Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
“Yes, he doesn’t love you. He only took you to get back at me. I’m coming for you. I’m going to right all that I’ve done wrong. Soon, you’ll be free, sweetheart. Free of the cage he’s put you in.”
My heart shatters in my chest, and I feel the deep lashes his words have left across the organ. “You’re lying. Julian might hate you, but he loves me. He loves me. This isn’t revenge.”
“It is, and I’m sorry you were dragged into this.”
Before I can respond, the door creaks behind me, and I whirl around and find Julian in the doorway. His gaze is dark, penetrating, but with the reeling emotions inside of me, I’m as far from afraid as it gets. I’m angry, sad, and shocked, but more than anything, I’m hurt.
I hang up the phone and turn to give him my full attention. Lips trembling, I ask, “Is it true? Did you take me for revenge? Was this all about getting even with my father?”
He takes a step toward me, and I automatically take one back, trying to keep as much distance between us as possible.
“Yes… it’s true.” As the words reach my ear, I can feel my heart cracking in my chest. Broken, I feel broken.
“Everything was a lie? Our marriage is a lie…”
“No. I took you for revenge at first, but I really do want you to be my wife. You are more than revenge to me now,” he tells me, and I almost believe him… almost.
“If you gave up revenge, and I do really mean something to you, then prove it. Don’t go after my father. Don’t kill him.”
“I can’t do that. He needs to die,” he says without even thinking about it. It’s the confirmation I need to know my father was right. Julian doesn’t love me. He only cares about revenge. I was just too stupid to see that until now.
42
Julian
Guilt grows like a cancer, rushing through my veins, and pumping into my heart. I feel guilty for hurting Elena. She hasn’t smiled, leaned into my touch, or sought out my company in two days. It’s a one-eighty from what she was like a few days ago, and I hate it.
I feel like I’m losing her, and that has me more on edge than the fact that Zeke and a team of my best men are attacking Romero tonight.
“Our marriage is a lie…” I can hear the words in my mind still as if she said them right this instant. My need to make her father pay has cost me the last important thing in my life: her.
I thought having Marie back would help things, lighten the mood for when the shit hit the fan, but it seems Elena has closed in on herself further, and I’m not sure how to reach her. She’s fading every day, pulling away from me, sinking into the sand.
It’s maddening what her silence does to me, and I’m even considering letting her father live to prove to her that things have changed, that I do love her, and that our marriage is real.
At first, revenge was the driving force behind me wanting her, but it hasn’t been for a long time. Since almost losing her, I’ve only wanted her father dead. Not only for revenge but also to protect her. To ensure that neither of us would ever have to look over our shoulders and wonder if something was going to happen. Now, I only have to make Elena believe me.
She’s been hiding in the library, I know she doesn’t want to be anywhere near me, but I’m done pretending like there isn’t an elephant sitting on top of our marriage.
“I want you to stay posted outside every room that she goes in and comes out of, regardless of whether I’m inside it,” I say before heading to the library.
“Yes, sir,” Lucca responds. He’s done well as my second in command, but if I’m honest, I can’t wait for Markus to return. I can’t wait until everything goes back to normal.
I’ve tried my best to give Elena some space, but it’s hard letting her out of my sight while knowing Romero and Lev’s family are working together and after us. Hopefully, that will end tonight, in the meantime, I will be on high alert. Especially today, when I only have a few men guarding the house. Call it paranoia if you want… I call it protecting what is mine.
The Volcove compound is well fortified, and it’s going to take a lot of men to take them down. I wanted to be there, but I decided it is more important to stay with Elena.
When I step into the large library, I find my wife sitting in the windowsill. Her attention is drawn to the book in her lap while mine is drawn to the way her hair shines in the sunlight. She’s beautiful as sin, and I should’ve known the day I forced her name on the dotted line that she would become my demise.