Chapter 0349


    Ivan stays..te. Way toote.


    | see my dad''s expression when hees home with the groceries, as he spies me out here with my sort-of-ex-boyfriend, and


    then nces at my husband, who is sitting on the couch with his boyfriend. | can’t hear him, but | see him groan in confusion.


    Ivanughs a little. “Should | go in and say hi?”


    “Nope,” | say, wrapping my arms around my knees, starting to get a little cold as night falls. “I think that nobody in that house is


    very happy to see you here. Except maybe Janeen. But she just thinks you''re hot.”


    “Really,” lvan says, perking up and looking around for her.


    “Don''t,” | say,ughing and swatting his arm. “She''ll just rope you into being one of her regrs at the club. She''ll drain your


    bank ount and leave you sobbing.”


    “Yeah,” Ivan says, turning back to me and raising his eyebrows provocatively. “But don’t you already know, Fay? Complicated,


    hard-to-get girls are kind of my type.”


    | roll my eyes at him, but | can’t helpughing anyway. “Why do you even like me, Ivan?” | ask, shaking my head and genuinely


    wanting to know. “I mean, is it just the hard-to-get thing? Do you just like a challenge?”Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    “Are you a challenge?” he asks, turning his head and looking me up and down.


    “Well, | am married,” | point out,ying out the facts like they’re obvious. “And | hate you, and you’ve already got a bruise on your


    face from the guy who got me pregnant, so,” | shrug, “yeah, | think that qualifies as challenging.”


    “Yeah,” Ivan says slowly, nodding a little and considering my points. “But your marriage is a sham to make your baby legitimate,


    and your baby daddy is locked up forever, and, above all,” he takes a moment to really look into my face now, making me hear


    him, “you don’t hate me, Fay. Not really. Not in your heart.”


    “Don''t |?” | ask, letting my eyes fall to his mouth.


    “Maybe for now,” he murmurs. “But...you have a heart. You know what''s right. And | did what | did because it was right.”


    “Right for you,” | sigh, closing my eyes and letting my head hang back a little.


    “And for you,” he replies, but | almost feel him lean back in his chair, giving me my space. Because if this is real for him — like


    actually real? Then he knows that he’s ying the long game. And he’s not going to be getting much more from me tonight.


    | open my eyes when | hear the door


    slide open. My brow furrows when |


    see Janeening out with


    beers in nd, shutting tie


    behing er. “Hey,” she says, plopping


    down in the chair next to lvan and


    setting the beer in front of him. “I


    thought I''d bring you yourst drink


    before Mafia Jr. in there rips you to


    shreds.” Please read the original


    content at NovelDrama.Org.


    “Who, Danny boy?” Ivan asks,


    grinning and peering into the house


    where Daniel is still lel g atus his


    isis cress ORO Still casual,


    continues to read contentedly beside


    him. My dad sits on Daniel''s other


    side, watching a game on the TV.


    Ivanughs a little. “I can take him.”


    Please read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    “| don’t know,” Janeen murmurs, smirking and likewise looking in at Daniel. “He’s got a couple inches on you.”


    “Yeah, but I’m scrappy,” Ivan says, over-confident and optimistic in his usual charming way.


    “Don''t underestimate Daniel,” | sigh,


    leaning back. “He boxes. And I’m


    A hifi to


    pretty sure his deg {peo


    Hit)tinyeyes drift to the green


    spot on lvan’s jaw and he turns to


    me,ughing, as Janeen sees the


    direction of my gaze. Please read the


    original content at NovelDrama.Org.


    “No way!” she says,ughing and hitting lvan on the arm. “You told me you fell at work!”