“I’mthe traitor?” The unfairness of his accusation fed Gabby’s anger. “You’rethe one who betrayed our marriage by lying from the outset. You told me you didn’t care about my money, that you wantedme. But that was all a ploy so that you could get your hands on my father’s bank. To play out whatever Machiavellian schemes you have brewing in your moneylender’s brain.”
“You have no idea why I’m doing this, woman,” he roared.
“And I don’t give a damn.” It hurt to breathe, to live, to look at this man to whom she’d given her soul. “Nothing you could say would justify your deception, and I wouldn’t believe you any way.”
I’m tired of being a fool. Tired of wanting what I can’t have. Tired of hoping, always hoping…
“I don’t have to justify anything to you. I’m your husband. According to the law,” he said acidly, “I bloodyownyou.”
His words confirmed that it was futile to hope. During the course of her marriage, she’d accepted the ruthlessness in her husband’s nature as part of who he was, a product of surviving a childhood in the stews. Yet that acceptance had been tempered by her faith that he’d never be ruthless towardher. Even before the amnesia, when he’d been stoic about his feelings, he’d treated her with tenderness and care. After the amnesia, he’d convinced her that he truly loved her…
All of itlies.
Now her blinders were ripped off, and she was seeing her husband for the first time. Cold-blooded, callous, willing to sacrifice his marriage and family for more money. More power. The only things that mattered to him.
You mean nothing to him. You’re only the means to an end.
“Legally, you may own me but not my trust.” She saw her riposte hit home, his eyes burning with rage. “That was rather the point of my father’s planning. In truth, you have two choices, Adam. You can accept the reality that Billings Bank and my wealth are out of your reach, and we will find some way to muddle on in this marriage.”
“Or what?” he said dangerously. “You should know that I do not respond well to ultimatums, Gabriella.”
Refusing to be cowed, she marched up to him. She saw his gaze veer to the throbbing pulse of her throat and knew that she’d roused his darkest instincts. But she didn’t care because he’d done the same to her.
Gabby had never fought with anyone, didn’t know how to. All her life, she’d tamped down her hurt and pain, and now it exploded from her like a cannon. She wasdonewith being nice. Anger took over her voice, her body, her every impulse. She, who’d rarely raised her voice in the past, now had a rabid desire to draw blood.
“Or it’s going to be war between us,” she said fiercely. “From here on in, I am taking charge of my future. I won’t let you—or anyone—take away my father’s legacy.”
His fingers curled and uncurled at his sides. “You are making a grave mistake, Wife.”
“Actually, I’m rectifying the one I made when I married you.”
The muscle in his jaw ticked.
“Get out,” he said softly. “Before I do something I regret.”
“What could you possibly do to me, Adam, that is worse than what you’ve already done?” Her voice shook, but she held his merciless gaze. “For years, I’ve been telling myself stories about our marriage, making it seem like a faerie tale. Well, I’m out of stories. Out of faith. Out oflove. Now I see what really happened: I worshipped you, gave you my heart, and what you gave me in return is as worthless as your honor.”
The muscle on his jaw stilled, standing out in stark relief. His muscles bunched, quivering like that of a beast about to spring.
“If you won’t leave, then I will,” he gritted out.
“Go ahead and leave,” she said bitterly. “I’m used to being alone in this marriage anyway.”
With a look of impotent fury, he stalked out, the slam of the door shaking the walls.
35
It tooka bottle of whisky to calm Adam’s rage. And even that wasn’t enough to bring about the oblivion he craved. Hours later, he was still wide awake, sitting at his desk in his office, watching the cool grey light of morning blanket the city below.
Usually, the bird’s-eye view of the city gave him pleasure, a symbol of the heights he’d achieved, but now all he felt was bleakness. It was as if all he’d worked for, all his triumphs and successes…meant nothing. It had taken the whisky and hours of brooding contemplation to understand why.
I’m out of stories. Out of faith. Out of love.
If he lost Gabby’s love, he lost everything.
Since the age of nine, he’d taught himself to think that revenge was the only thing that mattered. That love only brought disappointment and pain. Perhaps all that had been true—until Gabby had burst unexpectedly into his life.
From the start, his heart had known what his head had been afraid to believe. That there could be more to life thanan eye for an eye…that there existed a kind of love so pure and beautiful that it would never let him down. That would give meaning to his existence, explain the suffering and pain, and conquer the chaos inside him in a way that no amount of control ever could.
