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Does he honestly think I used him? I was the one he opened up to and hurt him. Please, not like this. Not when we were finally at a good place.

I lost Elijah, perhaps forever. And it’s no one’s fault but my own.

I have nothing to lose anymore.

“How does it feel being the second choice?”

Chapter 30

“How does it feel being the second choice?” Gemma focuses on a spot on the floor.

I stare at her, stunned. Only moments ago, I was seeing my future with her. Now, her words slice through me like daggers.

“Gem... what are you saying?” Why is she doing this?

She laughs mirthlessly. “Isn’t it obvious, Elijah? I’m still Oliver’s wife. This whole time, I’ve been stringing you along… for my amusement.”

Lie. This can’t be the same Gemma who looked at me like I’m the only man in the world. The one who whispered ‘I love you’ against my lips.

“You don’t mean that.” I take any explanation other than the horrific one taking shape.

Tears dwell in her eyes. “I used you. It was all a game to me. Did you really think I could ever truly want you?”

My stubborn little gem, trying so hard to fool me.

What do I do with you?

I want to fight for her, to rip her from his grasp, and promise I will never let anyone hurt her again. But the look in her eyes stops me. She has erected a wall between us that I cannot seem to break through.

And so I do the only thing I can. I let her go. For now, at least, until I can find a way to free her from Oliver’s hold and uncover the truth.

“I need to go get my stuff.” Gemma tries to wrench her arm free from Oliver’s grasp.

His grip on her arm says everything. She is still under his control, and he has used that power to force her to destroy me. His eyes gleam with malevolence as he leans in close to whisper something in her ear that makes her wince. He releases his hold, and Gemma hurries away without a backward glance.

I stand motionless, trying to process what is happening. How did our getaway turn into this nightmare? One minute, I’m ready to spend the rest of my life with Gemma. The next, her psychotic ex-husband shows up to shatter everything.

“What a shame, isn’t it?” Oliver says. “Poor Elijah left at the altar before he even saw his bride walk down the aisle.”

My hands curl into fists. I want nothing more than to punch that smug look right off his face.

I growl through gritted teeth. “This isn’t over.”

Oliver laughs. “I think it is. Gemma’s made her choice. You never really had her to begin with.”

My fist connects with his jaw. He staggers back, shock written across his face.

“Don’t you ever touch her again,” I land another punch to his gut, taking savage joy in his pained grunt.

“She’s not yours, Milton. Never was,” he says between labored breaths. “Almost like you were a convenient distraction while she waited for me to take her back.”

No. I won’t believe that. Did she ever truly want me, or was I a means to an end?

Gemma and I have something real. I know we do. I need to find a way to get through to her, to remind her of what we share.

Oliver won’t ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to me. She is my entire world. I won’t give up on us. Not when I know in my heart she’s still mine.

I grab him by the collar, getting right in his face. “Stay the hell away from her, or next time, I won’t stop with a few hits.”

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