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Spoken by a woman who's never had a sibling. My wife’s naïveté shows.
I shake my head sharply as if I could shake away the memory.
My brother. My enemy. No, I won't forgive Burn. Not after everything.
The bartender slides another glass in front of me wordlessly. I toss it back, hoping to scorch every memory from my mind.
The cabin that I found Talia in. Her cry of pain. His hands on her. My fists slamming into his face. The graveyard. Her tears.
No. He doesn't deserve forgiveness. My loving wife may plead for reconciliation, but some betrayals cut too deep. I stare into my empty glass, seeing only the past.
Burn turned my world upside down. Stole my fiancée. Tried to steal my wife. I can’t forget. I won’t forgive.
The bar fades away as I'm pulled back into the dark vortex of memory. Her voice anchors me, calling me home.
Talia. My light in the darkness. The only one who can still the storms inside me. I long to return to her, to leave these ghosts behind. But forgiveness for my twin? That I cannot give.
The memories overtake me once more. There she is, my Talia, cornered by him. Burn crowds her against the brick wall, hands gripping her arms.
"Let her go!" I shout, seeing red.
He sneers over his shoulder. "Or what, brother? She's mine now."
I charge forward, grabbing Burn and throwing him off her. He stumbles but comes back swinging. I block his punch, fueled by rage.
"She will never be yours," I snarl.
We trade blows. Talia cries for us to stop but the world narrows to me and him. All the years of jealousy, bitterness and betrayal boil over.
I knock him to the ground, straddling him. My fists slam into his face relentlessly. Blood spills but I don't stop. Not until her voice breaks through.
"Dare, please!"
I freeze, chest heaving. Burn lies motionless beneath me. Talia pulls at my arm, sobbing. I look down at my battered hands, the red haze receding. What have I done?
Shakily I get to my feet, taking Talia into my arms. She clings to me, trembling. I stroke her hair, whispering apologies. Over her shoulder, I meet Burn's glare. No remorse.
The glass in my hands comes slowly into focus. I’m breathing hard, trying not to lose my shit in the middle of Herbsaint. I blow out a breath.
Some betrayals can't be forgiven. The past can't be undone. But I have Talia… She is my future. She's my light, my whole world. I can't lose her now.
I would do anything for her.
Does that mean giving Burn another shot at being the brother I’ve always needed him to be?
I'm shocked back to the present by someone scraping the bar stool next to me across the floor. I blink down at my drink, giving myself a little shake.
"Is this seat taken?" a female voice purrs.
I freeze up. I used to hear that voice in my dreams on an endless loop. Daisy slinks into the seat next to me, her perfume cloying, her red dress plunging in the front and the back.
"Fancy seeing you here," she purrs, running a manicured nail along my forearm. I resist the urge to recoil. "It's been too long, Dare."
I take a swig of whiskey, keeping my eyes fixed on the rows of bottles behind the bar. "Not long enough."
She pouts, leaning in close. I catch a whiff of gin on her breath. "Don't be like that. We used to have such fun together."
Her hand trails higher up my thigh. I grab her wrist, removing it firmly.
