Gabrielle glanced at Derek, the man she loved, and prayed they wouldn’t become part of the other woman’s collateral damage.
“HELLUVA DAY,” GABRIELLE said as they walked into Derek’s house at last.
Exhaustion pummeled at Derek, settling in his bones.
They’d dropped Hank off at his house after stopping by to assure Uncle Thomas everyone was in one piece. The fire and Elizabeth Perkins’s breakdown and the mayor’s arrest was the talk of the town.
For Derek, coming off the argument with Marlene, and the idea of losing Holly fresh in his mind, today had been draining in ways he still couldn’t come to terms with.
“Who could have guessed that Elizabeth Perkins was determined to carry on her grandmother’s evil legacy?” he said.
“More like family insanity.” Gabrielle shivered. “Although Lauren seemed refreshingly normal. I hope she’s okay.”
Derek nodded. “I hope so, too. Thank God nobody was badly hurt in the fire.”
“The paramedics said Kayla didn’t have a concussion, just a nasty bruise.”
Derek was still struck by how close he’d come to losing Gabrielle. The minutes he’d waited for her to come out of that building had been the longest of his life.
She tossed her bag onto the couch.
The couch, Derek thought, where they’d made love. He didn’t think he’d ever forget. The memory would live with him forever.
Even if she couldn’t.
“Derek?”
“Hmm?”
Gabrielle walked over to him. She had no makeup on, her hair was a mess and her face was streaked from tears. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“We need to talk,” she said.
Everything inside him rebelled at the notion. As long as things between them remained unspoken, they could go on as they were. But the moment they talked, this life they’d created, the illusion, came to an end.
But she was right.
It was time.
“Mary Perkins’s reign of terror is over. The police will sort through what she caused and what damage Elizabeth did, but it’s over. She can no longer claim her family’s curse over the Corwins gives her power. She’s been exposed as a fraud.
” Gabrielle’s eyes flashed with the fire he so admired.
Despite the day she’d had, she maintained the spunk and determination that was a part of her.
“Hopefully people will feel freed,” he said, because he did agree with her. People who’d been blackmailed, bribed and hurt in Mary Perkins’s quest for power would feel vindicated.
“Do you?” She perched her hands on her hips, clearly challenging him. “Do you feel freed?”
He exhaled long and hard. “I feel relieved.” He chose his words carefully. “I’m relieved you’re not in danger anymore. I’m glad your plan to push Mary Perkins out into the open worked. But do I feel freed from the curse? Not really, no.”
A muscle worked in her jaw. “Why am I not surprised?” she asked sarcastically, her anger simmering just below the surface.
He understood. He did. He was angry at Fate, too. But he hadn’t lied to her. He’d never once made her a promise for more than today, and he’d never denied the fact that his family’s history played a role in the choices he made.
“Mary Perkins tormented people by preying on their weakness. Those people are freed. But me? The men in my family? Nothing that happened today changes the fact that for generations, every male who has fallen in love loses in unfathomable ways.” He drew a deep breath. “And, as an added bonus, not one of the women who’ve been involved with a Corwin man has escaped unscathed. Look at what nearly happened to you today. Because you were writing about my family. We are cursed,” he said clearly.
“That is such bull. How has the curse kicked in for you? It’s not as if you’ve said you love me, Derek. I doubt you’d even let yourself think it. So how does what happened today fit into the curse?” she asked, obviously frustrated.