Second (Betrothed 6)

But I was also packed with dread…because this would hurt her.

Tear her apart.

She’d just finished stacking a pile of papers on her desk, probably finishing up all her projects before she left for good. When she saw me in the doorway, her eyes popped wide in shock, as if she’d expected me to actually listen to Sofia and leave her alone.

Didn’t she know me at all?

I shut the door behind me and approached the desk.

She got to her feet, immediately combative. “Damien, nothing you say is gonna change my mind. You’re just making this hard—”

“Shut up and listen to me.” I placed my palms flat on her desk.

She stilled then slowly lowered herself back into the chair.

Now that I had the moment in my grasp, I didn’t want to execute it. I already knew exactly how her face would look when I told her the news, that her husband was still the same piece of shit he’d already been. That was how I knew I really loved her…because I wasn’t selfish. “The night of your fight, I ran into Liam at the bar at the casino. He was drunk…and hooking up with some woman.”

She stilled at my words, not blinking as she processed what I said.

“I tried to get him to go home, but he wouldn’t. He told me what you did and said he was free to do whatever he wanted. He said he wouldn’t tell you what he did, but I thought he might feel differently when he was sober.”

Still, she said nothing. She started to breathe harder, the anger and pain beginning to infect her blood. “Why did you wait so long to tell me?”

“Because I hoped he’d man up and confess.”

She finally broke our contact and stared at the desk. She pressed her flat palms against the wood, the sweat leaving moisture that outlined each individual feature. “He wouldn’t do that…”

Denial was the last thing I’d expected to hear from her.

“He wouldn’t do that to me, not after everything we’ve been through—”

“Annabella, he did. I saw it.”

She wouldn’t look at me. “How do I know you aren’t lying just to get between us?”

Fuck, that was a punch to the sternum. “Because you know I wouldn’t do that shit.”

“You’re desperate to break us apart—”

“Shut the fuck up.” I wouldn’t sit there and listen to her torch my reputation when it was all bullshit. “I know you’re hurt and you’re lashing out, so I’m gonna let that go. But you better shut your mouth right now.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and set it on the desk. “I have a video…if you want to see.”

She stared at it for a while, considering it, but then she turned the phone over. “I can’t see that…” She put her hands to her face and covered her features, taking a few moments to breathe through the pain she’d just endured.

I gave her the time she needed.

She finally pulled her hands away, her eyes slightly wet like she’d let herself shed a few tears before she bucked up. “The second we hit a bump in the road, he gives up. For a man who fights to the death, I don’t understand why he throws in the towel so easily.” She slowly rose to her feet and took a deep breath.

I studied her, unsure what she would do.

“This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t…” She didn’t finish the sentence because she was ashamed. “But I never, even at my weakest moments, would ever think of doing something like that…”

I knew that all too well.

“I just don’t understand,” she whispered.

“He said he deserved a get-out-of-jail-free card because of what you did. But he was drunk when he said it.”

She stared at her desk.

I’d just crushed her, but I wanted to clean up all the pieces and make it better.

“Do you want to know—”

“I’d rather not.” She straightened her spine and inhaled a deep breath as she prepared for what was next. “I’m sorry about what I—”

“It’s forgotten.”

She wouldn’t look at me, her eyes down.

“What are you going to do?”

She sighed again then moved around the desk. “I’m gonna kick his ass—that’s what.”

28

Annabella

I was blindsided.

I’d trusted Liam more than I realized because I hadn’t expected this at all. It was almost too ridiculous to believe because he’d have to be an idiot not to learn his lesson. I stepped through the front door and slammed it behind me. It didn’t snap off the hinges like it did with Liam, but it was still a strong enough slam to make the house vibrate. “Where the fuck are you, asshole?” I stormed into the house, my heels echoing against the hardwood floor as I made my way into the living area.

He stood at the kitchen island, still as if he was actually afraid of me. He’d just taken a pan out of the oven, and he gently pulled the red oven mitts off his hands as he stared. Instead of asking questions like an innocent person, he took the Fifth.