AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Elena looks so sad, so hurt, that all I want to do is promise her the world. But I can’t. I can’t give her false promises.
“What Icanpromise you, Elena, is this. I don’t love Jennifer. There are no lingering feelings there—whatever I thought was there is gone. I didn’t feel a thing when I saw her. All I could think about was you and wanting to come home to you.”
She looks into my eyes as though she wants to believe me, but can’t. Elena cups my cheek, looking lost. “It’s okay,” she says. “I knew what I was getting into when I married you. You’ve been very clear on what not to expect, and I’m fine with that, I am. It’s just that when I saw those photos… Alec, it hurts. It hurts to know you gave her everything that you don’t evenwantwith me.”
I hold her closer and drop my forehead to her shoulder. If anyone deserves to be loved, it’s Elena. I hate that I can’t give her what she needs, and part of me worries that one day she’ll go looking elsewhere for it.
“I’m giving you all I can, Elena. All I am. All that’s left of me.”
I carry her to our bed and lay her down gently before joining her in bed. She looks up at me, looking so damn vulnerable, and I hate that I put that look in her eyes.
“I hate myself for being so upset about that photo when I just received such devastating news about my mother’s car accident, but I can’t help myself, Alec. Both events feel equally painful to me. I’m trying so hard not to be affected, but I can’t. I can’t do it. I can’t pretend not to care.”
I press a kiss to her forehead and sigh. “You don’t have to pretend, Elena. I’m your husband, and I’m not always the best communicator, so I need you to tell me these things. I need you to tell me when I hurt you, when I do something stupid. I will always listen, Elena, and I will always work on the things that are within my power. That goes for the photo you saw today,andfor the news you received today.”
She looks at me in question, and I lean in, kissing the tip of her nose. “I’ll be sure to keep my distance from her, okay? If you don’t want to see me with her, then I’ll make sure I stay away from her.”
I see hope bloom in her eyes, and it kills me. It kills me that this is all I can give her. That I can’t promise her the one thing she wants most. It kills me that she wants it at all. Love won’t last. When it all fades, we’ll still be tied together. I don’t want her to resent me in the end, and if we ever fall for each other, she will.
“As for your mother, I’ll use every connection at my disposal to help you unravel what really happened. Elliot is probably already on it, if it’s Lucian that asked him for a favor,” I say, a smile on my face.
Elena nods and threads her hand through my hair. “Thank you,” she whispers, and I lean in to press a chaste kiss on her lips.
“If it’s your father that did this, I’ll take him down. I’m already working on putting a hostile takeover in place, but it’s taking some time. Not everyone wants to sell their shares, and I need to do this slowly, undetected. I can’t hit him until I have enough shares.”
She nods, looking far more relaxed than she did earlier.
“This… this is enough, Alec. I’ll take every bit you’ll give me, and if this is all I’ll ever have of you, it’s enough. You are enough.”
I fucking hope so, because I can’t even imagine my life without Elena anymore.
Chapter 41
Alexander
I’m oddly impatient as I wait for Elena by the entrance of the restaurant. I told her I’d take her to the opening of our latest restaurant, and she told me she’d meet me here. I smile to myself when my limousine pulls up to the curb. I walk up to the passenger door and open it, my breath catching when I see her.
She’s wearing a stunning black dress that hugs her figure beautifully, but it’s her eyes that get to me. It’s the way she looks at me like she and I are the only ones that are in on a secret.
“You look beautiful,” I tell her as I help her out of the car. Elena smiles at me, and my heart skips a damn beat.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she says, her eyes roaming over my body. “Though I think you’ll look even better on top of me tonight.”
My eyes widen in shock and Elena smirks in satisfaction. She’s getting more and more brazen with the things she says to me lately. She loves provoking me, shocking me. I grin at her and pull her closer, kissing her right in front of the restaurant. The flash of dozens of cameras go off at once, and I hold her a little closer.
When I pull away, Elena has a torn expression on her face. I lean in and brush my lips over her ear. “That wasn’t for show,” I whisper. “This is.”
I kiss her again, slowly, until she melts against me. My heart is racing by the time I pull away again and I shake my head. “I’d better stop,” I murmur. “Or I’ll be giving them a real show.”
Elena laughs and I offer her my arm. I don’t remember the last time I felt this way. I’m excited for a date… with my own wife.
Elena freezes when we walk into the restaurant, and I follow her gaze. I spot her father and the rest of her family at one of the tables. Matthew has his arm wrapped around Jennifer, and she looks up at me, our eyes meeting across the room. I expected to feel something, but instead there’s just… nothing. I’ve held onto her for so long, letting her go feels freeing. In hindsight I don’t even understand what I saw in her. Part of me feels like it isn’t her I was so upset about, but rather, the betrayal itself. I spent years convincing myself that I wouldn’t end up like my mother, but I did. I smile to myself and Elena tenses next to me. She attempts to pull away from me, and I hold her even closer.
Matthew stares at me, and he looks annoyed at my lack of reaction to seeing him with Jennifer. Even the last time I saw them together I was more concerned with irritating Matthew than I cared about hurting Jennifer. It’s only now that I realize that. I grin and press a kiss to Elena’s temple, enjoying the way his hand fists into a ball.
“Elena, Alexander Kennedy,” Alaric Rousseau says, nodding politely. He calls a waiter over and asks for two more seats, and Elena tenses. “You must join us,” he says. I look at Elena, but her expression doesn’t give anything away.
“Father,” she says, nodding at him. She doesn’t acknowledge the rest, and a small smile tugs at my lips.
