Christopher wasn’t even sure if he said anything else or if he simply started walking.
As he makes his way across the room, Alexander meets his eyes, shooting him a sharp glare. He spins on his heels and makes his way into the garden.
For a moment, Christopher was shocked.
He had no idea why there was such anger, such aggression in his eyes. It made his blood run cold.
Still, he knew he could afford to hesitate to follow after him, so he turned and headed for the door.
Christopher hardly notices the growing chill in the air as they make their way outside. Alexander doesn’t turn to look back at him even once as they come to a secluded area a short distance from the house. Only when they are hidden by the hedges at the end of the garden does Alexander slow down enough for Christopher to catch up to him.
“What do you want?” Alexander seethes, turning to face Christopher head on.
Christopher recoiled at the sheer amount of vitriol in his tone. It shocked and stunned him beyond words.
At that moment, for the first time since seeing him again, Christopher got a full look at the man’s injuries.
He leaned heavily on an elegantly carved cane made of dark wood. His side seemed to slump, as though the very weight of his body was almost more than he could bear. Most inescapable were the deep red scars marring the side of his face in two angry red lines.
Christopher froze in shock, struggling to find his words as he took in the damage the fire had done to his friend. The damagehehad done to him. All of the blame he had worked so hard to move past flooded over him, but more than anything relief and gratitude flooded over him.
“Well?” Alexander demanded
“I just- I can’t believe you are alive,” he shook his head in awe. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and hug the man he’d all but considered a brother.
But he just snarled in response. “Of course I’m alive. No thanks to you.”
Christopher recoiled. “Alexander, I-”
“Left me to die so you could save your sweet heart? I know. Not only that, but you didn't even come to see if I was all right when I was sent home to recover. You just moved on with your life and forgot all about me, more than happy to leave me to rot.”
He shook his head. It wasn’t true. He hadn’t wanted to leave him. He never would have abandoned him. More than that, he never once moved on. “But I did. I went to your house. I asked about you. Your father said you were dead. I- I even asked about your funeral, but he told me I wasn’t welcome there. I didn’t even get to see you properly put to rest. Not that I wanted you to rest, of course, but-”
He cut him off with a bitter laugh. “No doubt he wishes I was cold in the ground. It would have been far less embarrassing for him. He tried so hard to have another son, another heir. I think that was why he hid me so well, so that if he had a child he could take my rightful inheritance, but the joke is on him. He failed and it’s all mine now.”
“But- why didn’t you come to me? Why didn’t anyone tell me? I would have been by your side in an instant. I would have done anything it would have taken to help you get your freedom back, or at least been with you during your recovery. You have to know that!”
Alexander just glared, his face a hard mask. “How could you possibly expect me to believe that after everything that happened? “And now,nowyou’ve come to this ball! Why To rub your happy life with your beautiful wife in my face, knowing I will never have anything like it? All because of you!”
“Alexander, you have to know, I would never-”
He stepped away, “it seems to me you would,” he said before he vanished back into the night.
Alone in the garden, Christopher collapsed to the ground, biting back a sob.
How could he have done this to Alexander, his best friend? Not only did he leave him behind in the fire, but he abandoned him.
Just what kind of person was he?
CHAPTER 24
Veronica frowned as she looked over the lavish ball room, scanning for her husband. Now that the man, this Alexander, was somewhere out of sight, the ballroom had erupted into gasps and whispers.
Veronica couldn’t care less about that however. The only thing she cared about in that moment was finding just where her husband had gone off to. Despite her best efforts, she didn’t see any sign of Christopher anywhere. Was he still out in the garden with the man from earlier?
It seemed doubtful. After all, it had already been so long since they went out. Surely they had to be back by now.
Still, perhaps she should go out and look for her there, but the idea of going out to the garden alone made her nervous. It was so dark out there she could miss him or someone could sneak up on her so easily. Besides, what if he came back in looking for her?
