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He touched my knee. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, Wicked. Really, I do. But stop lying to yourself. And please stop lying to me. You love a ghost. You’ll never love me the way you love him, and that’s not good enough for me. I need all of someone. I need a partner who has my back no matter what without me having to tell her so.”
I jumped when the door opened. “Time’s up.” The officer’s gruff voice couldn’t break my gaze locked with Patrick’s.
“How do I get you out of here?” I whispered.
“Ma’am, you have to go.”
I held up my finger for one more second. “Patrick, we need you.”
“You’ve got your family.”
“They’re not you,” I said more insistently.
“Ma’am.”
I hopped off the table and pointed at Patrick. “Don’t get comfortable.”
His face was hard and emotionless when he looked at me . . . as if he'd given up. “Wicked, don’t come back.”
Chapter Sixty-Three
Patrick
“What’s going on?”
Zegas handed me my clothes. “We’ve got a press conference in an hour. I hope like hell you have a shower at your office.”
“I’m not doing a press conference.”
“Change. You can’t leave in state-appointed clothing.” I glared at him, and he held up his hand. “Five minutes.”
I undressed and yanked on my wrinkled suit pants with too much force. I’d been in this hellhole for three days and now firmly understood why people would do anything to get out. If I’d have had any idea I was going to be arrested, I would have used that address Duke found. Confronting Terra, begging her to tell the truth, would have been worth avoiding this . . . if she would have been willing.
I burst out into the waiting room, Zegas and Marlow huddled together, her face pinched as she pointed at him. She’d been by every day, but I’d refused to see her. It was too hard. Too painful. Speaking the truth hadn’t made it hurt any less. She loved another man. Didn’t believe in me.
I couldn’t live like that.
She drew in a sharp breath when she saw me. For a moment, she looked uncertain before that expression evaporated. With quick steps, she crossed the room and flung her arms around my neck in a very uncharacteristic display.
“I believed you. I’m sorry I had to think about it. My heart knew, but my head—you know how stupid and stubborn I can be.” Her eyes were clear, pleading for forgiveness. “You were right. About everything.”
My chest ached at that. I wanted to be wrong about her feelings for her dead husband. I knew I wasn’t, but I’d gladly accept I was if it meant at least most of her heart was mine.
I refused to touch her despite how desperately I wanted to. If I gave in, I’d temporarily forget, until a reminder came later on. By the time it did, I’d be in deeper, a risk I couldn’t take.
She didn’t seem to care I didn’t return her embrace. Her lips pressed against my cheek. “Don’t give up on us.”
She slid her fingers into mine. I couldn’t bring myself to let go as her warmth warded off the permanent chill. She dragged me toward the exit, Zegas close behind.
“Isanyone going to tell me what the hell is going on?” I asked as soon as we were in the back of an SUV.
“Didn’t he tell you about the press conference?” Marlow shot my lawyer a withering look.
“Yes, I told him.”
“Will someone fill me on what it’s about?”
“Aren’t you happy to be free?”
