And the way he told me I was his, and called melove… ugh.
As if we’d known each other forever, or like he was from somewhere in England where that kind of endearment is almost expected.
I hated it. I hateeverything.And I hate him.
My life wasn’t supposed to turn out this way—marriage to a stranger. I still can’t believe it.
What the hell did I do to deserve this?
I’ve tried to be good all my life. The only bad thing I ever did was break into Madame Corvina’s tent and break her ornament. If this is payback for that, then I’m doomed.
But why am I paying for my father’s sins?
Surely it should be my own. Maybe it’s because I refused to see him for who he was.
My grief has shifted since I landed in this new hell. Anger has filled the hole, along with deep, deep, deep disappointment. Dad wasn’t the man I thought I knew. He was a good father, but he wasn’t a good person.
In my heart, I think I always knew something wasn’t right.
“Hey, Isla?” Jack, the bartender, slides in front of me, bracing his palms on the bar. He’s got that easy, good-natured smile he always wears—dimples and soft eyes that make him look more Golden Retriever than nightlife employee. His navy shirt is rolled up at the sleeves, showing forearms dusted with ink from a tattoo he never finished, and his sandy hair is half-tamed like he ran his hands through it one too many times. “Do you need anything else? I’m heading out in a minute.”
“Just another shot of whiskey, please.”
He bites the inside of his lip, studying me like he can read the cracks under my mascara. “You sure? I’ve never known you to be a whiskey girl.”
“I need it tonight.” I try for casual, but my voice comes out thin. I’m a fruity-cocktail, sugared-rim type of girl. Whiskey is sharp, decisive, a little ruthless. But it’s giving me the kind of buzz I need, and I’m nowhere near my limit yet.
His brows pull together. “Hope everything is alright.”
Poor Jack. He's probably seen plenty of women like me tonight. All dressed up with nowhere good to go, drowning their troubles in hard liquor.
“I’ll be okay.” What a big fat lie. But what else can I tell him? Outside of my immediate family, no one can know the truth.
“I sure hope so. Let me go grab that drink for you.”
“Thanks.”
He winks and saunters off to pour my drink. A moment later, he slides the shot in front of me, along with a single Hershey’s chocolate kiss. “Thought this might help, too.”
A laugh slips out before I can stop it. “Thank you. You’re a good man, Jack.”
“Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” He flashes another grin before heading down the bar to someone waving for him.
As soon as he’s gone, the smile fades from my lips, but I eat the chocolate and reach for my drink.
The whiskey burns stronger this time, but warmth unfurls through my veins, loosening something tight in my chest.
I'm halfway through it when I feel eyes on me.
Not the casual glances I've been getting all night, but something heavier. More deliberate and heated. It makes the hair on the back of my neck rise.
Instinctively, I look over my shoulder, following the direction of the pull. And damn it, my gaze collides with Knox Vale’s.
Standing on the first-floor balcony, he looks down at me like a king surveying his domain. And I'm his newest acquisition.
Gone are the jacket and tie from earlier. He’s in a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms.
His stare has me frozen, even though my pulse is galloping.
