The way he intentionally worded his sentence—our marriage being a fraud—has alarm bells sounding in my mind.
Looking at me again, the pure delight on Javier’s face flashes as bright as a neon sign. He laughs again, and this time, it sounds forced. “No, I told them our secret, my love. That we were only pretending to be wed. That the marriage was nothing more than an elaborate scheme forboth of usto get what we want.”
His eyes cut to me, full of malice.
The color drains from my face. I canfeelit.
Beside me, Raina goes ramrod straight.
No.
Slowly, I turn to face her, and her look of despair tells me everything I need to know.
“This was all just a game,” I whisper, barely audible as I’m wrestling with a thousand emotions. “Your marriage wasn’t real. This was all an elaborate scheme.”
I release my hand from hers and take a step back, staring at my shoes as I try to process.
“What? No! Luce, I would never. This isn’t—” Raina grabs my face between her palms “—Luce, please look at me.”
My gaze connects with hers. Two rivers of tears track from her eyes.
“He’slying. I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
Stepping back again, I pull from the hold she has on me and glance back at him. Javier watches me as though I’m his favorite TV show and raises an eyebrow, like he’s challenging me to…to what, I’m not even sure.
They played me.
And I’m a fucking fool for not even confirming the validity of the marriage.
Glancing back at Raina, she stands staring at me, muttering pleas my mind doesn’t hear, as tears stream down her cheeks. With both hands, I rake my fingers down my face, then turn to walk away.
At that same moment, it’s like a soundproof bubble around me pops, and Raina's screams and pleas rush me. She claws at my arms, matching each of my strides as I cross the roof back to the elevator.
“PLEASE, Luce, please stop. Listen to me! I don’t know what he’s talking about. He gave me the marriage certificate from France. I agreed to help him, but only for a divorce at the end.Please. I didn’t know he lied. He might still be lying!”
Shoving my finger into the call button, I pray the elevator doesn’t take long to arrive because I’m not sure I can control myself at this moment. I’m clutching tightly onto the last morsel of restraint I have, my heart so shattered and my head so confused, I don’t know which to trust.
“Luce, please. Please listen to me. I didn’t know.”
The final fragment of my heart breaks off.
I squeeze my eyes shut, replaying the question over and over for several seconds. Each time, my anger rises.
“The marriage was nothing more than an elaborate scheme for both of us to get what we want.”
She played me like a strategic poker match. And I fell right into her hand.
Fury trickles through me, and I can’t bring myself to look over at the man who’s partially caused it because I’m so embarrassed by myself for letting this happen.
For not doing myfucking jobdiligently enough where I could have avoided all of this.
“Why are you so upset with me?” Her voice cracks, knees buckling as she grips the front of my jacket.
Why are you so upset with me?
Why am I so upset with her?
“BECAUSE YOU MADE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU, RAINA! You made me fall so deep in fucking love, and the entire thing was just some sort of sick game. You’re a black widow. Lured me into your web just so you could eat me alive.”
