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A glance at the annulment papers sitting lazily on my desk triggers me that letting her go is real. That I failed.
My brothers murmur behind my back while I’m lost in thought, staring out the window at the front iron gate. A sea of pink and white flowers captures my attention, along with a whiff of fragrance from the open window. I screamed at Patricia to get people here to plant immediately.
Why?
Why did I lose it when she went missing that night?
Why did I agree to take her out on a ‘date’, knowing what that meant to her?
Why was making my wife happy so important to me when I said I could never love her?
Finding that birth control pack and realizing she was lying to me set me off. Irish tempers are legendary, and I blew a gasket. I worked out twice as hard that morning, punishing myself so I wouldn’t drag her out of bed. Go off on her to the point she’d never look at me again with anything other than fear.
Like her father.
Shit, did I make a mistake by not fighting for her? Not fighting for us? By opening up and explainingwhatwas holding me back? She always had an answer for everything. I’m older and jaded, but she’s young, fresh, and full of optimism.
Fuck, I need to make this right. We should talk. That’s a start.
My heart already feels lighter at the idea of seeing her. “Rior, take me to that loft.”
“You sure?” He stands, already digging out his keys from his black trousers.
“One hundred percent.”
“Can I tag along?” Lachlan asks, showing a rare sentimental side, like this is going to be the end of a romantic movie.
“Sure.” I leave the office and rush up the stairs to get her rings. Mine never left my finger.
Eoghan stands in my kitchen, holding the annulment papers, which I tear up like I did the prenup. I don’t bother telling him that. He’s looking at me like I’m crazy enough.
I am crazy. Crazy… My heart pounds as it hits me. What all of this means. Why I felt so shitty. I thought I missed her out of pride. Lost property. No, damn… I missed her because, fuck, I love her.
No, it’s not the same as before. It’s different becauseI’mdifferent.
We arrive in a trendy part of Brooklyn where I know a few of our guards live. At Sam’s building, we ring her apartment. On the street, I say to Lachlan, “Where’s the guy watching Isabella?” My hackles go up immediately.
“Fuck me,” Lach swears and pulls out his phone.
There’s no answer from Sam’s loft, and I go to call Balor to hack into the door locks and open them, but I hear my name being called.
I turn around, and Samantha approaches slowly, her eyes cautiously tracking me and my brothers. She probably thinks I’m here to give Isabella a hard time. Force her to come home. I plaster a smile on my face and walk toward her slowly. “Alo, Samantha. I’d like to talk to Isabella.”
“She’s… She’s not here.”
For a second, I relax, thinking that explains why there’s no guard either. Maybe she went somewhere and he took her. “Did she go meet other online students again?” I consider just calling her, but something tells me she won’t answer. “Do you know when she’ll be back?”
“She’s notlivinghere anymore.”
My heart stops, but I keep my face even. “Where did she go?”
“Her… Her uncle came and picked her up.”
Any other place and time, that would be a perfectly normal explanation. But that fucking creep was anything but normal. “When?”
“Five days ago.” She looks around and into the street. “He said he told the guard to fuck off.”
I snap my fingers at Lachlan, who jogs over with a phone to his ear. “Who was on detail five days ago?”
