29
Damien
I got into the office late that day.
Because I didn’t want to get out of bed.
I never thought I could hate myself so much.
But I did.
Hades knocked on the open door before he stepped in. “You’ve got those numbers? And if you do, I hope they’re right this time.” Instead of talking to me with pure loathing, there was a teasing tone to his voice.
“I’ll get them to you in an hour.”
He stopped in front of my desk, his hands in his pockets. “What happened now?”
What didn’t happen?
“You pay Heath?”
“Yeah. He got his money.”
“Gonna take my advice?”
I shook my head. “Probably not. He was a dick to me.”
“You did turn his brother against him.”
“Just for the night.”
“Either way, it probably rubbed him the wrong way.”
That was the least of my problems, ironically.
“Something else?”
“My sister and I agreed that my father should move in with me.”
He sighed loudly. “That’s rough. Maria is a nice lady and she’s great with Andrew, but…not a fan of living with my mother-in-law. Sofia is my wife, but I feel like I’m the one crossing the line by sleeping with her every night.”
That wasn’t what I was worried about. “There’s plenty of room for him. It’s getting him there that’s the problem.”
“Yeah, he’s an asshole just like you.”
I wasn’t in the mood for jokes.
“Anything I can do to help?”
I shook my head. “Thanks anyway.”
He turned to walk out of my office. “I’ll be waiting for those numbers.”
“Hades?”
He turned back around.
“Annabella came to my place last night.”
He leaned against the door, both of his eyebrows rising. “And?”
“I asked her to leave.”
“What did she want?”
I didn’t answer.
Hades picked up on my silence. “She wanted to sleep with you, and you said no?”
I nodded. “If I go down that road again, I’ll get stuck. I’ll never be able to leave.”
“You’re stronger than I give you credit for.”
Strong wasn’t the right word. “I felt like a jackass, asking her to leave. She was devastated… I could see it in her eyes.”
“She’ll get over it…eventually.”
I knew she would find someone else, and I would be a distant memory. She would be happy with a good man, and I’d be content knowing I’d stepped aside so she could have a better life. But that didn’t mean this was easy for me.
Hades continued to stare at me.
“Yeah…she will.”
30
Annabella
A month had passed.
And it was all a blur.
I’d arrived on Liam’s doorstep in a desperate attempt to fight the loneliness, to heal the latest set of wounds Damien had created, to feel loved when all I’d felt was used. It wasn’t my finest moment, but who would dare judge me.
Now I was done thinking about Damien. He didn’t want me?
Fine. I didn’t want him either.
I opened my eyes and stared out the large window, seeing the sunshine stretched across the carpeted floor. The curtains were open because they’d never been closed. Hours ago, only starlight shone upon the floor.
I used to wake up like this every morning…once upon a time.
I wiped the sleep from my eyes and grabbed my phone off the nightstand. It was Saturday morning, so I wasn’t expected at the office. There were no emails waiting for me. No texts either.
I returned it to the nightstand and lay down again, so comfortable in this bed that I didn’t want to leave. I used to sleep there every single night, used to listen to Liam’s even breathing like a lullaby. Now I was back…and it felt like my castle once more.
“Morning, baby.” Liam walked through the door in his workout shorts, his chest soaked with sweat because he’d just finished his workout. He was nothing but hard muscle and tattoos, a beast. He came around the bed and leaned down to kiss me on the forehead. “Good afternoon would make more sense, actually.” He smiled down at me, teasing me.
“Yes, I’m lazy.” He worked out first thing in the morning, then had breakfast. A productive couple of hours while I refused to gain consciousness. “You made your point.” When I was a housewife, I did this every day, getting to the gym only when I talked myself into it.
“I think it’s cute.” He stared at me with that soft gaze, like he was the happiest man in the world. Once I stepped into the house, he didn’t let me go. He constantly pestered me to come over, and sleepovers always stretched into week-long stays. I was hardly at my apartment anymore, only stopping by to grab more clothes.
My life had become uncomplicated…and it was nice. “I’m glad you find my lack of motivation cute.”
“It’s not a lack of motivation.” He kissed me again. “I just like seeing my woman taken care of.” He dropped his bottoms and walked into the bathroom to shower.
I was about to get up, but after his words, I didn’t intend to go anywhere.