She was right—option two was pointless.
“A father wants his sons to be close. If he sees you and your brother together again, he’ll absolve you of your crime.”
“He’ll never forgive me…” My brother was my father’s ally. He took over the business once my father was dead in the ground. We’d always be enemies, always hate each other for our crimes. I had a better chance of getting Sofia to love me by myself.
“Option one is always on the table if you change your mind.”
That wasn’t even a last resort. I’d rather love Sofia until my dying day than live an empty existence without her. Our passion gave me incredible nights. My devotion made me care about her, made me appreciate something besides money. Our friendship made me feel less alone. She gave me everything I’d been missing. “I need to know something.”
“I’m listening.”
“Would she have loved me if this curse had never happened?” It seemed like she was incapable of love, so maybe her indifference had nothing to do with me. Maybe she was just empty like a jar.
She moved her cards around again, gathering her readings. “Absolutely.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because she’s your soul mate.”
13
Sofia
Damien lay in bed while I sat in the armchair at his bedside. A movie was on, so we watched it together, sharing a bowl of popcorn.
I kept glancing at my phone, wondering when Hades would call.
If he said he would call, he would.
Unless something happened to him…
Damien must have noticed I’d checked my phone for the twentieth time because he said, “Don’t worry about him. He’s fine.”
“It’s getting late.”
“Late to you isn’t late to him.”
“After what happened to you, how could not be worried about him?”
He grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth. “Because he’s not there to do anything dangerous. Just a quick meeting. You’re stressing over nothing.”
“My husband is alone in a different country. Of course I’m stressed.”
“Well, don’t forget who your husband is.” He kept watching the TV. “He’s a powerful guy who can handle himself.”
“So are you,” I pointed out. “Now you’re stuck in bed.”
“That’s the difference between Hades and me. I’m stupid—he’s not.”
“Come on. That’s not true.”
“If I were smart, none of this would have happened. So, no, it is true.” He grabbed more popcorn.
I watched the movie and still felt anxious about Hades’s absence. He said if I ever called, he would answer. I was tempted to do that now, but I didn’t want to bother him. So I continued to withstand the torture and dread sleeping alone in that big bed tonight. “It’s gonna be weird sleeping alone tonight.”
“You slept alone before.”
“But not in his bed…and now I’m married. I’ve been sleeping with him for months, and I’ve gotten used to it.”
“I’d offer to let you sleep in here, but he’d murder me.”
I chuckled. “No offense, but you aren’t my husband. It wouldn’t work.”
“The guy is like my brother, so we’re pretty similar. And I’m obviously more handsome.”
I thought Damien was a good-looking man, but Hades was on a whole other level. I still remembered the first time I saw him…fucking gorgeous. I was just a teenager battling hormones, and he was the subject of most of my diary entries. “That means you know his real name.”
He shrugged.
“What is it?”
“Like I’m telling you that.”
“Come on, I’ve been taking care of you for a week.”
“So you only did it because you had an agenda?” he asked coldly.
“No…but a favor would be nice.”
“You know I can’t do that. That’s personal shit. When he wants you to know, he’ll tell you.”
“I don’t see why it needs to be a secret in the first place.”
“Because that’s not who he is anymore.” He handed me the bowl when he realized he was hogging it.
I pushed it away because I’d had enough. “What was he like when he was younger?”
“How much younger?”
“I don’t know…he said you went to university together.”
“He was what you’d expect him to be, an egotistical jackass that was addicted to pussy. He wanted to drop out first, said we were too smart to waste our time with textbooks. When he jumped ship, so did I. Not once have we looked back. He’s a brilliant guy who knows how to get shit done. Those qualities have only intensified over the years.”
And now that ambitious man was my husband. “Has he ever—” My phone started to ring, and his name appeared on the screen. “Hold on.” I took the call and walked out of the room. “Hey… Is everything okay?”
He was quiet over the line, like my question needed careful consideration. “Baby, I’m fine.” Those three words were so simple, but he said them with such emotion, like he’d run two marathons in a row. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“The later it got, the more stressed I became. I thought about calling you, but I didn’t want to bother you.”