Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
“Talk to me, Damien.” When Liam betrayed me, I had friends to talk it through with. I lost them in the divorce, but they were there at the time. “We’re friends. That’s what friends do.”
“I don’t have a lot of friends, but I know you don’t fall into that category.”
“I could.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you to. I like what we have…whatever it is.”
“Then let’s make it our own. Talk to me.”
He stared at me for a while before he grabbed the remote and turned down the volume. “My partner at the bank and I don’t get along.”
“Why does that bother you?”
“Because he used to be my best friend…” His eyes filled with noticeable sadness when he said the words, showing his heart for the first time. The pain was obvious, the burden of the regret he felt.
“That’s the person you lost…” It wasn’t an old lover. Now it made sense, because he said he’d never committed to someone before, but he talked about this person like they were the love of his life.
He nodded. “I’ve known him since our years at university…that was over a decade ago. We started our street business and found quick success. We didn’t know how to protect all that cash, so we started the bank to launder the money—and launder it for other clients.”
It was the most he’d ever revealed about himself. Since we’d met, we protected our privacy like buried treasure, but now we’d stopped doing that because there was more between us than either of us expected. I hadn’t known Damien long, but I was quickly drawn to him, feeling vastly different than I did with my other flings. I already felt close to him, felt something special for him.
“We’re enemies now…and it fucking sucks.”
“What happened?”
He sighed.
“You don’t have to talk about it.”
“No…I’m just ashamed.”
“Oh…”
He was quiet for a long time, his eyes reflecting the height of the flames as he stared into the hearth. “I made stupid choices with the drug business. We had an enemy closing in, and I made a lot of bad decisions, decisions were there irrational and arrogant. As a result…his wife was taken and raped.” He closed his eyes as he finished, carrying an invisible burden that was visibly heavy.
I couldn’t halt my reaction. “Oh my god…”
“We got her back, and she’s okay. They have a son named Andrew and another boy on the way. But Hades could never forgive me for what I did, no matter how many times I apologized. His wife forgave me and wanted us to reconcile, but his grudge is too strong.” He continued to stare at the fire. “He left the drug business because of the perils that come with it, but he continues to work at the bank because that’s fairly safe. He tried to buy me out, but I refused. But every time we deal with each other…everything goes to shit.”
I was speechless because it was such a horrible story to listen to. There were no kind words I could say to make him feel better, nothing that would be fitting.
“The worst part is the way he looks at me…like he wishes I were dead.” He ran his hands up his cheek in frustration. “And today he said some tough shit that made me feel lower than dirt. I understand I fucked up, but he’s been torturing me ever since.” He didn’t look at me, as if he were too ashamed to meet my gaze.
“I’m so sorry.” What else could I say to that?
His eyes fell to the ground.
Now I understood his inherent melancholy. There always seemed to be something on his mind, a shadow clouding the brightness of his eyes. “How long has it been?”
“About nine months.”
That seemed like enough time for Hades to move on…especially if his wife had.
“This is why I don’t like to talk.” He lifted his gaze and looked at me. “You don’t see me the same.”
“That’s not true,” I whispered. “I just…feel for you.” I didn’t judge him for his mistake because it wasn’t intentional. It clearly ate at him every single day because he cared. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have that dead look in his eyes.
A knock sounded on the door.
Damien got to his feet to let Patricia in.
Just as he walked away, a message popped up on his phone.
Talk to me. It was from someone named Sofia.
I shouldn’t have looked because it was an invasion of privacy, but it was instinct. A bright light came on, and my eyes darted to it. The message was short, so it was read in a nanosecond. The name was easy to see too.
I felt my heart sink the second I saw it.
He wasn’t mine, so I shouldn’t care. We agreed this would be casual. I was the one who said I didn’t want anything serious, that it was too soon after my divorce. So I had no right to feel jealousy…betrayal.