming. Did you?”
    She shakes her head. “We aren’t the same people. Nobody is from high school.”
    “Do you mind if we take this upstairs?” I don’t want to remain at the scene of the crime.
    Together we ramble up to the den and Brooke takes a seat at the desk with her laptop. A decade ago, when she was the queen bee in high school, I’d floated amongst cliques, but had always been bracketed by Spence and my other best friend, Jon Richter. We were three misfit-peas in an extreme pod of an elite student body, and she’s right. We’ve changed .
    “Don’t hold back,” I tell her. “I can’t let Spencer walk away with half.”
    “It’s only money,” she reminds me.
    “Not this close to the hearing on my trust account. And now it’s in front of a retired judge.”
    Her eyes dart to mine. “When was it moved?”
    “Last week, I received a certified letter from the clerk’s office. The hearing was reset for November unless I agreed to arbitration. To save time and attorney’s fees, I agreed. But this just bites it.”
    She shuts her laptop even though she’s under order to tell me how long Spence has been unfaithful. “It isn’t pretty.” Her gaze doesn’t waver. “My dad’s PI is good. There are photographs and time-stamped video footage.”
    “On a scale? Five. Six?” I try to laugh but it feels as if I’m choking on bitter ash aka the remnants of hope charbroiled well-past well-done. As I reach for her laptop, I’m diving headlong from the realm of sneaking suspicions into cold hard facts. The only silver lining is the sludge that previously inhabited the pit of my stomach is gone.
    She grabs my wrist. “There’s a saying about not shooting—”
    “The messenger is safe.” Meeting her concerned stare, I nod. Unconvinced, she doesn’t relinquish the computer. As my ribcage constricts, I snarl out a hoarse vow, “I promise I won’t lose it. But you stalling is torture. I just want the truth so I can get past it. Okay?”
    “X, on your word. Take a look.” Shaking her head, she flips the lid of her laptop and she’s up and out of the chair. It takes a few seconds for the video to begin streaming.
    “Don’t go,” I plead, holding out my hand to her.
    Huddled together, we both watch from my upstairs office. It’s the only room I can stand to be in, praying I won’t find evidence that Spencer the douche has had sex in it. Both Brooke and my reflection span the laptop screen in slices of shadow. The video begins and I bite the back of my hand. My shallow breathing stops as I force myself to watch my ex-fiancé with a neighbor. The graphic video lasts less than a minute. I cue another and another, each catching Spencer with a different partner thanks to my home security system. The one I ordered when he balked, adamantly refusing to consider a system and accused me of being paranoid.
    Hah! I’d gone for the upgrade and it included hidden cameras placed in