Coffee with Sarai Chapter (Patreon)

OMG you guys. This freaking chapter... I just wanted a buffer between Thanksgiving and some big scenes that come after that. I thought it would be a good breather for her to have coffee with Sarai. There are time jumps (extremely necessary or this book would be as long as the Harry Potter Series), so this chapter would show what her life is like now. They could discuss some interesting topics and maybe she would drop by to see Roth at the office... Maybe. My plans were pretty vague, but when I actually started writing it, this chapter took off in its own directions and turned into a pivotal, 17k word monster that has some reveals I didn't think we'd get to until book 4. The other reveals I had no idea existed and left me in tears last night. 

Even though I'm still in the first third or fourth of this book (not sure yet because I'm not sure if all the things I planned are actually going to happen), this installment in the series is checking all of my boxes. One of the things I wanted to show in a marriage of convenience was the psychological and emotional toll this would take if one or more parties start developing feelings, even knowing that it's supposed to come to an end at a certain date. 

When her arms dropped from his neck, he settled her on the vanity. He washed his face and slicked back his mussed hair before he wet a towel and cleaned her. She stayed quiet and compliant throughout, taking in his expression since he wasn’t saying anything. He seemed lost in thought, his mind far away. That’s how he was ninety percent of the time. That was a trait he shared with her father. It felt like he was emotionally and mentally distancing himself to counter what just took place. She didn’t take it personally. If she had the capability, she would do the same.  

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Confessions. Please do not share or distribute.

They're both indulging and then trying to fortify themselves in the aftermath, uneasy with their emotions and what's happening between them. 

Black eyes pierced hers, narrowed. “I need to work you out of my system, princess.”

“And if you don’t?” 

His fingers slipped from her hair. “For your sake, I hope I do.”

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Confessions. Please do not share or distribute.

He wants to work her out of his system so he can go back to a life of doing what he wants, when he wants without having to compromise and worry how it affects others. In a lot of fake relationship/arranged marriage books the parties aren't that honest with each other but in this one, they're both referring to the deadline and being as honest as I think they can be with the other, which is very unusual. 

The dynamics of their relationship in this book is just... wow. I've said it before and I'll say it again--this will probably be my favorite book of the series. All the angst and buildup from previous books pays off in a big way here. This book has the most growth for both of them and has me in a trance as I've been writing it. Of course, this book is already completely different from what I anticipated, but thank God, it's better than I imagined, not worse. 

Anyway, I just had to say something about this chapter and what it did to me before I move on. Mind you, this chapter didn't even exist and now it's turned into (maybe) one of the most important chapters in the book. Thank you for suggesting topics for the meet with Sarai, book titles, etc! Out of necessity, this chapter will be broken up into two, possibly even three parts in future, but for right now, I'm just putting it as one. It's an unbroken scene that goes on forever, but that seems to be a theme in this book. There's time jumps so when I do decide to show something, I've been letting it play out to show the full scope of what's happening.