Page 66 of Broken Hearts

“Not that drunk,” I counter.

The guy beside her chimes in, “He’s right. You don’t seem that intoxicated.”

“Blaze!” she snaps at him.

“See, he agrees,” I say, seizing the moment.

“Oh, now you care about my opinion? When it suits you?” Blaze retorts, smirking.

“You know what champagne does to me,” she argues, her voice tinged with frustration.

“I do. It lowers your inhibitions, which means you wanted this. You want to be my wife,” I argue, playing another video. This time, we’re in the chapel, and the happiness on my face is genuine. Her breath hitches, and I know she sees it too.

“You’re sure, Angel?” I ask in the video.

“I love you, Cole. Even when I hate you, I love you. Even when I curse your name, I love you. And even when you broke my heart, the small tattered pieces kept loving you,” she says in the video.

“And I love you, my sweet dork. It’s you, only you. It has always been you,” I respond in the recording.

She stops the video before we say, “I do,” and pushes the phone back toward me. Her breathing is shallow, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I want an annulment.”

Feeling the blow all the way to my bones, I purse my lips and shake my head. “No, there will be no annulment. This marriage stands. We consummated; you are lucid in this video. No,” I say firmly.

“I’ll divorce you then. Take everything you have,” she threatens, her voice shaky.

I shrug, trying to hide how much her words cut through me. “You’ll need to stay married to me for a year if you want any money.”

The bar falls silent, the tension palpable. I stand there, heart racing, torn between wanting to fight for this and fearing it’s already too late.

Eva turns sharply to Blaze, desperation clear in her eyes. “Make him leave,” she demands.

Blaze shakes his head, an expression of reluctant amusement on his face. “I call bullshit, sweetheart. You love the idiot. Sure, he was conniving, and I’m a little impressed, but it’s pretty damn clear he’s crazy about you too.”

A smug grin spreads across my face. “I knew I liked you, Blaze.”

His gaze flicks to me, exasperated. “Don’t push your luck, boy. You”—he points to her—“talk to him. Deal with your shit.”

Defeated, she stands up, her movements stiff with anger. She passes me with her head high.

“We need to talk,” I say tenderly as she reaches the door.

“I’ve got nothing to say to you,” she replies, her voice icy as she heads out.

“Good luck, my man, you’re gonna need it,” a man mutters from inside, and I wince, knowing it’s the truth.

I’m right on her heels, desperation driving my steps.

“I’m too angry to talk,” she snaps over her shoulder.

“But I can’t let you leave like this,” I plead as we reach her car.

“You have to,” she retorts, spinning around to face me. Her eyes are blazing, her words laced with hurt. “Whatever I said, I wasn’t in my right mind.” Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. She’s right. I took advantage of a moment, a situation, and now we’re both caught in the aftermath.

“I love you. You can’t blame me, not really. You were offering everything I’ve ever craved. You gave yourself completely to me. I’m not strong enough to say no.”

She rolls her eyes. “What in… How…” She shakes her head. “How did you think it was going to go, huh?”

“I thought you would remember.” That’s the absolute truth, but when she didn’t, I was too scared to remind her and have her run to the office and stop the license from being processed. I was too scared to lose her after I had just gotten her, so I forgot the problem and imagined that I would find a solution someday.

---