All that came out of his mouth was, “I’m sorry.”
“Answer the question or… or I won’t leave tonight. In fact, what I will do is parade myself in this short glitterball to every man here. Whether it’s your cousin, teammate, or childhood friend.”
His expression grew dark, his stare angry. “No.”
“Yes.”
His jaw tightened, and his nostrils flared, but whatever thoughts went through his thick skull finally made him sigh and sit back down.
“I knew before I met you.”
I scoffed, the air in my throat tight. I wished he had lied to me.
“So you planned this? To fuck me before I became your sister? Why would you do that to me?”
“No,” he said firmly. “That wasn’t the plan. You were just a name. For four years, I’ve heard Imre always saying ‘Zsófia this, Zsófia that’ and I never expected—well, I never expectedyouto walk in.”
“Don’t try to flatter me,” I laughed with menace.
“I am sorry,” he stressed. “I didn’t plan this. I just—when I met you, you were… you.Headstrong. Purposeful. Driven. I just… I knew it was about to get complicated and I wanted a chance… just one chance with you—”
“But you had that chance and then kept going with—”
“Iwant you, Zsófia,”he said softly. “I haven’t hidden that. I won’t.”
“You’re going to have to start!” I cried. “Our parents—”
“But does it really matter?” he asked, rising again and towering over me. Even in my heels. “As I said, we’re not blood related. I’m an adult man, I’m not about to call him dad. The ink is barely dry on their marriage certificate, and we hookedup before the wedding. You don’t know your dad, you don’t care what he thinks—”
“I care what people think!”
“Too much,” he agreed.
I wasn’t here for him to judge and psychoanalyse me. I grabbed my phone and, as I stormed out, he called,“I just wanted one more night before we had to—”
But the door slammed.Good.
If this was the war Everly and Luca had joked about, it was time for me to draw the battle lines.
In my short dress on the dancefloor.
But the second I closed the door behind me, I saw Everly had climbed the stairs, her stare lethal. “Is he in there?” she roared.
I stepped out of her way as she threw it open.
“You are a piece of shit!”
Oh god.
“No, you’re not leaving until I’ve had it through with you!”
Zoltán sighed and sat back down.
“You knew, didn’t you? Oh my god, you are going to hell. I’ll take you there. I will drag you down there right now. I’ll throw you over that balcony!”
She was tiny in comparison to him.
Though she wasn’t to be underestimated.
