The bar was noisy as hell, but Clarice Sullivan couldn't care less. She was still riding the high from messing with Lydia Sullivan before heading out. She picked up her beer and took a good long swig. A few rounds in and her head was spinning, but with the buzz came boldness, so when Chloe Foster threw a dare her way, she agreed without thinking.

"Clarice, if someone walks in and it's a guy, you go kiss him. If it's a girl, I'm on it!" Chloe yelled over the music, reeking of beer.

"And it has to be on the lips, no chickening out!" she added, grinning.

"A bet's a bet, bring it on!" Clarice laughed. Had she remembered more guys than girls usually showed up at this bar, she might've thought twice before saying yes. But tipsy courage was a real thing, and she wasn't backing down now.

Sure enough, a figure appeared in the dim spot near the door—it was definitely a guy. Clarice, sitting against the light, couldn't make out his face, but whatever, she'd made the bet.

No use worrying if he was hot or not. Chloe gave her a nudge, and she got up, stepping forward with zero hesitation.

"Let's go!" she called out, moving fast to cut the guy off. She looked up and the first thing she noticed were his lips—kind of perfect, honestly. "Alright, kiss time!" she joked, tipping up on her toes and going straight in.

She didn't even care what he looked like. Nice lips were enough for now.

But before she could land the kiss properly, the guy shoved her back. "Back off," he snapped coldly, his voice sharp and annoyed.

Clarice stumbled a step back, not really hurt but definitely startled. She looked down at her crop top and short skirt, plus the heavy makeup... Yeah, he must've mistaken her for someone totally different.

Still, mission accomplished—she did kiss him, technically. She shot an eyebrow raise and a grin at Chloe across the room, then turned to finally take a proper look at the guy.

And damn—it hit her like a brick. The guy was ridiculously good-looking, almost like some sculptor had gone all-out with zero flaws. His eyes, though, were icy and focused on her, filled with irritation.

He was familiar.

"Hu—" she almost said it, just managed to swallow the "-sband" part of the word.

Oh. Crap.

Of course. That frosty expression belonged to none other than her elusive, barely-there husband—Theodore Grant.

Seeing him just now, she'd almost forgotten she was technically someone's wife.

And the worst part? He didn't even recognize her.

Which, thinking about it, made some sense. After she moved into the Grants' place, the two had barely seen each other—could probably count the meetings on one hand. And those were all... bedroom only. Lights out, clothes off, never face-to-face in daylight.

Why would he know what she looked like in makeup, dressed like this?

Good thing he didn't recognize her, honestly.

With her heart racing, Clarice didn't even wait for Chloe to react. She slipped out of the bar, fast. She couldn't risk sticking around in case Theodore suddenly connected the dots.

Theodore, top dog of the Grant family. Thirty-one, a total grown man compared to her nineteen. Rumor had it he was cold, unpredictable, and had zero interest in women.

Cold and moody? Sure, she could vouch for that.

Not into women? Yeah, she wasn't so sure about that one. They'd only been married two weeks but had already had a couple of very... intense nights. Every time he showed up, it was straight to the point. If that's what "not into women" looked like, she didn't want to see the opposite.

Not that she'd planned on marrying him if it wasn't for all that.

On the cab ride home, Clarice pulled out a makeup wipe and started scrubbing off her face, grabbing her headphones to call Chloe and explain the mess.

But right as she was about to hit dial, her phone lit up with an incoming call.

"Ma'am!" It was Mr. Chambers from the Grant house.

"Hey, Mr. Chambers! Just finished up some study group stuff—on my way home now," she replied, cool as ever, lying without missing a beat.

"Mr. Grant will be back in about thirty minutes. He asked that you be ready."