First Page 24

  I walked outside into the cold winter air, the intense sunshine, and moved to the balcony that overlooked the street. My hands gripped the rail like an old man gripped a walker. I wasn’t the strong man who could be bled dry and still fight. Now I was reduced to a weak, skeletal frame, a dead person without a beating heart—because it had been ripped out of my chest.

  A hand touched my shoulder, strong fingers squeezing into the crispness of my suit.

  I knew who it was without looking.

  Hades released his hold then stood beside me. He looked out at the city instead of scrutinizing my face. Then he reached inside the jacket of his suit and pulled out two cigars. “Thought we might need these.” He lit one for himself and handed mine over.

  I lit up then puffed a deep breath from the tip, getting the smoke into my mouth. Hades and I only smoked for the best occasions—or the worst. His wife was strongly against the activity, so he’d have to pay for his choice when he got home—because he would reek of the smell.

  Hades leaned against the rail as he enjoyed his cigar and the view instead of grilling me about what just happened.

  The last thing I wanted to do was to talk, to try to understand what the fuck had just happened. I shouldn’t care that she’d married someone else. With tears in her eyes, she’d told me she loved me, and I didn’t feel the same way. I shouldn’t feel anything at all right now…not a single thing. But I couldn’t face the reality…like a fucking coward.

  “I’ll drop you off and come back.”

  “No.” I tapped the shaft of the cigar and let the ash fall before I put it in my mouth again. “I’ll go back in there. Just need a second.”

  Hades moved his hand to his shoulder and stared at me. “You don’t have to prove anything to me, Damien. I’m the one person in the world you don’t have to pull that shit with.” He dropped his hand. “I’ll tell Liam you were ill.”

  “You sure?” I asked, my gaze still on the ground.

  He patted my back before he finished his cigar. “I got your back.” He tossed the ashy remains of the cigar in the trash as he walked back into the cathedral. When the doors were open, I could hear the sound of cheering, the moment where they were pronounced husband and wife.

  I had to get the fuck out of there.

  I headed down the steps and reached the street before I waved down a cab. I got into the back seat, finally taking a breath now that I was away from the cathedral.

  The driver turned his head slightly. “Where to?”

  My eyes moved to the double doors as they opened, and Annabella stepped into the sunlight in her glowing white dress, pieces of rice in her dark hair and against her tanned skin. She held Liam’s hand, smiling as she gripped her arrangement of flowers. I took a deep breath as I stared at her, feeling time slow down to appreciate every second of the anguish. She’d never looked so beautiful…and that just made the torture worse.

  When I didn’t answer, the driver turned to look at me. “Where to?”

  I pulled my gaze away because I couldn’t stand the sight of her a moment longer. “Just get me the fuck out of here.”

  Also by Penelope Sky

  She’s gone.

  But the fortune can’t be true because she means nothing to me.

  Nothing at all.

  But the doubt starts to creep in. My thoughts only focus on one thing. The other women no longer satisfy me.

  It starts to drive me crazy.

  When I finally confront her, the horror shatters me.

  She’s marrying someone else.

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