Page 118 of When Hearts Surrender

Before the incident yesterday, I was excited about the trip, about seeing her eyes light up when she sees what I’d planned for her, but now I’m just relieved.

She’s alive and in my arms and we’re escaping the city that has cursed my family.Who said the curse is just contained in New York City?

I shove the annoying thought away. For now, I’ll hold on to this trip as an escape from everything haunting us.

I’m calm. I’m at peace. Everything will be fine.I repeat the mantras as memories of my conversation last night with Elias rise to the forefront.

“Tinted windows. That sounds suspicious,” Elias murmured. “I pulled the camera footage and there were no plates as well. I have my team tracing the car’s movements via traffic cams to see if we get lucky and can identify the driver. You’ll be the first to know if anything comes up.”

I swallowed, my hand fisting my phone in a tight grip. Fucking helpless again. A sitting duck.

“Elias, could it be the curse?”

He knew about the curse. He told Ryland and me before, not that we were surprised. Elias Kent made it his business to know the secrets of important people. Rumor was, he amassed his power through bartering information and eliminating threats.

The silence was heavy on the line before Elias replied, “I’ve long given up on believing in a higher power or supernatural entities. Curses fall into that realm for me. But I have to say between the fall at the shelter, the frequent dizzy spells, all the other seemingly unrelated events you’ve told me about, and now, with the car, something is wrong.”

He heaved out a sigh, and I could imagine his brows pinched, his face hidden in the shadows. “If I were you, if this woman was important to me, I’d stay away. Do anything to protect her. Then I’d raze this earth to get to the bottom of this and kill anyone who tried to hurt her.” His voice deepens, and for a moment, I wonder if we’re still talking about my situation.

He clears his throat and continues, “Something or someone obviously has ill will toward Belle, and it all began after she married you. So, curse or not, until the threat is eliminated, I’d recommend leaving her.”

Leaving her.

His words echo in my ear as I reflect on his sage advice. It’s rational. Logical. The right thing to do. But why does the idea of leaving her make me want to claw at my scars, opening the outside wounds so it bleeds the way I’m bleeding inside? And what if we couldn’t find a way around the curse? This separation would be permanent then.

The answers don’t come, and I fall into a fitful sleep until the flight attendant rouses us a few hours later for landing. Soon, we’re whisked off to a luxury cabin in the Austrian Alps two hours from the city.

Belle grins as she hops off the car in front of the cabin, her nose tipped pink from the brisk winds. Luckily, she didn’t hurt herself yesterday, and other than a bruise or two, she’s the picture of good health. She looks like a snow bunny, jumping up and down with an abundance of energy, all warm in her thick, pink puffer jacket, the kind with the faux fur around the hood because I know she’d never wear real fur.

My chest warms from looking at her.God, I don’t deserve her.Shaking my head in amusement, I chuckle before unlocking the door and stepping inside the quaint space, already heated by the owners when I called them on our way over.

“This place is gorgeous!” she exclaims and immediately goes to the roaring fireplace to warm her hands.

The cabin is full of history and character. There are tall, arched windows in the living room, which let in some natural light from the winter skies. A vintage armchair and a plush sofa center the room, whichis also lit by a large wrought iron chandelier with candle-like lightbulbs. The wood crackles in the fireplace, the embers lending an orange glow to the dim space.

She spins toward me and asks, “You never told me why you whisked me halfway across the world.”

Smiling, I walk toward her and tug her to me. “I owe you a honeymoon.”

Her tawny eyes flutter and her lips part. The enticing blush is back on her face and I laugh softly, dipping my head to kiss those sweet lips, savoring the softness of her skin and the addictive taste of her.

Perhaps here, far away from the estate and the city, I can pretend the curse doesn’t exist.

Just for a little bit.

Just so I can carry these memories when we return, when reality catches up to us.

But the curse, aren’t you afraid?The insidious voice asks the question that has been echoing in my brain on repeat.

The answer is yes, I’m deathly afraid, but I’m a weak man.

I just desperately want these stolen moments, these breathtaking fragments that’ll keep me company when I have to lock away my heart again, chaining myself in the prison I was born in.

Unless I can find a way out of this curse.I have to find a way to break the curse.

“So, what are our plans?” Belle pulls away and asks.

I brush my hand over her hair, dusting away the snowflakes that have gathered on her dark tresses.

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