“Indeed. Are you mad at me now?” I ask, eyeing him skeptically. “You have bigger fish to fry, for the record.”
Visha groans and another wave of tears floods his face. What the hell am I supposed to say? I fucking suck at cheering people up. That’s Francesca’s talent, not mine. If someone should’ve been awoken it should’ve been her. She definitely knows better how to deal with the heartbroken mess that Visha is.
“You’re so unhelpful.”
“Don’t remind me. I’m trying to figure something out. Excuse me for never having had my heart broken before.”
He rolls his eyes, wiping them on the back of his sleeve. “I don’t see why Francesca likes you. You’re a jerk.”
I stuff my hands in the pockets of my bathrobe and shrug. “Me neither. She’s too good for me.”
“At least you’re self-aware.”
“Are you here to whine about your ass getting dumped, or me being a piece of shit?”
He snorts and I smile, glad he stopped dehydrating himself by weeping all over the floor. “You said it, not me.”
I walk up to him and sit down on the couch beside him. “Back to our horses. You love the man, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. He’s my fucking soulmate.”
“Then go get him back. Yeah he’s pissed, which is understandable. He just found out that the man he’s been dating isthe same brat he raised over a decade ago. You should have expected this outcome. Considering your departure-"
“Kidnapping.”
I grunt at the correction. “Whatever you want to call it. Considering it impacted him gravely to the point he suffered memory loss from the event, I understand that he’s so shaken. It must’ve been a shock to find out you were lying to him.”
“I know. I fucking know that! But how am I supposed to win him back?” He digs his nails into his palms. “You didn’t see how hurt he was, how furious, and disgusted he was.”
“That means he loves you.”
Visha scowls, staring at me like I’m suddenly dressed in a dinosaur costume. “What the fuck are you talking about? I told you he hates me.”
“That’s because he loves you.” I flick his temple. “If he didn’t care about you, he wouldn’t have reacted so strongly. This tells you that, at least, he loved you.”
“Loved,” he repeats, deflating on the couch. “He doesn’t love me anymore.”
I push myself off the couch and grab him by the collar, hauling him to his feet. “Stop this crap. You’re impossible. Instead of whining and crying about getting your ass dumped, you should be thinking about ways to conquer the motherfucker’s heart back.” I shake him but he doesn’t bother putting up a fight. “You don’t have time to complain about your sad little heart. Get your shit together and go get your man for fuck’s sake.”
“That’s one hell of a shitty pep talk,” a female voice behind me mocks.
I turn around to find my beautiful Francesca standing near the door frame, only wearing her nightgown. “What are you doing here,mon coeur? You should be asleep.”
“I couldn’t sleep with the ruckus you two were making.” She walks up to me and presses a kiss to my cheek. “I thought you were fighting. I was about to smack your ass if you hurt little V.”
I let go of my brother’s collar, and he smiles at my wife. “Thanks, but if we were really fighting, I’d have broken his nose already.”
“Don’t get cocky just because she’ll take your side,” I remark, wrapping my arm around her waist and kissing her cheek. “Go back to sleep,mon coeur. I’ll be there in a minute.”
She eyes us and visibly notices Visha’s sorrowful expression, but she doesn’t point it out, aware that it’s not the appropriate time. Kissing my lips, she bids us goodnight and closes the door behind her.
“You can stay the night. The guest room is ready.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t want to leave Ao alone too long. She might get bored without me.”
“Alright, but think about what I said. If you want something, fight for it.”
Like I fought for you.
