“Yes or no?”
He breathed hard to stay conscious.
“If you say yes, I don’t wanna see you ever again. You can’t contact Annabella again. You leave us in peace.”
He tried to fight me again as if he might be able to get out of it.
But then I twisted him a little harder, making it clear he would lose. “You have to decide—do you want to live and lead a life without her? Or would you rather die?”
He stopped fighting. His body relaxed completely. Then he nodded.
I let him go and stood up.
The crowd was silent because they couldn’t believe what had just happened. Death was the only way these matches ended, but a life had been spared rather than taken away. I walked away with my hands on my hips, regaining control of my breathing. I turned to look at Hades.
All he did was shake his head.
Liam slowly got to his feet, looking weak now that he’d been defeated. He turned to look at me, his face red because he hadn’t had adequate oxygen for minutes. Living with everyone’s disappointment was probably the worst part. He had been defeated by a man with no professional experience, a man who wasn’t even in his weight class. He swallowed his shame and could barely look at me.
When I knew he wasn’t going to pull a stunt, I turned to the MC. “This match is over.”
Twenty-Six
Annabella
I couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Did that just happen?
Damien could’ve killed the man who had tortured us both…and he didn’t.
I knew he’d done that for me, and I couldn’t describe the way it made me feel. I knew he loved me to be able to do something like that, to spare the life of the man I used to love just because it would be hard for me to watch him die.
And he’d had my full blessing to kill him.
Liam took the stairs and returned to the platform where I was sitting. Some of his men came up to him and exchanged quiet words, either condolences or pity.
I got to my feet because I didn’t know what to do. All I wanted to do was run across to the other side so I could be with Damien, but I felt like I had to speak to Liam first, to say goodbye.
Liam walked up to me with sadness in his eyes, either because he’d lost or because Damien was the bigger man…again. There was no doubt who I should be with; Damien was a better partner to have for a lifetime. Liam had to see it by now.
In silence, he stared, at a loss for words. “Did you mean anything you said before?”
I actually felt bad for lying to him. Instead of answering with words, all I could do was shake my head.
He didn’t seem disappointed, as if he expected it.
“I’m sorry…”
He glanced at his surroundings for a few seconds before he looked at me again. “Deal’s a deal. I’ll leave you alone.”
Had this been the solution the entire time? To gain Liam’s respect on his own turf? Maybe fighting was the only language he could understand. Maybe it was the only way for him to feel like Damien deserved me more. “Glad he didn’t kill you.”
He shook his head slightly. “It’s gonna be hard for me to bounce back from the humiliation. And also from that mercy.”
“He didn’t do it to be merciful. He did it for me.”
He stared down at me with his blue eyes. “Yeah…”
I didn’t know what else to say. We should have parted ways a long time ago. This heartbreak would have been spared if we’d let the relationship die out a long time ago. I never should’ve gone back to him in the first place. All of this could’ve been avoided. It was time for a goodbye—long overdue.
“I know this isn’t going to be much, but I am sorry about everything.”
I was speechless as he apologized.
“Not just about my infidelity, but losing my temper, trying to kill the man you want to be with, kidnapping you… All that shit. I just love you so much, and I don’t know how to handle these feelings. That’s no justification for what I did, but I’m sorry, nonetheless. It was just love that drove me to madness.”
He didn’t deserve my forgiveness, but I wanted to give it to him anyway. “I’m willing to forgive you if this is really the end. If you aren’t going to show up and try to take me again. If you aren’t going to try to kill Damien when he drops his guard. I’m willing to start over and give you a clean slate if this is genuine.”
He sighed loudly. “Surprised you’re willing to forgive me at all…”
“Love triumphs over hate. I’m not in love with you anymore, but I will always love you.”