Dinner wrapped up around ten. Natalie didn’t stay the night—she and her niece Heidi had booked a hotel nearby. She had too much bottled up, and Sterling’s house definitely wasn’t the place to let it out.
The moment they got into the car, she started venting.
“That couple’s really putting on a show. COME ON! after two years apart, no way they’re still that lovey-dovey. Totally just faking it for the family.”
Heidi, still reluctant to leave, had barely exchanged a few words with Raphael. He looked even more handsome and mature than she remembered—every move he made just screamed authority.
If only that woman wasn’t always standing next to him…
“Maybe… maybe Raphael really does like her,” Heidi muttered, sounding deflated but clearly unwilling to accept it.
“You’re just as good as she
