Second (Betrothed 6)

Her eyes drifted down as she processed everything I’d just said. She was clearly sad to lose me. She pulled her hands closer to her body and sighed. When she lifted her gaze, she gave me a look of pity. “That’s rough…”

“Yeah…”

“But I understand.”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

“But I have to ask…is Liam worth it?”

I was quiet.

“Is he worth uprooting your life like this? When you are in love with someone else…”

My heart started to pound when I pictured leaving Damien forever. “This is all my fault. I’m the reason this is happening, so I think Liam’s request is fair. The fact that he still wants to be married to me at all is a mystery. Ever since we got remarried, he’s had to deal with this other guy in my heart…”

“And if he really loved you, wouldn’t he step aside?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“If he knows you’ve fallen in love with someone else, he should let you be happy.”

“I know, but we were married before. We both pictured us spending our lives together—”

“And then he slept with someone else. All the events were triggered by him—and him alone.”

“Doesn’t mean he deserves to be treated like this. He’s been really understanding and patient about all this—”

“Because he’s the one who fucked up, Annabella.”

I hadn’t expected to have a debate when I’d walked in here. “At the end of the day, I married him. And marriage is about commitment…until death. I can’t just change my mind about that. I have to see it through.”

That was when she dropped her argument. “Well, I’m really going to miss you.”

“I know. I’m gonna miss you too.”

She reached across the desk, her hand outstretched.

I placed my hand on top of hers. “I’ll still be here two weeks…”

“You don’t have to stay that long, Anna. But I appreciate it.” She squeezed me before pulling away. “There’s a ton of people who will apply for that job once it’s posted.”

“I know. it’s a good job.”

“So…have you told Damien?”

I shook my head.

“Are you going to? Or would you rather me do it?”

I didn’t want to have a painful goodbye conversation. He would try to convince me to change my mind, and it would just…be terrible. “You should do it. And tell him not to call me. It’ll just make it harder.”

27

Damien

I’d just locked up my computer when my phone rang. I probably would have ignored it, but since it was Sofia, I answered quickly. “What’s up?” I put the laptop into the safe drilled into the floor and shut the door. An audible click sounded when the safe was secure.

“You got a minute?”

“I got all the minutes for you, sweetheart.”

She chuckled. “Don’t let Hades hear you talk like that.”

“What’s he going to do?” I sat back down in my leather chair. “I’ll fight him for you.”

She chuckled again. “That’s romantic…”

“So, did you need something?”

“Well…this isn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.”

That warning was enough to silence me. Now I could feel the pulse in my ears, feel the dread in my blood. “Everything okay?”

“Hades and I are fine. It’s about Anna.”

Now I couldn’t breathe. My throat tightened into a ball and fell into my stomach.

“She submitted her resignation this afternoon. She and Liam are relocating to London to have a fresh start.”

“What?” I barked.

“She wanted me to tell you because she doesn’t want you to call.”

“Is she still there?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is she in the office?”

“Uh…I think so. But Damien, she doesn’t want to talk to you—”

“That’s too fucking bad. Don’t let her leave, alright?”

“Damien—”

“I caught Liam cheating on her a few nights ago.”

Sofia went dead silent.

“I wanted to see if he would come clean himself. Obviously not.”

“Oh my god… Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I have proof.”

“Oh Jesus…that poor girl.”

“So that asshole is putting all the blame on her so they can move. Fucking piece of shit. I’ve got to go.”

“Damien—”

I hung up.

Hades entered my office. “Sounds like a pleasant conversation…”

“Liam didn’t tell her.” I walked around my desk and joined him in the doorway.

“Why do you look surprised?”

“I’m going down to the hotel to talk to her. Send me that video.”

He pulled out his phone and texted it to me. “What’s your plan?”

“I just told you.”

“But once you tell her, she’ll confront Liam. And when she does, he’ll know you snitched.”

“You think I give a damn?”

“And he’ll know that your name isn’t a coincidence…”

There was no way to hide my identity this time. The truth would come out, and I’d have to deal with the consequences.

Hades continued to study me. “Just want to make sure you’re aware of the full situation. Because Liam is a fighter—and this will start a war. You have to ask yourself, is she worth it?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

He held my gaze with the same intensity. “Then I’m with you.”

I stepped inside her office with no preamble. I knew this was the beginning for us, so that electrified me with excitement. My fingers tightened into fists over and over, my muscles pumped with so much blood.