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I scowled harder and snapped, “Maddie!” My voice came out louder than I expected and her eyes widened. She crossed her arms across her chest, her mouth snapping shut. “You don’t tell me what to do. This is none of your business. And I want you to stay out of it.”
She stayed quiet, her mouth hardening in a thin line. I stepped away from her and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration before letting out my breath in a long puff.
Her words only made me angrier because they were true.
It was a truth I didn’t want to acknowledge but Maddie had said it out loud, giving me no choice but to face it.
I did care. I hated to admit it, but I did care. Ayla had successfully made her way into my heart, making me feel after so many years.
“You should have seen her face when I told Ayla you gave her the flowers,” Maddie whispered. “The way her face lit up, her eyes twinkling, and she smiled.”
At her words, I felt my fury slowly leave my body. I sighed and sagged against the opposite wall. “You are giving her false hope, Maddie. She will only get hurt in the end. I’m not the man for her.”
“But—”
“No. Stop whatever you are thinking or planning. Wedding? Babies? Are you crazy, Maddie? Don’t be delusional. There’s none of that in this life.”
“But if you let it happen, then maybe…”
I scoffed and then laughed, because what else was there to do? Did she forget what happened twenty-two years ago?
“My father let it happen and see where that got us,” I said, my tone chilling.
She flinched and cowered back into the wall, her gaze falling. “That doesn’t mean it will always end up that way. Maybe you just need to see the light and accept it.”
“No. That’s where you are wrong. Whatever I feel is a weakness. A weakness that will only hurt Ayla in the end. This is not about me. It’s about her.”
And with that, I spun on my heels and stalked away from her, but not before I saw Maddie’s shoulders sagging in defeat.
***
Dinner was the most painful. There was only silence. None of us spoke. Only the noise of our utensils scraping the plates filled the room. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. But it was obvious we were all thinking about the same thing. Ayla.
After my conversation with Maddie, my chest felt tight, my heart heavy and aching. I wanted badly to let my guard down but I couldn’t. It was agony keeping it inside, when all I wanted was to go up and hold Ayla in my arms.
When dinner was over, I silently pushed my chair away and stood up. Nodding at my men, I walked away without a word and went upstairs. I was about to go into my room when I saw the door of the piano room open.
My eyebrows went up and I found myself frowning as I made my way to the room. Stopping in front of the door, I pushed the door open wider and took a step forward. My heart stuttered when I saw Ayla sitting at the piano.
When she didn’t move, I cleared my throat, alerting her of my presence. Her head snapped up, her eyes flashing with alarm. Her stance was immediately defensive, but when she saw me, I saw her shoulders falling with relief, the panic in her eyes disappearing.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice soft so that I didn’t scare her.
Ayla blinked up at me and then moved her gaze to the piano. “I wanted to play.”
That made sense, but why wasn’t she playing?
Her next words took my breath away, and I had to close my eyes as the wave of emotions went through me.
“I was waiting for you.”
Opening my eyes again, I made contact with hers. “Okay,” I responded, walking further inside the room. I didn’t think I could deny her anything.
Taking my place on the couch, I leaned back and spread my legs in front of me, waiting for her to play.
And she did. But this time she didn’t close her eyes. Instead, Ayla kept her gaze on me. She played a different song, one that I didn’t recognize, but it was just as beautiful.
And the person playing it with her sweet beauty, her gentle gaze, and her soft eyes…she made my unfeeling heart feel. My cold heart accelerated with every second in her presence. She was so fucking beautiful. Just like an angel.
The thought didn’t make me cringe or get angry. I was just too lost in her.
And when the third song ended, Ayla stayed seated, as if she didn’t want to leave. Shockingly, I didn’t want to leave either.
“Aren’t you tired?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“What do you want to do?” My voice was just above a whisper, our eyes focused on each other.
