A Dangerous and Cruel Love (Dark Mafia Romance Duet 2)

Or at least this Grant Bennett who had cheated on her—-

This Grant Bennett who no longer seemed to give a damn about shunning her, hurting her—-

That kind of man would never deserve again even a single drop of her tears.

Grant was gazing at her with painfully bleak eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“I k-know.” Her voice shook. But it wasn’t enough.

His desperate gaze clung to hers. “Forgive me.”

Ah. She wished she could ask him what he was apologizing for, but at that moment she just…couldn’t. She wanted to hate him, but the bitterness she felt on the day she saw him cheating on her seemed no longer within reach. It didn’t even feel that it still existed inside of her.

When she looked at Grant now, all her heart could do was ache—-

Like it was grieving over a broken piece that could never be a part of her heart again.

She stared at him, and the ache grew worse and worse.

“I have to go,” Fawn choked out.

As she spun away, she heard Grant whisper hoarsely, “Stay, luv.”

The tears started to fall.

Dump him. Take pity on him. Scream at him.

Hadn’t she just thought that their love wasn’t ever the two-way kind?

And yet here he was—-

“Please.”

She walked faster, and her tears fell faster as well.

I’m sorry, Grant.

He might need her now, but it was too late.

Someone else already owned her heart.

****

Fawn was driving back to the prince’s compound, with the prince’s bodyguards trailing behind her car, when her phone started to ring.

Again, the ringtone clued her in, and Fawn was all thumbs in her haste to answer it. After pressing the loudspeaker button, she answered breathlessly, “H-hello.”

“I’m sorry for breaking my promise this morning, parthena mou.”

Oh. Fawn swallowed hard, forcibly keeping down all the questions that wanted to rush out of her. You’re his lover, not his girlfriend, Fawn. Remember that.

“It’s o-okay.”

The prince leaned back against his chair at the overly bright tone of her voice. The hotel suite he was in was completely dark, with all the lights turned off and the blinds completely drawn.

Even so, he could see Fawn so clearly and vividly in front of him—-

It was almost like she was really there.

Almost like he missed her so damn much that he could no longer function properly without her.

All of these were true, and as soon as it became clear to him, the prince jerked in his seat, knowing that his time with Fawn was drawing to an end.

His grip tightened around his phone almost as if he needed to hold on to her, even if it was just the sound of her voice.

“Are you driving back home already?” It was the first thought that had come to his mind, and he didn’t hesitate to ask it. All he cared about was being able to keep hearing her voice…while he could.

“H-home?” Despite the prince’s abrupt tone, Fawn couldn’t stop a little spurt of hope from growing inside of her. The prince had just referred to his place as ‘home’ while talking to her.

She knew she was being silly, but even so—-

It was a good thing, wasn’t it?

“Fawn?”

Clearing her throat, she stammered, “Yes, sorry, I was thinking of something. I’m, umm, on my way…back.” She managed to catch herself from saying ‘home’ as well.

Silence.

Where are you? What are you doing? Why did you break your promise?

Those were the questions she wanted and needed to ask of him, but in the end, she couldn’t.

She had no right to.

And so she asked finally, “Is everything alright?” It was the safest question she could ask.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that,” the prince murmured evenly, “since you were the one who met with Bennett today?”

Her brows furrowed. Was that why the prince seemed so distant? Was he wondering if something had happened between Grant and her? Or was he worried that she had confronted Grant and admitted the truth about them?

Her teeth sank in her lower lip. From the very start, the prince had told her he could only be Fawn’s lover behind Grant’s back. Did that mean if she were not—-

Don’t go there, Fawn.

“Is it that bad?” the prince demanded sharply when it took Fawn too long to answer.

“N-no,” Fawn forced herself to answer. “But things didn’t turn out the way I expected.” She paused then added lamely, “I also didn’t expect your bodyguards to be at the meeting, too.”

“Were they not enough to keep you from feeling alone?” the prince quizzed.

She almost took her gaze off the road to gape at her phone. She had not seen that coming at all, but now that she knew why the prince had all those bodyguards around –

It made perfect sense.

And it was another example of how easily – Holy sweet God, but he made her happy so, so easily.

“Should I have sent another dozen instead?” the prince was asking, prompting her to release a slightly stunned giggle when she realized that he was perfectly serious.