I’d known the truth that night last week, when my body had failed me once again: It had been the beginning of the end. As soon as my body malfunctioned, the clock started ticking. It had taken three and a half years for Henry to pull the plug, but Gideon would be much more efficient. We were already over.
The pain was so huge that I went numb.
Five minutes later, we had our teeth brushed, our clothes on, and we were out the door. Gideon took the stairs two at a time as I hurried to catch up. He barely let me get my seatbelton before accelerating out of his parking spot and turning in the direction of The Pier.
“You don’t have to go to this trouble,” I said, my casual tone a shock even to my ears. “I know my being here has been a huge inconvenience.”
He didn’t deny it. Instead he explained, “They threatened and vandalized you while you were in my town. I’m not going to let that slide.”
I was surprised that I could actually feel worse than I had a few seconds earlier, and it was because of six little words in his sentence:While you were in my town.
Would he care if I was threatened again when I left?
I stared out the window, already knowing the answer to that question. It hardly sounded like he cared about me at all. He was just angry that someone had dared challenge him in the town that bore his family name.
GIDEON
My knuckles were white on the steering wheel. I was a fool for thinking she’d stay. Sadie had been desperate when she’d signed up to marry me, and she was taking the first lifeline tossed her way. She couldn’t wait to get out, to get away from me.
Ice formed over my heart and spread to every inch of my body, muffling the world around me. I never should’ve let her in. I only had myself to blame.
TWENTY-SEVEN
SADIE
The day got worse.
My mother jumped up from her chair as soon as I walked into the dining room at The Pier. Sun slanted in through the big windows, blinding me. But I still heard her.
“My baby is married!” she screamed, then did her signature arms-flailing jog-dance toward me. She wrapped me in a tight hug as I stared over her shoulder at my father, who smiled at me like he’d never been prouder.
“Introduce us!” my mother cried, pulling back. She turned to Gideon—and froze.
It only lasted a second, but it made me feel like dying. Her gaze caught on his scars, and her expression went stiff. The shock and disgust were clear.
Then, a second later, it was all wiped away with a too-bright smile. “Welcome to the family!” She hugged a tense Gideon, whose jaw bulged as he clenched his teeth. My dad gave me aone-armed hug, his eyes scanning my husband. He took in the breadth of his shoulders, his dark hair, his skin.
His scars.
My father stared at Gideon’s forearm, frowning. I wanted to snap at him the way I’d snapped at Ivan Popov, but my tongue was heavy and my mind was dulled. Everything felt strange.
Why were my parents here?
When my mother let go of Gideon, my father stepped in to shake his hand. Mom took the opportunity to lean into me and say, “What happened to his arm? Are you sure about this, Sadie?”
“Mom,” I hissed, cheeks burning with shame. Who was she to judge Gideon? And simply because of his scars?
She gave me an exaggerated shrug. “I’m just saying, Sadie. After all this time, this is who you end up with?”
I could feel Gideon stiffen even more beside me. I put my hand on his back, and he flinched away from me. The cracks in my heart grew wider.
“Honey,” my dad interjected. “Shall we?” He tilted his head toward the grand piano looming in the corner of the room.
“Absolutely not,” I snapped, but my parents were already at the instrument. My father opened the key cover with a flourish, and my mother grabbed a microphone from a stand. She flicked the switch on it, then tested it by tapping. The sound echoed in the dining room, and everyone who hadn’t already been staring definitely was now.
“We can go,” I said to Gideon, tugging his arm.
His face was carved from stone. He shook his head. “I want to ask them if they know who might be threatening you.”
