"Marcus never told me you were this beautiful."
Aria turned from the coffee maker. A tall man in a fine suit stood by the door. She was wearing Marcus's shirt and nothing else. Her hair was still messy from the night before.
"And Marcus never told me a strange man had a key to his house," she said.
"James Morrison, Marcus's best friend." He said, walking closer and holding out his hand. His eyes moved over her in a way that made her uncomfortable. "I should have called first. But Marcus usually tells me when he has company."
She shook his hand quickly. "Elena Sterling."
"Ah, the new curator," he said with a smile. "He told me you were talented, but he didn't say you were also beautiful."
Aria turned back to the coffee machine, aware of how little she was wearing. "Marcus is in the shower. He'll be out soon."
"No rush," James said, pouring himself coffee. "So how long have you and Marcus been seeing each other?"
"A few weeks," she said.
"That's serious for him," James said. "He hasn't been close to anyone since Catherine died. You must be special."
The name made Aria tense. "Catherine?"
"His wife," James said softly. "He hasn't told you about her?"
"He said he was widowed, not much more."
"Then I shouldn't say too much," James said, though he clearly wanted to. "Marcus was broken after she died. I'm just saying, don't hurt him."
"I have no intention of hurting him," she said.
"Good," James said. He took a sip of coffee, watching her. "I was there when she died. Marcus was in Tokyo. I called him, then flew there myself to bring him home. He couldn't even speak."
Aria stayed quiet, listening.
"At the funeral, he looked like a dead man," James said. "Later that night, I found him in his study with his father's gun. Loaded. He was thinking about ending it."
"God," Aria whispered.
"I stayed with him. For months, I made sure he ate. Slept. Lived," James said. "That's what family does."
"That's very loyal," Aria said carefully.
"Yes. We're like brothers," James said. "So I have to be sure the woman in his life truly cares for him."
"I do," she said.
"Do you?" he asked. "You started working for him a month ago, and now you're here in his bed. That's fast, don't you think?"
"Marcus does what he wants," she said.
"True," James said. "But he's still fragile. Did he tell you Catherine was pregnant when she died?"
Aria froze. "No," she lied.
"Twenty weeks. It was a girl. They were going to name her Emma," he said. "Catherine died driving home from her ultrasound."
Aria felt sick.
"On the first anniversary, I found Marcus standing on his balcony, forty floors up," James said quietly. "I pulled him back. He said living without her was like drowning every day."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Aria asked.
"Because I need you to know what you're walking into," James said. "He doesn't do casual love. If you're not serious, walk away before he gets hurt."
Before she could answer, Marcus's voice came from the hallway. "James. Didn't know you were stopping by."
Marcus walked over, his hair still wet. He stood beside Aria.
"I was just meeting your lovely curator," James said. "Brought the Singapore contracts."
"You could have emailed them," Marcus said.
"True," James said with a grin. "But I wanted to see if the rumors were true, that Marcus Thorne finally has a girlfriend."
"Now you've seen," Marcus said, putting his arm around Aria. "James, this is my girlfriend, Elena."
"Nice to meet you," James said, shaking her hand. "Sorry if I came on too strong."
"It's fine," she said.
"How long has this been going on?" James asked.
"A few weeks," Marcus said.
"And you didn't tell me?" James smiled, but his eyes were sharp. "I'm hurt."
"I wanted to be sure it was real first," Marcus said. "And it is."
"I can see that," James said, checking his phone. "I'll let you two get back to your morning."
"Thanks for stopping by," Marcus said.
James nodded, looking at Aria one last time. "Lovely to meet you, Elena. I'm sure we'll see each other again."
After he left, Marcus sighed and pulled Aria close. "Sorry about him. He means well, but he's intense."
"He told me he saved your life," she said.
Marcus went quiet. Then he sat with her on the couch. "He did. After Catherine died, I was lost. He handled everything. I don't remember much. She was coming home from her ultrasound. A truck hit her car. She and the baby died instantly."
Aria touched his hand. "I'm so sorry."
"James called me in Tokyo," Marcus said. "He flew there and brought me home. He's been my best friend and my support system."
"He told me about the gun," she said softly.
"He shouldn't have," Marcus said. "But yes, I was in a dark place. I didn't want to live. James made sure I didn't give up."
"You're not that person anymore," she said.
"No. Because of you," he said. "You've made me want to live again."
Her chest tightened with guilt.
"Marcus," she began.
"I know it's fast," he said. "But I have started having feelings for you."
She wanted to tell him the truth, but the words stuck.
Marcus smiled and kissed her deeply. "I need to tell you something else. I loved Catherine, but I wasn't in love with her; our marriage was arranged. With you, it's different. You make me feel things that I didn't know I could feel."
Tears burned in her eyes. He was giving her everything, and she was lying to him.
"Marcus, there's something I should tell you," she said.
"What is it?" he asked.
She looked at him and couldn't do it.
He kissed her again. "Come shower with me. Then breakfast."
"Don't you have meetings?" she asked.
"I'll cancel them," he said, smiling. "Today I just want to be with you."
They showered together. Later, he made her breakfast. For a few hours, she let herself pretend this was real. That she was Elena Sterling, not Aria Kozlov. That there was no secret mission or revenge.
But when he laughed across the table, so open and unguarded, her heart ached. She wasn't sure anymore where the lie ended and the truth began.
And for the first time, Aria was afraid, not of failing the mission, but of what would happen if she succeeded.