Page 204 of Divine Obsession

I didn’t know if I wanted to kill or thank Gìovanni.

I knew it was him who sent me the message with the fake news. He wasn’t here. I’d used a program to scan the entire building’s security footage for his facial recognition on the drive over. Nothing had come up. Except for his private jet’s coordinates.The fucker was forty-thousand feet up in the air.

I didn’t fucking appreciate being a pawn in his game.

But making Natalia my wife might just get me to forgive and forget for the first time in my life.

The chilly air nipped at my cheeks as I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders. The terrace of Zach’s penthouse overlooked the city, the grey skyline overcasting the sky. The occasional car horn and buzz of life below drifted up to us.

The terrace door slid open, and Zach stepped outside, joining me at the table. He studied me for a moment before speaking. “I heard what Trevor did at the Italians’ this afternoon.”

I stiffened, gripping the fluffy blanket tighter. The memory of Trevor’s kiss still burned in my mind. After leaving the eventto have a drink with the girls down the street – the whole sit-down had gone to shit after the incident – I went back to Zach’s place to spend time with Maria.

“He had no right,” I muttered, my voice low but sharp.

Zach raised an eyebrow, his tone even. “If you want to be mad at someone, you should be mad at me. I’m the one who hurt Maria. I’m the one who got Trevor involved in this mess.”

I shot him a look. “What happened between you and Maria was complicated, and none of my business. But Trevor ismyboyfriend, Zach. He owed me the truth. He owed me loyalty.”

“If it had been the other way around,” Zach said, leaning forward, “Wouldn’t you have taken Maria’s side, even though we’ve been friends for years?”

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came. I hated that he was right, and my silence confirmed it.

Zach sighed, his expression softening. “If Maria found it in her to forgive me… I’m sure you can forgive Trevor. He’s not perfect, but you know he’d move heaven and earth for you.”

I didn’t answer, the weight of his words settling heavily in my chest.

The terrace door slid open again, and Maria stepped out, balancing two plates of food in her hands. The scent of her cooking wafted over us, warm and comforting, but my stomach churned instead of growling.

“Dinner’s ready,” Maria announced with a smile, setting the plates on the table.

Zach stood, pressing a quick kiss to her temple as he brushed past her and headed to the kitchen to bring the rest of the dinner. She smiled, her cheeks flushing pink.

The sight of their effortless affection, the ease with which they’d patched things up, hit me like a gut punch.

I gulped and turned back to the food, placing a delicious portion of pasta onto my plate. The faint smell of the meat hitme. My stomach twisted painfully, and suddenly, the nausea I’d been ignoring all day became impossible to dismiss.

Turning in my chair, my hands gripping the edge of the large potted plant by the table, I doubled over and emptied my stomach.

Chapter 54

Present

Fifth Avenue stretched ahead of me, its golden glow shimmering against the deepening twilight; bouncing off the glass storefronts and pooling onto the busy sidewalks. The occasional laugh or burst of conversation through the honks of taxis and hum of passing cars. The chilly air with the warm aroma of roasted chestnuts and hotdogs from a street vendor.

I’d left Maria and Zach’s place hours ago, without notice – only athank younote behind, after lying about going to rest in the guest room I was staying in.

No one knew where I was, or where I’d gone. I’d disappeared to clear my head; walked downtown the way I always loved to do.

I walked along the edge of Central Park, the falling autumn leaves offering a contrast to the Concrete Jungle. The city noise never bothered me, least of all tonight.

I needed air; time to untangle the mess of emotions I couldn’t seem to escape.

Distracted by my own thoughts, I took a right into Central Park, only to stop short.

Trevor was already there, leaning against the gate, a bouquet of pink peonies in his hand – my favorites.Waiting for me.

My heart tripped on itself.

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