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His eyes showed his pain. “She said as long as you’re married, we have no chance.”
“That’s obvious. That’s the only thing dividing us. And no, I won’t leave Liam.”
“What if Liam leaves you?”
It was a stupid suggestion. “He wouldn’t. Not now. Not ever.” I knew Liam made mistakes, but his love for me was obvious. We could be in our fifties, and a twentysomething could throw herself at him, and he wouldn’t leave me for a younger woman. “I know you don’t have a very high opinion of him, but he’s more than the mistake he made. The only reason I knew he cheated in the first place was because he told me himself. He’s not gonna let me go, not gonna trade me in for someone better. He’s committed…as am I.”
His words came out as a whisper. “I don’t believe that.”
“Did the gypsy say we were soul mates?” Was that why she’d told him this story in the first place?
He held my gaze for a long time. “Would it make a difference if I said yes?”
My heart started to race in my chest. If his answer was yes, it would complicate everything. It would make me question my loyalty to my husband. Because if I was destined to be with someone else…then everything wouldn’t be in black-and-white anymore. “Yeah…I think so.”
He rubbed his palms together as he continued to stare, his answer on his tongue. But he kept his mouth shut, breathing loud in the quiet office. He stared at the floor for a moment, drawing out the silence.
“Damien…is that what she said?”
He closed his eyes for a moment before he lifted his chin. He didn’t open his eyes as he answered. “No.”
Disappointment ran rampant.
He finally opened his eyes and looked at me. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you from the bottom of my heart, Annabella.”
“Even so…it makes a difference.”
“It shouldn’t. Because I could have lied to get what I want, but I won’t. I won’t lie to the woman I love…and that’s pretty fucking strong.”
23
Damien
Hades sat next to me in the bar, his drink untouched in front of him. He ordered the scotch but never drank it, probably just to keep up appearances. But he was cutting back on the booze…on Sofia’s orders. “Why the fuck didn’t you lie?”
“Because I couldn’t.” I held the glass close to me, gripping it like a lifeline. “Would you lie to Sofia?”
“She’s my wife. That’s different.”
“Whether she’s your wife or not, you wouldn’t lie to her.”
“Or I would have lied and told the truth later. Because if you waited long enough, you would fight and she would forgive you. But at the end of the day, you would have what you wanted.”
That was probably the smart thing to do, to say we were soul mates and confess to the truth later. But I couldn’t look her in the eye and deceive her. My relationship with her was pure—fucking holy—and I couldn’t tarnish that. “It’s done, so whatever…”
Hades shifted his gaze across the room, staring at the wood paneling on the wall with a scowl on his face.
“She won’t budge.” I thought if I got her alone enough times, she would cave. How could she be with Liam every night when she felt this way about me? It was impossible not to think about her when I was with Charlotte, even if she was a supermodel. “Says we shouldn’t see each other anymore because it’s not fair to Liam.”
“I think staying married to him isn’t fair to Liam,” he said sarcastically.
“I agree, but I guess he doesn’t care. She told him she was in love with another guy and that didn’t change anything. That’s devotion. So, I guess I understand why she’s so committed to him…even though I don’t like it.”
He shook his glass, the ice rolling with the movements. “We could entice Liam to fight again.”
I shook my head. “Leave it alone.”
“You’re just going to give up?” he asked incredulously. “Did I give up on Sofia?”
“Sofia wasn’t married to some other guy. Different situation.”
“But Liam is a tool. We both know it.”
“He’s not all bad…”
He gave me an incredulous look. “Did you tell her that he was going to fight behind her back until you talked him out it?”
After a long pause, I shook my head.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I’m not a snitch.”
“But he’s not your friend. You’re trying to take his woman, and that means you have to play dirty.”
“Nothing ended up happening, so it doesn’t matter. She would have forgiven him anyway.”
“Maybe…but who knows?”
“I waited too long to tell her. If I do it now, it’s pointless. He already retired from fighting, so he made the grand gesture. She doesn’t live in the past, so she’s not gonna hold that against him.”
“Man, this woman is infuriating.”
“A bit.”
He finally caved and took a drink.
