Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“You’re right,” he acknowledged. “Neither of us are children anymore, which is why it should have occurred to you that I don’t actually need your permission to dig out the truth about you and Marcus Ravelli.”
When she paled, Willem knew he had made his point, but the fact gave him no pleasure at all.
“Have you—-”
“No.” His sister’s eyes shone with relief, and he shook his head faintly. “Don’t celebrate yet. I may not have gotten someone to investigate the matter, but it doesn’t mean I don’t know anything.”
“What do you mean?” Anneke’s voice was a mixture of wariness and confusion.
“I can put one and one together to make two, and you should know I’m particularly good at it – better than most people, in fact.” Looking at her in the eye, he said quietly, “The actions of your husband—-”
“Please don’t call him that.”
Her voice was low, her tone jerky, and it made Willem want to grab his sister’s shoulders and give her a good shake. How did she not fucking see that she was only destroying herself with self-denial?
“Then let’s stick to the facts.” Willem’s tone was uncompromising. “And the most pertinent here is that you’ve been needlessly throwing money away on your court battle, one which we both know is going nowhere.”
“It’s not.” But she couldn’t quite meet her brother’s gaze. “Our lawyers just need more...time.” Anneke dug her nails into her palms. “That’s all.” And it was. It was all she could allow herself to believe in.
For so many months now, her family’s group of lawyers had met one roadblock after another, and Anneke had been torn between dismay and hysterics when she realized Marcus was flagrantly resorting to dirty-handed tactics to keep the divorce from being finalized.
One lawyer had been proven susceptible to bribery, another had quit after being warned “nicely” about a scandal in his past, while the third one had been pressured to resign by his girlfriend, who incidentally worked for one of Marcus’ companies.
“The man isn’t acting like someone desperate to get rid of his wife,” Willem spelled out, “and if you truly want to win this case—-”
“Of course I do.” Anneke was aghast that her brother could even think otherwise.
“Then why does Ravelli seem hell bent against your petition for divorce?”
She gave Willem a helpless shrug. “I don’t know.”
“At least try making a guess—-”
Anneke was already shaking her head before he even finished speaking. “No.” Never. “I can’t.” Because once, she had foolishly allowed herself to think she understood Marcus Ravelli better than most people, and look where that had gotten her.
“Then...” Willem gazed at her under hooded lids. “Would you like to know what I think?”
Ah. And too late she realized this was what he had really come here for.
It wasn’t to ask her about why the divorce still hadn’t pushed through – because her brother already knew why.
It wasn’t even to ask how she was holding on – because he also already knew she wasn’t doing well...at all.
It was none of the easy things.
It rarely was with Willem, since he tended to see too much, even when they were kids.
Sucking her breath, she asked stiltedly, “Can we please...not talk about it?” Looking away, she whispered, “Whatever his reason is—-”
“Don’t say that,” Willem said, “when we both know you understand why he’s doing this.” He saw Anneke jerk at his words, but he didn’t let it stop him. “This entire court battle is a pointless waste of both your time and money, and you know that, too, Anneke.”
Shifting restlessly, she muttered, “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care why he’s doing the things he’s doing—-”
“Then you’re more an idiot than I’ve given you credit for,” Willem snapped.
Anneke stiffened.
“I didn’t raise you to be a coward, so don’t start acting like one now.”
She only her lip hard at her brother’s taunting words, not letting Willem provoke her into speaking.
“Face the goddamn facts—-”
“No!” The cry spilled past her lips, and as her body started shaking, she found herself quietly appalled at how easily Willem had gotten to her – and how much she ended up revealing to him, and to herself.
Looking at him, she said in a stricken voice, “I can’t. I just can’t. I just can’t.”
“Then let me spell it out for you—-”
“Willem, please—-”
“He’s doing all these things so you’ll come to him,” he forged on.
Anneke started shaking her head wildly.
“He wants you to ask him why.”
She started to cry, and he pulled her into his arms. Closed his eyes. Tightened his hold on her.
Because they both knew he wasn’t done yet.
“You’ve never stopped hurting since that day, Annie,” he whispered bleakly.
She didn’t answer, only cried harder against his chest.
“If there was something I could do – any of us could do to stop the pain, we’d have done it for you. You know that, don’t you?”