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He brushes my hair back, thumb grazing my cheek. “I had options from the beginning. You didn’t.” He lets a slow beat pass. “I hope you can forgive me someday.”
“I’ve already forgiven you.” Maybe I shouldn’t, but my heart can only house so much hatred, and every ounce of rage is reserved for the men who hurt me without remorse.
Monsters like Pax Monroe.
Liam swallows hard. “As much as I want your forgiveness, I know I don’t deserve it.”
“It’s all I have left to give you.”
If forgiving him is self-destructive and foolish, then so be it. At least the decision is mine.
He cups my cheek. “What about your heart?”
“You’ll always have a piece.”
Liam blinks, dark lashes lowering in saddened defeat. “Sebastian’s a lucky man.”
“I’m afraid he won’t see it that way.”
The corner of his mouth tilts up, incongruent with the melancholy in his eyes. “Impossible.”
“You didn’t see his face on the island.” Liam was busy getting dressed as Pax paraded me in front of the entire Brotherhood, naked as the day I was born.
“He has your heart, Novalee. He’d be a goddamn fool not to hold on to it with his life.”
The song ends, punctuating his fierce statement, and that’s when I sense the change in the air—as if everyone’s attention shifts to the ballroom entrance at once.
Landon and Elise stand on the threshold, decked out in emerald formal wear and black satin masks. Sebastian and Lilith linger beside them, both in silver masks, and my heart thuds to the bottom of my stomach. It doesn’t matter that my brother and Elise separate them; they arrived together, a glamorous unit that makes sense.
As I take in his onyx tux and Lilith’s matching off-the-shoulder gown that does little to hide her baby bump, I swallow down nausea. They fit together better than he and I ever will, and everyone can sense it—even from across the crowded ballroom.
The distance between us has never felt so wide.
“She doesn’t hold a candle to you.”
I stiffen in Liam’s arms. “She’s the mother of his child.”
If the news of Lilith’s pregnancy wasn’t out before, it is now, the evidence in plain sight for the guests to gossip about.
He cradles my face, demanding my attention. “She’s not you.” Pain slashes his features, playing in the shadows of our memories as his lips touch mine. His kiss is soft and brief, and it’s laced with the bittersweet taste of goodbye. “She can never be you.”
“Liam.” Sadness squeezes my vocal cords.
Clearing his throat, he nods toward Sebastian. “He’s the one you want.”
I meet a pair of turbulent blue eyes from across the room, and my chest constricts. “I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“He knows that. So do I.” Liam lets me go. “It’s okay, my sweet girl. Go to him.”
With a hard swallow, I head toward Sebastian, my limbs as shaky as the courage that threatens to crumble with each step.
3
It’s impossible to gauge Sebastian’s mood. A storm brews in the depths of his ocean eyes, but they remain as guarded as the day I met him six years ago. Fear rises in my chest, threatening to steal my courage, but I can’t back down now. With my attention solely on him, I block out the surrounding commotion, the music, the people.
Especially Lilith.
“Can we talk?” I ask, struggling to keep my voice steady.
