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Tristan's jaw tightens. "You don't even have to ask."
"Thanks." I give him a tight smile.
I stare into the amber liquid in my glass. The bitter taste of betrayal is familiar, but no less unpleasant.
Felix has left me with no choice. He threatened me for the last time.
The war has begun.
Tristan studies me, his gaze searching. "There's something else bothering you. What is it?"
Damn his perceptiveness. I debate deflecting, but Tristan knows me too well. He'll persist until I tell him the truth.
With a sigh, I say, "It's Talia."
One eyebrow lifts in surprise. "What about her?"
"I thought..." I trail off, staring into the amber depths of my drink. "For a moment, I thought she was different. That I could trust her." I give a harsh laugh, devoid of humor. "But she's just like all the rest. Out for what she can get."
"I don't understand." Tristan's frown deepens. "What happened to Talia?"
The memory rises, bitter and harsh. I recount the events of yesterday, when I laid a trap for Talia to test her loyalty.
And my little wife failed my test.
When I finish telling him the story, Tristan is silent for a long moment. Finally he says, "You're an idiot."
I jerk my head up, startled. "What?"
"Only you could be foolish enough to push away the one woman who genuinely cares for you." Tristan shakes his head, exasperation etched into his face. "When are you going to stop punishing people for the sins of your family?"
"This has nothing to do with my family," I grit out.
"It has everything to do with them." Tristan pins me with a hard look. "You've been betrayed so many times, you don't recognize genuine affection when you see it. Talia cares for you, you idiot. And you are trying your damnedest to ruin the best thing that's ever happened to you. Jesus, man."
I stare into the amber depths of my drink, anger and doubt warring within me. "She lied to me. She wants my money, not me."
"She loves you," Tristan says quietly. "It's obvious enough to anyone who looks at you two. Why can't you see it?"
"Because I'm not a fucking idiot," I retort, a note of bitterness in my voice. "She wants me because I'm rich."
"Do you think that you're the only rich man in town? Or the only handsome one? You have a literal twin who is the father of her baby. Staying with you doesn't make any fucking sense, especially with you brooding about Talia's 'intentions'. But she hasn't left, even though it would be much easier for her to go."
I narrow my eyes. "But--"
Tristan leans in sharply, cutting me off.
"I've watched you around Talia, Dare. You fucking love her. And she looks at you likeyou hung the fucking moon. What's your excuse for not seeing it? What do you want her to do to prove her love?"
"Nothing," I say in a low voice. I don't know what I want. I only know I want her, and I'm a fucking idiot.
"That's right. Nothing." He throws his hand up in the air, raising his brows. "The only thing stopping you from being happy is your years of practice at being miserable."
His words strike deep, igniting a spark of hope I thought had been extinguished. Could he be right? Did I misread Talia's actions? The memory of her tear-filled eyes and anguished pleas echoes in my mind. She begged me to understand, to listen to her. But I was too blinded by rage and a lifetime of bitter lessons to listen.
"Am I really the problem?" I wonder.
"You're the only one standing in your own way. You're the only one who decides what your happiness is. You're the only one who can make you happy by stopping this bullshit. You're the only one who needs to change. And if you want to change, then you might as well change for the right goddamnreason."
