The flight across the Atlantic starts out with the same energy we have at home. Distant. Solemn. Then Ravenna speaks to me for the first time in ages.
“If we could get out of going to this wedding, I would, but we can’t. So we’ll just have to make the best of it.” She gazes out the jet’s window. “I willnothave us make a spectacle of ourselves, so we will act like a happily married couple. No exceptions. Once this plane lands, we will start pretending. Have I made myself clear?”
“Crystal clear,” I use her own words, but she doesn’t seem to realize it. Or she doesn’t care. My gut twists.
“Good.”
I plan on behaving exactly as she wants, once we’ve landed. Until then, I have my wife right where I want her. Alone with me, my own captive audience.
Getting up, I move to the seat directly across from her and sit down. My hands land on top of her thighs. She flinches, her gaze snaps to mine.
“What are you doing?” she demands to know.
I lean forward. “I’m sorry?—”
“We’ve been through this before.” She grits her teeth, then continues, “You keep saying you’re sorry then you go right back to your bad behaviors. You can be as sorry as you want, that doesn’t change anything. You need to get help.”
“I know. I have an appointment with a therapist when we return.”
Her brows lift. “You do?”
I dip my chin. “I don’t know what’s happening to me and you’re right, I need professional help.” Admitting to that galls me, but I’ll do anything to keep my marriage from falling apart the rest of the way.
Ravenna deserves better. So do I. I need to find a way to tame my inner demons before they destroy what we have together.
Her tone softens, “I’m glad that you finally see that for yourself. I’m proud of you.”
The vice around my chest eases a fraction at Ravenna’s approval.
“I—” Sunlight breaks through the cloud layer and a sparkle at her neck catches my attention. She’s wearing a necklace, but it’s half tucked beneath her dress’s collar. Even so, it looks familiar. “That pendant…”
I reach for it, but she clutches it first and pulls it free from the fabric. I stare at the diamond Shamrock with an emerald in the center.
No, it can’t be.
Suddenly, I can’t breathe. The jet’s walls close in on me. My vision blurs as the world tilts.
“Cian?” Ravenna’s voice sounds so far away.
I blink a few times and my head clears. “Where did you get that pendant?” I demand, low and deadly.
She jolts back into her seat. Obviously surprised by my change in tone. But I don’t care as my thoughts scramble to make sense of my current reality. Suspicions flare up like an uncontrollable wildfire.
She glances down. “This? I found it on the sidewalk. A long time ago.”
I draw away from her, trying to contain my rising temper. “Don’t fucking lie to me.”
“I’m not.” She scowls. “I found it on the sidewalk outside our house. Wolfe said it dropped out of my purse, but since it’s not mine, he must be mistaken. I thought about leaving it there, but decided it’s too precious to toss away. No one ever came for it, so I locked it in my jewelry box. When I was packing for this trip, I came across it and thought I’d wear it.” She frowns in confusion. “Why?”
“Because that’s Fiona’s necklace. I gave it to her for her twenty-first birthday.”
I can’t make this marriage work if she’s going to keep tormenting me with pieces from my past. What the fuck is going on?
CHAPTER 46
Ravenna
The trip with Cian to London was torture in many ways. We shared a bed for the first time in weeks, but weren’t intimate. I barely managed any sleep with the way he thrashed around every single night. With spending so much time apart, I hadn’t realized how bad he’s gotten.
