Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78977 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78977 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
But I couldn’t do it. “Goodbye, Damien.”
31
Damien
Liam looked like shit.
His eyes were permanently gray, and his strong shoulders sagged from the weight of his grief. He wasn’t the powerful man with the bright-blue eyes. Now, he was a ghost of the man he used to be, still wearing his wedding ring even though the divorce papers had been filed.
I’d seen them sitting on Annabella’s kitchen counter.
He stepped into the ring and tightened the wraps around his hands. He was in just his trunks, his body slicked with oil so the punches would slide across his swollen muscles. He had been eager to get back into the ring when Hades had approached him, but he’d rejected death fighting.
As if there was a chance he could get his ex-wife back.
That train had left the station.
The horn blared, and the match began.
Hades wasn’t as interested in the match because the stakes weren’t as high. And Liam was so miserable, he didn’t believe he would win anyway. “She’ll come around. I’ve been divorced, so I understand why she’s so cold.”
“Not the same thing at all.”
“Divorce is painful, even if you want the divorce. She was dedicated to that marriage, determined to make it work. The fact that Liam betrayed her the same way, for the same reasons, just makes the sting more potent.” His hands were together as he watched Liam and his opponent move around the ring and battle it out. “She’s not gonna jump into bed with some other guy.”
“I get that. But I don’t appreciate the way she pushed me away.”
“Just give her time. She’ll come around.”
I bowed my head in frustration. “I just can’t believe I’ve wanted this woman for so long, and now I can’t have her.”
“For now.” He turned to me. “Do you really want Liam’s leftovers anyway?”
I narrowed my eyes.
“You don’t want Anna when she’s still thinking about Liam, whether her feelings are positive or negative. Let her work through this, come out the other side, and be ready. When you guys were together the first time, you were the only thing on her mind. It won’t be that way again if you force it.”
“Yeah…I get it.”
Liam channeled all his rage into the fight and beat his opponent, knocking him out cold to the sound of cheers from the men. He raised both fists in the air in celebration, but his face was still blank like none of this really mattered.
“It looks like you benefit the most from all this.” I watched Liam head to the gate so he could join the rest of the crowd and walk back to his locker room in order to shower.
Hades gave me a slight grin. “I’m not ashamed of that.”
When we got to the locker room, Liam was already gone.
“I guess he just wants his money so he can go home.” Hades shut the door and walked with me to the elevator. We got inside and watched the metal doors shut before we rose to the top floor.
The casino was in front of us, loud music playing and naked girls everywhere. We walked across the room.
“I bet he went to a whorehouse.” The second things got rough with Annabella, he turned to pussy. Why would his actions be any different now?
Hades stopped when we were within sight of the bar. “Looks like he just wants a drink.”
Liam sat alone, his fingers around his glass as he stared into the dark contents. His face was bruised from the punches he’d endured, but he didn’t seem to be in physical pain…just emotional pain. He seemed genuinely heartbroken by what he’d lost, but that made him even more difficult to understand.
“All he had to do was keep his dick in his pants,” I said bitterly. “I don’t understand him.”
Hades continued to stare at him. “He’s just too impulsive. He loves her, but his behavior is driven by something else.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. “I need to get home. You’ll talk to him?”
“Why the fuck would I talk to him?” I didn’t feel bad for the son of a bitch. He’d brought this on himself…and hurt a woman who didn’t deserve an ounce of pain. The turn of events was fortunate for me, but that didn’t make me hate him less.
“Because he’s your client.”
“No. He’s your client.”
“Damien, come on.” He patted me on the shoulder. “He’s out of the picture with Anna. You got what you wanted. No reason to feel anything for him anymore.” He winked. “You won.” He walked off and exited the casino.
I sighed and turned back to Liam, who looked utterly devastated. He wasn’t pressing up against a naked woman or buying someone a drink. He was just alone…because he wanted to be alone. He wasn’t angry anymore.
There was an open spot beside him, so I joined him. It was a quiet night at the bar because the regulars preferred to sit at the poker tables. The rest of the guys were still down at the fights, watching the rest of the matches.