“Fuck,” Caiden exclaims when he realises what I’ve spotted. He makes a grab for it, but I reach it first. Everything happens so fast, my eyes tracing the words as Caiden tries to pry it from my hand. I shove him away with more force than I realise, and his back hits the counter with a thud, before he loses his footing and falls to the floor.
“What the fuck?” Jamie is on me a moment later, and if I wasn’t so numb from the details printed on that rectangle of cardboard, I’d probably have felt the moment his fist connects with my jaw.
“Jamie, don’t!” Caiden is on his feet again, his arms around his boyfriend, holding him back. “I’m okay.”
The invitation is crumpled in my hand and I look down at it, a drop of blood from my split lip distorting the words, but they’re clear enough that I can read each and every one of them. When I look up, Jamie and Caiden are both watching me closely. Pity swimming in their eyes.
“He’s getting married?”
Caiden looks sad when he nods. “Yes.”
“Good.” My eyes blur and I press the heel of my palms into them, the invitation awkwardly clutched in one hand. “I hope he’s happy.”
“Oliver.” Caiden’s voice is soft, but I can’t look at him when I drop my hands, so instead I study the invitation. There are roses on it. He hates roses. Or maybe that was another lie. I don’t even know what’s true anymore.
“I only ever wanted him to be happy. I just wish –”I wish it had been with me. The lump in my throat makes it too hard to speak so silently. I put the invitation on the counter, then turn to walk away.
“Oliver? Will you be okay?” There’s concern laced in Caiden’s words. “I know you’re hurting now but it will get better, you have to –”
“I’m nothurting,Caiden. I’m fucking destroyed and it won’t get better. Itwasbetter. Back when I thought he loved me. When I thought we had something real.”
“He does love you.”
I shake my head in disbelief. I found it so hard to believe Darius had cheated on me, had convinced myself he left for other reasons, but it’s all so clear now.
“Leave me alone, okay? You once told me to lose your number. Do the same for me.”
With that, I leave their apartment, slamming the door. I look over it one last time, laughing to myself at how I’ve come full circle. From meeting Darius in that apartment to realising with a painful finality that I’ve lost him.
Chapter 24
Darius
“What if I broke into his place or his office and stole the files? I could destroy them and we could pretend none of this ever happened,” Darcey suggests, sitting down on a sofa in the conservatory of the home she shares with her fiancée, Eva. I’ve taken to hiding out in her place since I finally moved my things into mine and Floyd’s shared space.
The first thing he did was invite his mother and grandmother over to introduce me as his fiancé. To say they were shocked is an understatement. It seems my husband-to-be has a track record for being a perpetual bachelor. It was interesting to watch the way he switched on the charm for them, going from cold and demanding to overly kind and attentive the second they walked in. His grandmother spent her time quietly assessing us, asking questions that Floyd answered rapidly, sounding completely rehearsed. Whether she left believing us is still to be seen. His mom was sweet and seemed genuinely happy for us. I struggle to see how she and Floyd are related.
“Calm down, James Bond. You and I both know it wouldn’t be that easy.”
She rolls her eyes. “Far simpler than marrying someone you don’t know or like. Do you even know for sure this evidence exists?”
I nod. “Yeah. He showed it to us and made it clear there were copies.”
“There has to be another way. Give me a few more days to think of something,” she offers and I am so grateful for her and how much she cares but also exhausted because it’s not like I haven’t played every angle in my mind repeatedly.
When I don’t respond, Darcey reaches out a hand and places it on my knee. I hadn’t planned to tell her the truth, but I should have known she’d draw it out of me. I did what Floyd wanted, and I sent out invitations. The people who barely know me had nothing but congratulations to pass along. Florence eyed me, a question burning on her lips, but I begged her not to ask, and to come and smile and pretend she’s happy for me. Lachlan and Finch were surprised but didn’t push for answers either. But Darcey was another story altogether. She didn’t believe a word I said and wouldn’t let it go until I was in tears and blurting out the truth. I’m fairly confident she’ll keep my secret, even if she’s threatened to give Floyd a piece of her mind.
I feel better not having to lie to Caiden or Darcey, but at the same time, there’s this heaviness in my chest that feels a lot like guilt because I’m forcing them to live this lie with me.
“I love you D, so when I say this, know that it comes from the heart. Your father is acriminal. He should be the one paying for hiscrimes. Not you.” She puts an emphasis on the words as if to force home her point. It’s not like I haven’t considered backing out and letting my father get whatever punishment comes his way.What he did was wrong and there’s a part of me that thinks he should pay for it.
I’ve spent hours searching online for information about likely sentences for his crimes. Ten, maybe fifteen years in prison. A hell of a lot longer than the two years I need to give up. The other part of me – the part that is ruled by my heart – says he’s my father and I don’t want to see anything bad happen to him. No matter how much he may deserve it. But it’s also not just him at risk, it’s everyone who works for him too.
“I know, Dars.” I hang my head. “I know.”
“What if you told Oliver the truth?”
I look up at my friend, pushing my fringe off my forehead. My hair could do with a cut, but I haven’t had much energy to care how I look lately. Getting up in the morning has become a chore. Dread weighing me down. “I’ve told you why I can’t.”
