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I sat on the bench of my vanity and rested my hands on my thighs. “But I wasn’t. His name just slipped out. I swear.”
His expression was completely stoic.
“Liam, I’m telling you the truth. Nothing happened between us. I don’t want you to think I’m sneaking around when I’m not.”
He didn’t blink.
“He told me he loved me the other day.” I decided to share everything, so he would understand.
A shadow passed over his gaze.
“But I told him it wasn’t going to happen because I’d already made a commitment to you. That’s probably why I said his name…because he was on my mind subconsciously.”
He grabbed one set of knuckles and squeezed them in anger.
“But I said no, Liam. That’s what happened…honestly.”
He took a deep breath and let out a sigh that sounded like a growl. “Why should I believe you?”
“Because I’m still here.”
He looked away, staring out the window since the curtains were pulled back.
“I can’t justify what I did because it was so horrible…saying his name. I truly feel terrible about it and completely understand why you were so angry. Whenever I’m with you, I make sure I don’t think about him, but when I’m alone…it’s not the same story. I understand if you don’t want to do this anymore. You deserve more.”
He turned back to me, his blue eyes fierce. “You think I’m gonna walk away so you can run off to him?”
“That’s not what I meant. I just meant… I haven’t been fair to you. I’m committed to you and loyal, but my heart has a mind of its own that I can’t control. I understand if you don’t want to put up with it anymore. Because you’re a great guy and deserve—”
“No.” He massaged his knuckles. “I’m not letting some other guy have you. You’re mine.” He immediately turned territorial, acting like a dog that refused to let someone else play with his toys. “But I’m sick of this bullshit. I’m going back to fighting because I’m not making that kind of sacrifice for someone who won’t make any sacrifices for me. And we’re moving.”
“What?”
“If you aren’t gonna move on from this guy, then we need to move on from him. There’s an underground fighting community in London. That’s where we’re going.”
“But my job—”
He flashed me a terrifying look. “It’s nonnegotiable, Anna.”
What other choice did I have? After everything I’d put Liam through, he had every right to relocate us. It was probably the best chance I had to forget about Damien for good, when I wouldn’t have to see his pretty eyes anymore. How could you get over someone you saw all the time? Who hugged you and never let go?
I liked my job at the Tuscan Rose, and Florence was my home…but I had no other choice. If I wanted my marriage to work, I had to leave.
But leaving Damien…was so hard. I knew that was the part I was dreading the most, walking away from him for good. When enough time passed, I would stop thinking about him, would start my family, and he would be a distant memory.
It was exactly what I wanted…
I went into Sofia’s office. “Hey, you got a minute?”
She was pulling off chunks of her muffin and placing them in her mouth. Crumbs were all over her desk and papers. “Of course.” She spoke with a mouthful of food and wiped her hands together before she brushed off all the pieces of blueberry that got on her dress. “What’s up?”
My friendship with Sofia was something I would miss too, even seeing Hades. So, when I handed her my resignation letter, I felt so weak. I placed it on her desk, and I sat in the chair across from her. I’d convinced Liam to let me finish my last two weeks at the Tuscan Rose because quitting on the spot seemed like a terrible way to repay her generosity. He agreed…eventually.
“What’s this?” She picked it up and scanned over it, her eyebrows furrowing when she realized what it said. “Wait, you’re leaving?”
“Unfortunately…” My hands twisted together with unease because I was terrible at goodbyes. When I’d had nothing, Damien and Sofia were there for me. They were friends that I had to leave behind.
She dropped the paper on her desk. “Why?”
“Well…it’s a long story.”
“I’ve got all day.” She pushed her muffin forward so we could share it.
I smiled slightly, thinking about all the times we’d split a pizza or a tray of brownies. “I really fucked up with Liam…”
“Oh no.”
“We were in bed together a couple nights ago…and I said Damien’s name.”
“Oh shit.” Her eyebrows exploded to the top of her face. “What happened? Did he hunt down Damien?”
“He didn’t realize that Damien was the same person…”
“Wow, that was fortunate.”
“But he stormed out of the house and was gone for days. When he finally came home, we talked. I told him I understood if he didn’t want to be with me anymore. But instead, he said he wanted to relocate to London so we could start over…away from Damien. He’s going back to fighting too. I don’t want to leave because I love this city and my job, but I don’t have a choice. His request is totally reasonable, and if I see Damien all the time, I’m never going to get over him. It’s our only option to make this marriage work.”
