Page 45 of Shattered Echoes

"We need to talk," my voice comes out lower, gravelly with restrained emotion. "It's about Colette... and her ex-husband."

He blinks in confusion for a moment, but that’s replaced with wariness as he stiffens, glancing up the stairs. Colette, he assumes, is upstairs, and he doesn't want her to overhear what I have to say. He steels himself, drawing in a deep, fortifying breath before meeting my gaze.

"Let's talk in the study." With a curt nod, he turns on his heel and heads deeper into the house.

I follow, clenching and unclenching my fists at my sides to maintain some semblance of control. The anger is building, a raging inferno stoking hotter with every passing second.

He steps into the study, and I follow, slamming the door behind me, my entire body trembling with rage. I can still feel the wine from last night sitting heavy in my gut, threatening to force its way out and ruin the plush carpet on the floor. I ignore the nausea and the pounding headache from the lingering hangover, gritting my teeth with fierce determination. None of that matters right now. I need to get some damn answers.

Henry settles behind his oak desk, steepling his fingers beneath his chin as he regards me with resignation. “I understand that you’re upset about what you heard. As much as the situation sucked for her, it's been over for a while now. Do we need to unearth this?”

A harsh bark of laughter escapes me before I can rein it in. “‘Sucked’ doesn't even cover the hell that prick put her through.”

Dropping into the chair opposite him, I lean forward and brace my hands on the edge of the desk, holding Henry's gaze with laser focus. “Did you know he used to beat her, rape her? Degrade her and make her feel worthless. Treat her worse than a piece of trash?”

Henry's composure cracks at that, and he looks away. Pain flashes across his face, but I don't care. He needs to feel this, to understand the depth of his betrayal.

“Antonio, I…” He swallows hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. “I never meant for any of that to happen. It was just supposed to be a business deal, a merger of assets. I did not know he would—”

“You did not know?” I cut him off with a humorless laugh. “Bullshit. Come on, Henry. You knewwhat kind of man he was. And you still threw Colette to the wolves for your own gain.”

His jaw tightens and a spark of defiance flares in his eyes. “You don't understand. My father was on the brink of ruin. The company, our legacy, everything was about to crumble. I had to save it all.”

“At the expense of your sister?” I shake my head in disgust. “That's no excuse. There's no justifying what you did. Are you fucking kidding me right now? You enabled your own sister's descent into a real-life nightmare of emotional and physical torment. Don’t you fucking get it?”

I’m yelling now, mindless to anyone who cares to eavesdrop. Henry has the decency to flinch, but his chin remains jutted forward as he glares at me. “You don't understand shit about it, Antonio. You weren't there, you didn't see—”

“I didn't see?” I echo. “Open your goddamn eyes, Henry! I've seen it, alright. The aftermath of one of your precious arranged marriages destroyed my family! Killed my sister!”

The accusation hangs heavy between us, dense and palpable in the air. Henry pales, looking for all the world like I slugged him in the gut. And then his face hardens, and his expression turns angry.

"And what business is it of yours, anyway?" Henry snaps, his temper flaring. "Since when do you care so much about Colette's well-being?"

I freeze, realizing my mistake. In my anger, I've let too much slip. Henry's eyes narrow as he scrutinizes me, putting the pieces together. "Wait..." his voice is low. "Are you... Are you fucking my sister?"

Shit. I didn’t think this through.

I open my mouth, but no words come out. Henry's face contorts with fury, and he lunges forward, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt. "You son of a bitch!" he roars, spittle flying from his lips. "How dare you touch her? After everything she's been through?"

I shove him off me, my anger rising to meet his. “Colette and I are consenting adults, Henry. You have no right to tell either of us what we should or shouldn’t be doing with each other.”

He lunges across the desk and punches me, a solid haymaker that catches me right in the jaw. It happens so fast that I can’t react in time, the force of the blow making me stagger backwards.

“Fuck you, Antonio. You’re nothing but a piece of shit.”

I rub my jaw in shock, and it takes every bit of self-control inside me to resist the urge to return to the attack. I glance at my hand and see a hint of red. For the first time in my life, Henry has drawn my blood.

I straighten and look him dead in the eyes. "Don't act like you have some moral high ground here, Henry. Not after what you did."

"I was trying to protect her!" he shouts, jabbing a finger at me. "From assholes like you who would take advantage of her fragile state."

His words cut deep, and for a moment, doubt creeps in. Am I taking advantage of Colette? No, I shake my head, pushing the thought away. What we have is real, even if it's complicated. "I would never hurt her," I growl, getting in his face. "Not like you did."

He laughs at me. “You’re one to talk, fucking drugged out junkie,” he sneers, a hateful look in his eyes. “Look at you. Leo sent you out here to get clean, and here you are, just a few weeks later, hungover as a fucking hobo. You couldn’t even stay clean for a few weeks. I bet you’re a few days away from a complete relapse. You have no right to judge me.”

His words hit me with more force than his punch, rocking me backwards. I stare at him, searching for the right words to say. I can’t believe he went there, throwing my problem with drugs in my face. At that moment, I didn’t see my friend. I see a hateful bastard.

There’s a satisfied look in his eyes. He said what he said, intending to hurt me, and he succeeded. "Get out," Henry rasps. "Just…get out of my house."

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