Page 123 of Angel Eyes

“All I’ve ever wanted since the day Marcel plucked me out of the shitty life I’d been living under my stepfather’s roof was to earn his approval and gain his respect. I can admit now I’ve been going about it the wrong way. You were the one who showed me that.” My gaze flicked to her, and some of the tension in my chest eased as her expression softened a fraction.

“Unfortunately, when I hatched this whole plan, I still believed manipulating people was the only way to get what I wanted, and what I wanted was to make Marcel happy. But in doing that, I ended up making the two biggest mistakes of my life.”

Juliet went very still. “Which were?”

I swallowed, my voice heavy with regret. “Hurting Gabriel. And hurting you.”

She lowered her gaze to her hands. “Well, at least you got what you wanted in the end.”

“No, I didn’t. Whether or not I have Marcel’s approval, I haven’t gained it by honest methods. Do you remember when I called you a coward? Well, I was projecting my own insecurities, accusing you of being the thing I was too afraid to admit to myself—that I’m the coward. I’ve had so many opportunities to tell the truth—to Marcel, to Gabriel, to you. And each time, I failed.”

A groove remained between her brows. “Cristian, why didn’t you just tell me what was going on when I came to see you? When I asked you why you didn’t want me at the opening?”

“Because I was afraid it would cost me your friendship. The truth is, when I first met you, you were just a means to an end. But then I got to know you, and I started to care about you. You challenge me in the best ways while also accepting me for who I am. And when I told you I wasn’t a good man, you didn’t cut and run. You stayed and fought for me when I didn’t care to fight for myself. So, now I’m here, fighting for you. Just tell me how I can fix this, and I swear, I’ll do it.”

She clamped her eyes shut. “I’m sorry, Cristian. But it’s too late.”

“Juliet—”

“Gabriel,” she said, her voice fracturing on his name, “broke up with me.”

My chest deflated. “He … he what?”

“He ended things when I went after him.” She pressed her eyes closed, the delicate muscles of her throat working. “He thought I was in on the plan, and that you and I …” She trailed off, her breath catching. “Anyway, it’s over now. There’s nothing you can do.”

Silence rang between us as I stared at her. She had to be joking. Gabriel loved Juliet—he would never end things with her, especially not over a family feud she wasn’t even a part of.

I darted a tongue over my suddenly parched lips, taking in her appearance with fresh eyes. The look of utter brokenness on her face, her eyes filled with despair. It couldn’t be true. What in the seven hells was he thinking?

I grimaced as an uncomfortable truth took root in my mind.

If their relationship really was over, then it was entirely my fault.

“Juliet,” I rasped as a mountain of guilt crashed over me, “I …”

Without waiting for me to finish, she turned and retreated toward her bedroom, returning a minute later with something clutched in her fist.

“Here.” She opened her hand, the sapphire bracelet at the center of her palm. “I don’t want this anymore. I thought the person who gave it to me was my friend, but it turns out that was just another lie.”

My chest tightened painfully. “I am your friend.”

She shook her head. “You were my friend, Cristian.”

“No,” I gritted out through clenched teeth, my breath coming in sharp, short pants. “I’m not letting you give up.”

I’m not letting you give up on me.

I closed the distance between us and placed my hand over hers, folding the bracelet into her palm. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her into my chest, squeezing her shoulders as they shook with a soft sob. I had never felt more wretched in my life as I stood there, holding her while she cried because of what I had done.

“I am going to fix this, Juliet,” I murmured against her hair, my eyes burning. “So, do me a favor and hold on to the bracelet for me, okay? It’s my promise to you that I’m going to make this right, no matter what it takes.”

I dropped a kiss on her forehead, then spun away from her, striding toward the door.

This wasn’t the first time I’d screwed up, and heaven knows it wouldn’t be the last. But if spending time with Juliet had taught me anything, it was that to get what I wanted in life, I couldn’t keep deceiving people. I would have to be honest.

And honest I would be, beginning with the man at the eye of the storm.

Forty-Three

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