A part of her still has to. Why else would she be here, risking everything between us for him?
London shakes her head. “No.”
I want to believe her, but when all evidence points to the contrary, I’ve learned to trust my instinct.
Everything I have is screaming to cut my losses and move on.
But the thought of facing a world without London is unbearable and unimaginable.
“Even if I hadn’t realized how I felt about you, I wouldn’t have gone back to him,” London adds. “You know that, right? I loved Noah, but I wouldn’t have been happy with him in the long run. It just took me a while to realize that.”
Silence stretches between us.
London reaches for me again, but I push the back door open and get out. I straighten my back, exhale, and wait for a few seconds. Then, I get behind the wheel and lock the doors. I start the engine and adjust the rearview mirror so I can see London.
She’s so fucking beautiful that it hurts.
As I drive back to the estate, the headache in the back of my head spreads to the rest of my skull. The wrought-iron gates part to admit the car, and I press down on the gas.
Olivia and Oliver are waiting for me by the front door.
Olivia takes one look at London’s face and steps forward. Then, the women disappear up the stairs, and I’m left in the kitchen with my brother. I retrieve a bottle of bourbon from the cupboard in the back and pry the lid off with my teeth. I spit it out and take a long swig, but the smooth liquid does nothing to ease my upset stomach.
Oliver leans against the counter and stares at me. “How long are you going to keep us here, Mason?”
I take another swig, and my stomach lurches. “I’m not keeping you here. You’re free to leave.”
“You know it’s not that simple.”
“You weren’t supposed to be involved in any of this,” I reply. “I’ve done my best to honor the deal, but I can’t control other people.”
Oliver pushes himself off the counter. “I overheard Mathew talking about how you screwed up, and how it’s your fault we’re here.”
I grip the marble counter and press my lips together. “He’s not wrong.”
“We have lives, you know. I know it might not seem like much compared to the life you’re building here, but I have a good, quiet life.”
I grip the counter more tightly. “I know.”
“We deserve to be able to stay away from all of this.” Oliver’s voice rises in anger. “That was the deal, right?”
I release the counter and look at my brother. He looks so much like our mother in that moment that it sends a fresh wave of pain through me.
I wonder what she’d think of all this mess I’ve made in the name of love.
I doubt even she would’ve approved.
“I will make this right,” I say. “It’ll take a while, but I’m a man of my word.”
Oliver studies me, his face tight. “You mean like you kept your word last time?”
I frown. “I did what I could.”
It’s not my fault they had to relocate several times because our enemies are resourceful.
They still think it’s because of my screw up and not because of the fact that I was outmaneuvered.
It’s better for them to believe I’m the villain than to have to live with the truth of the blood spilled in their name.
