Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“No.”
I felt like a knife was stabbing me in the chest.
“You didn’t break for me in the cage, but you’re breaking now…and I’m not going to pretend that I don’t enjoy it.”
My lungs expanded to take the breath I needed, to fight the desire to bash in his skull with my thumbs. “I’m not the only one you’re hurting, Damien. You don’t have to give a shit about me, but what I feel, she feels.” I placed my hand over my heart. “You’re doing this to her too. You’re making her cry to herself at night because she can’t be with the man she loves.”
“She’ll get over it.”
I dropped my hand, realizing Catalina was right. He would never change his mind. “I’m sorry for what I did. I’m apologizing to you.”
He shrugged. “I don’t want an apology. I just want you to leave.”
“Damien, come on…”
He shook his head. “You’re lucky I agreed to let you go. So instead of whining like a dog, you should be grateful.”
“I’d rather be killed than have to live without her.”
He chuckled slightly, like my heartfelt words were simply comical to him. “Then take your own life. Nothing would make me happier.”
“How can you do this to her?”
“Do this to her?” he asked incredulously. “I’m protecting her. She deserves a lot better than you. Don’t deny it.”
“Yeah, she does,” I said honestly. “But even if she marries another man, that doesn’t mean she’ll love him…not the way she loves me.”
“It’s just lust, Heath.”
“No, asshole,” I snapped. “I know what lust is. I’ve had a lot of it in my life. That’s not what this is.”
“Yeah, call me an asshole. That’s a good approach to get what you want.”
“Looks like you’ve made up your mind anyway.”
He snapped his fingers. “You aren’t as stupid as I thought. I guess that means she broke it off with you. Can’t think of any other reason why you’re standing here.”
I took a painful breath. “Yeah, it’s the only reason I could cry in front of another man when I never cry at all.” I felt two tears drip down my cheeks, and I quickly wiped them away, blinking away the rest of the moisture so the tears would stop.
“Are we done here?” he asked bluntly.
I looked into the eyes of the cruelest man I’d ever met, who had the same eyes as the woman I loved. “You’ve made me suffer enough. Please…”
“I’m not trying to make you suffer. I just don’t want my sister to be with a piece of shit who tried to kill our father.”
“If she can forgive me, then you—”
“I’m not getting good dick from you, so I have no reason to forgive you.”
I didn’t know why I continued to stand there when this man was giving me no hope. “Our relationship is a lot more than that. I would die for her.”
“But you won’t bow out? Interesting…”
“Because I thought you’d love your sister enough to be the bigger man here.”
“Bigger man?” Now, he got to his feet, meeting me head on. “Do I need to remind you of everything you’ve done? How many times you’ve walked in here and taunted me? I don’t care if she wants to be with a kingpin like me. He doesn’t have to be Prince fucking Charming. But he can’t be you. My dad won’t be around much longer, so it’s my job to take care of her—”
“She doesn’t need a man to take care of her,” I snapped. “She needs a brother to be there for her, to support her, to be her friend. Stop this patriarchal bullshit. She’s a grown-ass woman who can make her own decisions—”
“She obviously can’t if she thinks this is a good idea.”
My nostrils flared because I couldn’t keep the anger inside. “You took her to the gypsy in Marrakech.”
His posture immediately changed at my words.
“Did she ever tell you what the gypsy said?”
He was still quiet, his eyes focused because he’d clearly never had this conversation with his sister.
“She said Catalina would only love one man—but he would be an enemy to her family.”
He took a deep breath, like the statement actually meant something to him.
“So, you would rather she marry a man she doesn’t love than be with me?”
His taunts were gone, like he didn’t know what to say.
“Come on, Damien.” I felt hope again, saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Catalina told me both Hades and Damien had fortunes that came true, so they would believe every word I said. “Are you really going to be the reason Catalina can’t be with the only man she’ll ever love? Are you really going to stand in her way?”
“Did the gypsy say anything else?”
Now the hope died away again. “That was all she told me.”
He bowed his head for a moment, breathing quietly as his mind no doubt raced. His fingertips were pressed to the desk, both of his hands on the wood. When he’d gathered his thoughts, he lifted his chin and looked at me again. “I never told her she couldn’t be with you. I just said I didn’t want anything to do with you.”