Page 58 of Shattered Vows

“Fine. Let’s go.”

I take her hand and lead her out of my bedroom. We make our way through the manor, past the centuries-old furniture and the paintings of ancestors I never knew. I’m used to the gloom and oppressive feeling inside the manor, but I wonder what she thinks of it. I’m afraid to ask.

When we reach the communal part of the property and are headed down the hall that leads to the dining room, Anabelle calls out from behind us.

“Where’s Asher?” I ask when I see she’s alone. Those two are attached at the hip these days.

“He’s finishing up a call. I was starving, so I told him I’d meet him there.”

I smirk. “Bet he liked that.”

Anabelle rolls her eyes, but she knows I’m right.

“I’m glad you caught us,” Rapsody says. “I had a couple of things I wanted to talk to you about.”

My sister-in-law’s head tilts. “Everything okay?”

Rapsody drops my hand and plays with her fingers in front of her as though she’s nervous, but I have no idea why. “I wanted to apologize for how I spoke to you the night I asked you what goes on in the basement.”

Anabelle’s look of concern softens to understanding. “Don’t worry about it. I know exactly how you felt. There was a time I was questioning Asher about it, and he wouldn’t tell me. I get how frustrating it can feel to know you’re the only one without the information.”

Rapsody smiles, seeming relieved. “Still. I shouldn’t have given you attitude.”

Anabelle squeezes Rapsody’s hand, and this weird feeling, warmth or something, fills my chest at seeing my brother’s wife be so kind to my… my what? She’s not my fiancée anymore, but we’re certainly not friends.

Rapsody’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. “There’s one other thing I wanted to ask.”

Anabelle smiles. “Of course.”

“I want to get my hair cut shorter, and I thought that maybe you would know someone who can do it.”

Anabelle grins, appearing excited. “Yes! I can get you an appointment with my girl in town. Magnolia Bend only has one place, but I swear she does a great job.”

Now Rapsody knows the name of the town we’re in. She hasn’t asked up to this point, and I haven’t offered.

“Really?”

“We’ll make a whole girls’ day of it. We can get our hair done and go to dinner, maybe have a drink. It’ll be so fun.”

I frown, wanting to shut down the idea of a whole girls’ day, but when I see Rapsody’s happiness, I can’t do it. This is probably the first female friendship she’s tried to cultivate in her life.

“Oh my god, I can’t wait!” Rapsody looks over at me.

I force myself to smile at her no matter how much I don’t like the idea of her being out of my sight. It’s hard not to worry that she’s going to disappear again after what happened last time. But as much as my instincts push me to shut down this shit, I can’t keep her chained to me. I can’t be the same person as her mother, and I suspect I know why.

Because despite my best efforts, it’s over. I’ve fallen back in love with her.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

RAPSODY

It’s not until the following week that Anabelle can get me an appointment with her hairdresser. I’ve been counting down the days even though I’m nervous about what I’ll look like without my long hair. But this change feels necessary, like the next step in my journey to discover who I really am.

Kol has filled my days, though—first by taking me to the horse races and Go-Cart riding, which was a bit of a disaster since I’ve never driven anything in my life. I saw Kol hand the guy money for the dented barriers I couldn’t stop running into.

The best part of my nights and days is him having sex with me. Lots and lots of sex.

---