Chapter 84

Maya’s POV

I stood in front of the mirror for a moment, fiddling nervously with my hair. I tried to let strands of it fall over parts of my face, hoping to hide the bits that always betrayed me when I attempted sultry expressions on camera. I could pull off that look perfectly well in person—face to face, the smoldering gaze, the slightly parted lips—but somehow it felt forced and ridiculous when aimed at my own phone screen. No matter how many times I tried, it came out stiff and unnatural.

Giving up on the whole affair, I shrugged out of the skimpy outfit I’d been modeling and slid back into my normal clothes. I folded the pieces I’d tried on, the ones I halfheartedly considered buying, and tucked them into the tote bag along with the receipts. Then I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the next humiliating step: sending the photos to my husband to cheer him up.