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“I’drather not take advice on family matters from a homewrecker.”
“Dropit.It’snot likeItried to replaceAmbaniin your life, andPiyastayed with him until the end.Whatmore do you want?Shedid her best, especially with raising someone likeyou,”he spat with disgust.
“Someonelike me?That’srich coming from you,”Ibit back. “Idon’t dislike you becauseMommoved on too quickly or becauseIworried about you replacing my father.Ican’t stand you becauseIhate having anything in common with someone likeyou.EverytimeIlook at myself,Isee you, and it makes me sick.”
Iwas a byproduct ofZane.Peoplelike us struggled with relationships because we weren’t moral or compassionate.Someonelikemedidn’t belong with a good person likeDamon.AllIcould give him was my destruction, and as soon as someone sweet likeRosecame around, he’d see it, too.
Mychest rose and fell with anger. “Papawas the best manIknew, butyouare the reasonI’mrotten.Mybrain isn’t wired for anything good because of you.”I’llnever know love or have anything good likeDamonbecause of you.Thanksa lot for your screwed-upDNA.“Sowhy are you being rewarded after ruining everything for the rest of us?”
“AsIsaid,” he spoke through gritted teeth. “Piyawas with him until the end, and your father knew about us.Everythingwas done by his choice.Noone ruined anything for him.”
Imomentarily flailed.Momhad her face buried inZane’schest and was in no condition to speak.Istill directed the question at her. “Papaknew you cheated on him?”
Whythe hell couldn’t they have let the man die in peace, ignorant of his wife’s betrayal?Itwas the least they owed him.
Istared atZane, stunned. “Thisis sick.Youare sick.”
“Ifthat’s how you feel, then get out.”
“Gladly.”Islammed my notebook shut and stormed off with it.
ChapterTwenty-One
POPPY
Underthe weight of defeat,Isought solitude in my refuge.Thetruth was supposed to liberate me, but it had become my bitter enemy.Witheverything out in the open, fresh blood poured freely from forgotten wounds.
AlthoughIwas supposed to make decisions sparked by logic, not emotions,Itossed clothes into a duffel bag without a destination in mind.Ifrowned whenIcouldn’t find my birth control pills inside my nightstand drawer.Iturned the drawer upside down and swore.Imust be losing my mind.
Thereasonable thing to do would be to first calm down and find a place to live behind fortified walls or ask one of my relatives ifIcould crash with them.However, ifMomfollowed through with her threat,I’dbe out on my ass regardless.
Icould go toLasVegas, thoughIwasn’t supposed to travel without guards.Theboard drilled into me countless times about doing everything in my power to remain safe.Itwas protection in name but a shackle in reality.Theywere paranoid that key players of the company could be used to gain intel.Wehad a lot of enemies and placed safeguards in our residences for that reason.
Thesoft patter of footsteps on the balcony sliced through my dilemma.Ashadowy figure emerged from outside.Icouldn’t properly make him out through the glass doors, but it could only be the man.WhereasIhad previously been wary of his presence,Ididn’t object when he slid the door open today.
Damonstepped inside, andIwas momentarily punch-drunk at seeing him in a professional getup.Histall stature commanded more attention than usual in a fitted dark charcoal suit with two buttons on the front and notched lapels accentuating his broad chest.Thecrisp white shirt underneath had zero wrinkles, highlighting his chiseled features and tapered waist.Eventhe styled messy hair somehow matched the professional look.
Thecustom-made suit was fancier than any office wearIhad seen before.Ifthat was how he dressed at work,Ihad no idea how his staff got any work done.Theoutfit was as immaculate as his strong jawline, but his piercing sky-blue eyes, filled with intensity, stole the show.Theyspeared into me.
“Hey—”
Beforeanother word could escape my lips,Damonbacked me against the cool wall.Mygaze briefly fell on his full lips before he swooped in for a kiss.Thefabric of his suit grazed against my fingertips as his right hand locked possessively around the base of my neck, the other cupping my cheek.Therewas a hint of something mint-flavored on his tongue that wrestled mine with fevered desperation.Asif we had been apart for a lifetime instead of ten hours.
Iplanned on pushing him away;Idid.Butthe ferocious attack had forced the faint whiff of his cologne into my lungs.Thesubtle blend of sandalwood and musk heightened my senses, turning me scatterbrained.
WrappedinDamon’sstrong embrace,Icouldn’t remember whyIshouldn’t be in it.Thekind of affectionIresisted suddenly had me surrounded.No.Hehad me drowning.Damonhad become the exception to my every rule, for he wouldn’t do the heinous things people in this house were capable of.
Myhands migrated to his shoulders, and he tensed, his hold tightening soIcouldn’t push him away.Thatwasn’t my intention.Instead, my fingers tangled in his tousled hair to draw him closer.Hegroaned against my lips as if it were the last thing he expected.Iran my fingers through his unkempt hair, then traced the contours of his face, feeling his clean-shaven jaw against the warmth of my hand.Hishands roamed my back and hips before returning to my face.Damonwas all over me like he couldn’t stand not to touch me.Herefused to let me pull away even when we struggled for air, preferring suffocation to breaking the kiss.Thecharged electricity between us grew each timeIsaw him, and my commitment toRoselessened.Iwasn’t sure how much longerIcould fight off his advances.Ihalf expected to have my dress bunched around my waist and was surprised whenDamonlet me withdraw.
Hisfingers grazed lightly over my cheek, assessing me. “What’swrong?”
Sometimes,Iwondered ifDamonpossessed x-ray vision goggles for my mind.Howelse could he read my mood so succinctly? “Don'tworry about it.”
Hisdeep voice dropped for a soothing one. “Tellme what’s wrong.”
Ididn’t need much persuasion.Theevents from today unfolded like an unstoppable torrent.Damonknew my truth, soIcould disclose the entire matter without holding back information.Hedidn’t offer empty reassurances and merely glimpsed at the packed bag on my bed.
"Youwere going to leave without telling me,” he said in a slightly accusatory tone afterIfinished.
