Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 101101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 404(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 404(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
“My entire world had exploded, and I couldn’t handle it, so I went to Russia to live with my grandparents and didn’t return until Dominick showed up and forced me to come home after they both passed away.”
I grab the paperwork and take a picture of the address. It’s the only lead I have, so it looks like I’m going to Russia.
33
Brielle
“He’s not going to stop looking until he finds you,” Nicole says over the phone. “The man has practically torn this town apart in search of you.”
“That doesn’t prove that he loves me. I just made him look bad by leaving. If he loved me, he wouldn’t have filed for divorce.”
“Did he actually file?” Nicole asks, and I groan in annoyance.
We’ve been through this a dozen times.
“Look,” I start, but before I can finish my thought, the front door opens, and in walks my husband. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you back.”
I hang up and stand, torn between wanting to kiss Kane—because it’s been a month since I’ve seen him and I’ve missed him more than I’ll ever admit—and wanting to tell him to get out because I left for Russia to get away from him, needing time to think.
“You found me,” I whisper, drinking him in.
He’s dressed in a white button-down shirt with his sleeves rolled to his forearms and a pair of charcoal slacks. He’s sporting a full beard and messy hair, like he hasn’t shaved or gotten a haircut in weeks. His usually bright brown eyes are dull, and he has faint black circles under his eyes. My brothers told me that he wasn’t taking my leaving well, which I didn’t understand since he was literally the one who’d had the divorce papers drawn up, but seeing him like this has me wondering if they weren’t wrong.
“I’ve been looking for you since you left,” he admits, cutting across the room.
I take a step back, and he stops short and frowns.
“You should’ve let me explain.”
“Explain why you not only messed with my birth control, but also pretended to care about me, only for you to have divorce papers drawn up?” I scoff. “I think it’s all pretty obvious. You—”
“Love you,” he interjects, stepping toward me. “I love you, Princess.” He raises his hand like he wants to touch me, but then he shakes his head and puts the hand in his pocket. “That’s why I had the divorce papers drawn up.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I choke out, in shock that he just told me the very words I’d longed to hear, only to follow it up with it being his reason for wanting a divorce.
“It does,” he says. “I love you enough to let you go. The truth is, when I came to town, I never planned to force you to marry me.” He chuckles humorlessly. “My only goal was to fuck up the waterfront expansion. But then I saw how profitable it was, and instead of fucking it up, I wanted in on it.”
He takes another step toward me. Instead of refraining this time, he gently cups the side of my face, and instinctually, I lean into it, craving his warmth.
“And then I met you,” he murmurs, using his thumb to stroke my jawline.
I should push him away. Insist that he not touch me. But I’m weak when it comes to Kane. He’s the only man I’ve let in and let my guard down for. And even though his betrayal hurts like hell, I can’t help the way my body and heart react to his touch. My entire life, I’ve craved control, but with Kane, I willingly want to relinquish it to him.
“We spent the night together, and I knew that one night wouldn’t be enough.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, confused as to why he let me leave without saying something. “I felt the same way,” I admit. “The only reason why I left without saying anything was because you’d dismissed me.”
“Because you were the enemy.” He brings his other hand up and holds my face between his hands. “And I knew, once you learned who I was, there was no way you would willingly marry me. So, I told myself, by forcing you to marry me, I was getting what was owed to my family. But there was never a moment that I didn’t want you. Hell, I’m almost positive I was in love with you before I even said my vows.”
“And to prove how much you loved me, you had divorce papers drawn up?”
Kane shakes his head and steps back, and I immediately miss his touch.
“I had the divorce papers drawn up the day after you told me you had been raped and then forced to have an abortion.”
My heart sinks.
I was right.
“Because I’m damaged goods.”
“What?” he hisses, closing the space between us again. “No.” He pulls me into his arms and moves us to the couch, settling me in his lap. “You are not damaged,” he bites out. “You are the strongest fucking person I’ve ever known.”