Connor drags a hand through his hair and starts pacing.
“I wasn’t working against you, Tier,” he says, the desperation in his tone thick. “I was trying to protect you, like you’ve done for me all these years. Da knew I’d do anything for you. And when he said those fuckers were gonna kill us…you… I panicked.”
A humourless laugh scrapes out of my dry throat. “You’re just as bad as da. You sold me out.”
He steps closer, stopping at the edge of the bed as if there’s an invisible line he knows better than to cross.
“The debt kept climbing, Tier. Our main supplier got wind of it and stopped a shipment. Da kept pushing me. He had me running in circles trying to keep up, trying to stay ahead of it, and every move I made just made it worse.”
I say nothing and let him keep digging.
“I was going to tell you,” he adds. “I swear to you, I was. I just…didn’t know how.”
My jaw tightens. “So you figured lying was the better option.”
“I figured buying time was.” His eyes flick up to mine, and there’s no defence left in them now, just regret, heavy and unfiltered. “And then—then you married Bronx.”
My stomach churns and my heart turns traitorous at the mention of his name, kicking against the truth that he’s already dead to me. I look up at the ceiling and swallow hard.
“That man is dead to me," I hiss. “We’re no longer together.”
Connor folds his arms.
“You were different with him, ya know,” he says. “I haven’t seen you happy like that in years. Maybe ever. You were…lighter. And he—” Connor huffs out a breath, shaking his head. “He took care of you. I saw it from the start. The way he opened his home to you and made sure you were safe and comfortable. Even when you smiled, Tier… he smiled too. Men who don’t give a fuck don’t notice thesmall stuff.”
My breath catches mid-inhale and won’t fill my lungs, my ribs locking tight around it.
“He was playing a fucking game,” I bite out in a rush. “That’s all it was. That’s all it ever was. Da forced me upon him, and he only agreed to have me because I was the pawn stuck between a threat to his family and our da.”
“I know,” he continues, “But a few days after your wedding…when I saw the two of you together, I thought that maybe this disaster had one good thing in it. That you and him actually worked.”
“We got along for the greater cause. Now I hate him more than ever,” I say, the words flat and final. “I’ll never speak to that bastard again.”
Connor goes still.
“Tier—”
“I mean it.” I hold his gaze, letting him see there’s no softness left to reach for. “The marriage is over. And if he comes near me, I’ll put a hole in his chest.”
Connor scratches his head as he considers me.
“Then why did you protect him?” he asks. “Why d'ya put yourself in danger if you hate the guy so much?”
I freeze.
Not a single word comes. Not even a lie. Because there isn’t an answer that won’t unravel the truth I’m trying so hard to bury.
Connor watches me in silence, knowing perfectly well that my walls are too high to let anyone back inside.
“For what it’s worth,” he says, a little cautious now, “you’re not the only one who caught feelings in all of this.”
My pulse stutters.
“He loves you, Tierney. He admitted it to me himself.”
The words hit like a blunt force to the chest, knocking the air clean out of me, and for a second I can’t tell if the pain is from the stitches or something deeper falling apart.
For a second, I remember how amazing he looked the night before everything went to hell, hand at the back of my neck, dark eyes steady on mine so I’d believe he was into me.
