Tearing You Apart

Tearing You Apart Lovers and Liars Book One Abigail Hunter Tearing You Apart Lovers and Liars Book One Copyright © 2023 Abigail Hunter All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or manner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. No merchandise, artwork, or any physical/digital materials shall be created, published, distributed or sold without the express permission and license approval of Abigail Hunter. Application for creative works must be submitted via email to [email protected] and approved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. First edition paperback and hardcover June 2023. Beta Reading by Rhea Ryan - @rhea_ryan_writes Line Edit by Jeanine Harrell - indieeditswithjeanine.com Proofreading by Eden Northover - edennorthoverfictioneditor.uk Cover Design by The Cover Collection- thecovercollection.com Formatting by Ravenswood Publishing & Goods ravenswoodpublishinghouse.com Printed by Amazon KDP in the UK To KTB Forever in my heart. Author’s Note Tearing You Apart is an enemies-to-lovers second chance romance with darker themes. Content warnings include: consensual choking, very strong language and on page panic attacks. There is a choking scene that begins in Chapter Five that may upset some readers as it could be considered violent in nature. If you find yourself becoming upset or uncomfortable, please look after yourself! Your mental health is important! Contents 1. Cat 2. Max 3. Max 4. Cat 5. Max 6. Cat 7. Max 8. Max 9. Cat 10. Max 11. Cat 12. Max 13. Max 14. Cat 15. Max 16. Cat 17. Max 18. Max 19. Max 20. Cat 21. Max 22. Cat 23. Max 24. Cat 25. Cat 26. Cat 27. Max 28. Cat 29. Max 30. Max 31. Cat 32. Max 33. Cat 34. Cat 35. Cat 36. Max 37. Cat 38. Cat 39. Max Max 40. Cat Epilogue END Acknowledgments Stay in Touch! Cat “Good morning, Ms Fischer.” My assistant practically purred, running her eyes over me as I walked from the elevators towards my office door. I was on fire today, burning hotter than hell. I’d picked out my boldest blood-red suit, paired with a black silk shirt, tight and loose in all the right places. Thank God for Gucci. Louis Vuitton provided the sharp black heels, making my calves pop through the suit. My hair was in a tight bun, but come 5 pm, I was letting loose. A group of us were going for cocktails at Fitz’s later, our monthly tradition. I was dying for an espresso martini. Plus, I was getting laid. I had no concrete plans, but I could feel it in the air: today was going to be a good day. Lucy held out a stack of memos as I reached her desk. “Your nine o’clock is already here. I asked them to stay in the waiting room until you’re ready.” “Thank you, Lucy.” She was a cute, petite, and curvy woman with a fantastic sense of humour. She’d gone all out for tonight: a tight black dress with a collar and bow, beautiful golden hoop earrings, and matching eyeliner. She looked stunning. “Remind me who it is again.” Lucy’s face sparkled as she clasped her hands together in front of her chest. “Bunny Collins and her fiancé.” She couldn’t have sounded more excited. “Okay. Give me a few minutes, and send them in.” I blew out a slow breath as I walked into my office. I really didn’t want to deal with Bunny so early in the morning; she was difficult at the best of times. I’d taken this on as a favour to her, as she was my sister’s best friend. I normally point-blank refused to work with celebrities, but Bunny was part of the family. She said she wanted someone she could trust to handle her prenup. I stepped through the door, grateful for the London skyline laying the backdrop to my classic office. The view from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the thirty-seventh floor was sensational and never failed to impress, especially with The Shard so close to our building. I felt like I was on top of the world, despite the thirteen floors above me. They styled all the offices on this floor to match: plush navy carpets, oak panelling, and bookcases built into the walls, carrying endless tomes I rarely used. It was old school — regal and classic — none of that metal and glass modern bullshit for Harris, Walsh & Sons. A cherry-wood coffee table sat between two leather couches in front of the door. My desk was situated further inside the room, allowing the clients to take in the view during meetings. If I was alone, I’d work on the sofa, heels off, kicking my feet up as I shuffled through documents. I preferred meeting in the morning so I could spend the afternoon ‘relaxing’. The prenup shouldn’t take long to complete. Last week, Mum had dragged me along to another one of her luncheons where Bunny had whipped out the oversized pink diamond ring, instantly becoming the centre of attention. There’s nothing like ten socialites cooing endlessly for hours to make you want an experimental lobotomy. It was almost as bad as a baby shower. She didn’t drop a single hint of who her fiancé might be. I reached my desk, powered up my computer, fished my phone out of my bag, and stored my stuff under the desk. There was no point sitting and getting comfortable. I needed to prepare myself for Bunny’s endless chattering. She and my sister, Jasmine, had been best friends since they were six. They’d been steadily rising to stardom since becoming social media sensations in their teens. They also had their family’s money and prestige to back them up with things like Bunny’s line of designer dresses or