My suit feels too tight, the fabric pulling across my shoulders, the bow tie at my throat bordering on suffocation. I loosen it with two fingers, but it does nothing to slow the way my heart is racing, or the sweat gathering in my palms.
I sit alone in our private box, staring out over the darkness, while a thousand different endings claw through my mind.
Will she accept me for who I really am?
Not the man she’s been seeing. Not the controlled version of myself I let the world have.
But the man who has protected her from the shadows. The man who has bled every time she’s hurt. The man who has loved her so fiercely, so quietly, it nearly destroyed him.
Everything comes down to the moment she walks through the doors behind me.
I push to my feet and pace the length of the box, my steps restless, my chest tight. I grip the gold railing and lean forward, forcing a deep breath as my reflection stares back at me in the polished metal.
I’ve killed people today. I washed their blood from my hands like it was nothing. That doesn’t touch me. It never does.
Hurting Lily, though? That’s the only thing I’ll ever feel guilt over.
I move to the small table in the corner where the bottle of aftershave waits. My hand trembles slightly as I pick it up.
The truth.
Bottled in a scent.
I close my eyes and spray it—not just on myself, but into the air around us, letting it settle into the space. So there’s no chance she’ll miss it.
The moment she steps inside, she’llknow. It will say the words that I can’t find myself.
My legs feel weak as I lower the bottle back onto the table. Because this is it. I could lose her tonight. Not hypothetically. Not someday.
For real. And just the mere thought of that makes me almost pass out.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Lily
Song- goldenhour, JVKE
There’s a low rumble of an engine outside the house, it’s deep and unmistakably expensive. I peer out of the window, my stomach dipping. It’s definitely not Drago’s car. Dad hasn’t come home either.
“Your car is here!” Charlotte calls up the stairs.
Wait. Is that Conan’s new Rolls-Royce that Hallie was telling me about?
My pulse stutters.
I smooth down my dress and check myself one last time in the mirror. My hair is curled, soft waves framing my face, the rest is in a bun, and I’ve gone with a classy makeup look. Nothing heavy. Just a touch of liner and gloss on my lips.
The dress Drago bought me does all of the work. It hugs in the right places, elegant without screaming for attention. Like itwas chosen with intention. Like he sees me. It’s similar to the dress I wore for the opening party of my gallery years ago.
I head downstairs, my heels tapping softly against the wood, and Charlotte is waiting at the bottom with a knowing smile. “You’re a knock-out, Lily. Drago is going to die when he sees you.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. I can’t help but blush.
“This is all a bit much, isn’t it? For a date?” I whisper, suddenly aware of how hard my heart is pounding.
Charlotte laughs. “I’ve never seen Drago date. Ever. But this is how I imagined he’d do it, everything perfect down to every last detail. That’s Drago.”
I swallow, my throat tightening.
