I’m gone again.
A hand waves in front of my face. “Knox,” Dorian snaps. “Jesus, what the hell?”
I jerk my eyes back to him. “Sorry.”
He throws me a look only a brother can give—half judgment, half amusement. “I can see we’re not going to get much done here.” He glances at Isla.
“Just tell me the important stuff, and I’ll figure out the rest.”
He grins, now looking fully amused. “Okay. The IT team is dropping the investigation into the hacking. You know, with Isla’s father?”
The mention of that man pulls my attention back. “Well, I guess we found all there is to find. And there’s nothing else to worry about.”
“Something just doesn’t feel right. I keep thinking there’s more. But…I’m going to lay it to rest. It’s not like we don’t have a mountain of work to do.”
I nod slowly. “We can still keep an eye out. If anything looks off, we’ll reinvestigate. I’m satisfied with what we found.”
He smirks and glances Isla’s way again. “I can see that.” He returns his gaze to me. “That brings me to the other thing. The divorce lawyer contacted me. He wants to know when he should start preparing the paperwork.”
His words hit me like a slap, and he has my full attention now.
It’s a reasonable question. Alogicalone.
I was the one who insisted everything be ready ahead of time. No loose ends.
Always in control.
But now?
Now the thought of divorce makes my stomach turn and the air in my lungs turn to acid.
I look away from my brother and focus on my wife, the girl I gave my name. I was supposed to give her back to the universe in a handful of months. Give her back so someone else can have her. Someone more deserving than me. Someone more deserving thanChad.
No.
I can’t do it.
I can’t fucking do it.
I’m shaking my head before I even look back at Dorian. “No.” The word cuts clean from my lips. “Don’t get them ready. There will be no papers.”
Dorian nods once. “I thought so.” He leans back in his chair, studying me for a moment. Then he lowers his voice. “The restaurant, Knox.”
Another bomb drops on me.
The restaurant. And my plans.
“You know she won’t be okay with your plans,” he adds quietly.
I stare at him and nod. He amazes me sometimes. Dorian is known for being as heartless and cold as me. Sometimes I wonder if he got it from me, but he’s in a class of his own.
A different kind of monster. But on the rare occasion he shows glimpses of his heart.
I don’t know what he would do, though, if he were in my shoes.
The board was accepting of me because of my plans to demolish the restaurant and venture into real estate.
It was supposed to be simple. Then I fell in love.
