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He watched me with those blue eyes, watching me take little bites of my sandwich before moving to the bag of chips. He was in a relaxed position, so even-keeled and calm, he didn’t seem like the man who’d tried to kill Damien and shot me instead.
I didn’t bother asking him to leave. I knew he would never listen.
“Anna.” He stared at me until I met his look. “I’m so sorry for what I did to you. You have no idea how horrible I feel. Sometimes I want to take my own life just to make the suffering stop.”
“No matter how bad you feel, it’ll never feel as bad as being shot in the stomach.” I brushed off his apology, cold as ice, and kept eating. I used to melt every time Liam became vulnerable, but now, those days were long gone. I’d learned my lesson—finally.
He dropped his gaze.
“And if you were truly sorry, you wouldn’t be keeping me here as a goddamn prisoner.” I grabbed the bread and took another bite. The only thing I enjoyed about being with Liam was his cooking. He was no Patricia, but he was pretty damn good. “I understand you’re hurting, but I’m with Damien now, and that’s where I should be.”
He lifted his gaze again, this time unapologetic. “That man sabotaged our marriage—”
“No, bitch. I did.” I dropped the food onto the plate. “I was in love with another man while I was married, and that was wrong. Even if I was honest about it, it was wrong. I put us both in a bad situation, made us both do things we regret. You fucked around and broke our vows time and time again, but my heart broke those vows too. We were never going to make it, Liam. And we’re definitely not gonna make it now, trapped in this fucking house.”
His expression remained calm as he listened to every word.
“We both need to move on.”
He straightened in the chair, his knees stretching apart. “That’s what you don’t understand. I can’t move on. You’re the only woman I love, will ever love, and I’ve always imagined us growing old together. Yes, I fucked up with those other women, but they never meant anything to me. I want you to have my money, have my ring, to be buried next to me when we’re gone.”
I shook my head. “Stop it.”
His deep voice was defiant. “No.”
I started to get so angry. I looked into his eyes and felt my frame begin to shake, my temples throbbing with blood. “You can’t keep me here forever, Liam. I’ll either kill you, or Damien will find me. And then he’ll kill you.”
With confidence in his gaze, he said, “You would never hurt me.”
I shook my head slowly. “After what you tried to do to Damien, fuck yes, I will hurt you. You could’ve killed him. My loyalty belongs to one man, not the psychopath that kidnapped me from a hospital bed and boarded me up in the middle of the vineyards. This isn’t normal, Liam. Let me go.”
There was no interest in his eyes as he listened to me speak. “No.”
“Is that all you know how to say? No?”
Like a smartass, he said it again. “No.”
If I weren’t so hungry, I would throw my tray at him. “What do you hope to achieve, Liam?”
When he was given an open-ended question, he leaned forward slightly. “We always find a way to work things out. We just need to talk. Spend time together.”
This man was ludicrous, not romantic. “I don’t want to work it out with you, Liam. I’m in love with another man. I don’t know how to make that any clearer. I took a bullet for the man, for fuck’s sake. I’d rather die than live without him. That’s the bedrock of Romeo and Juliet.”
There was always a slight look of anger on his face when I spoke of Damien that way. Liam tried to ball it inside, but steam rose from the ears. “You’ve known me for years. You’ve known him for days. Your feelings will fade.”
“I was in love with him the entire time we were married. And it never faded. It will never fade.” I pushed aside the tray because I couldn’t eat another bite as I was sick to my stomach. “And even if I weren’t, I’ll never forgive you for cheating a second time. Your constant infidelity is unbearable. I don’t care if you have an excuse for it, there’s no excuse for disloyalty. And then you broke in to a man’s house with the intent of killing him because I’m in love with him, to get rid of him so I can’t have him. Do you think I’m just gonna forgive you for that? There was a bullet inside of me because of you.” I felt my rage rise like a phoenix from the ashes. “Do you think anyone would forgive you for that?”
