Page 133 of Handsome Devil
I should have been the one who went to prison. If not for me, Tate would still have his adoptive father. I ruined everything for him.
Tate was quiet, digesting my confession, before he said, “In the trial, Daniel said Gorga tried to attack you. That your top was torn. That was why he threw that brick.”
“That never happened,” I admitted. “Moments before the police arrived, Daniel ripped my top so the story would track in case I was found.”
“And you went along with his plan?”
I jerked my head guiltily. “I did, yes. He seemed sure he’d get out of it fairly quickly. Gorga was obviously intoxicated. He said he’d plead self-defense. He told me not to check on him, not to contact him, to protect both of us.”
And I didn’t, staying true to my word.
“W-what happened after, Tate?”
“He was taken to Rikers but got out on bail the following night.” Tate stroked his jawline. “The self-defense case was strong. Gorga had a violent past, with several aggravated assault charges, and the autopsy showed insane amounts of alcohol and cocaine in his system. Dad, by contrast, had no past records, was a legitimate businessman, and adopted a son. He was serving a measly amount of time. I was supposed to see him a few weeks before he was murdered.”
“I took away the most precious thing you’ve ever had.” My voice broke. “The father you neede—”
“That wasn’t your fault,” he snapped. “That was Callaghan’s soldiers. Besides, there’s a fucked-up symmetry in this story if you look closely.” A rueful smirk teased his lips. “My father helped you get revenge on the man who killed your father. That’s what family does.”
“Why aren’t you more upset? I just told you I kept a secret from you. Betrayed your confidence.”
“You did what you had to do at the time,” he said emotionlessly. “I’d do the same. It’s easier to forgive mistakes than lies. Because mistakes are never malicious. Lies are. Now, is there anything else you are hiding from me? Any more secrets?”
I shook my head.
“Good.” He nodded, rolled down the window, and snapped his fingers. “Thierry, take us to the airport.”
Gia was silent during the flight back home.
She thought coming clean about what happened with Daniel would make me dump her. Wishful thinking or guilty conscience? Either way, she severely underestimated how invested I was in our endeavor.
When I got the call from Enzo that they were boarding a plane to England, fifteen minutes after I was served divorce papers, my knee-jerk reaction was to drag her back kicking and screaming and remind her that not only was her mother still alive, but I was the only thing standing between her and Tiernan Callaghan putting a bullet in that pretty head of hers.
But when I got to the cemetery and saw how sad she was, something stirred in me. An uncomfortable feeling that landed somewhere between acute anxiety and deep concern.
“Will you let me go once my mother dies?” Gia was sprawled on the seat across from me.
Enzo and Filippo sat at the back of the aircraft, playing cards.
“No,” I answered frankly, not lifting my eyes from my paperwork.
“You keep whining about me not fulfilling my end of the bargain, but you refuse to adhere to the rules yourself?”
“Correct.” I flipped a page. “Since you can’t honor the terms of the arrangement, neither will I.”
“Tate.” She closed her eyes, drawing in a breath. “Please, if you have any shred of humanity in you, release me from this marriage. We both know you’ll never love me, and I desperately need love.”
“I care for you.” My eyes skimmed a particularly tricky clause in the contract.
“You’re infatuated with me,” she corrected. “I’m a prize to you. You’ll get bored of me. The fascination will wear off. Then what?”
I looked up from the contract, putting my pen down. She was honest with me. I might as well reciprocate. Maybe if she understood why I could never love her, she’d learn to accept what I had to offer.
“I was wired not to love from day one.” I lounged back, lacing my fingers together. “Even at our height, after Daniel saved me, nourished me, helped me become who I am today, I still cannot say I truly loved him. Not loving you protects you more than it does me. Trust me.”
“What happened to you at that boarding school?” Her brow knitted.
I told her what I didn’t even tell Daniel in detail. What no other soul in the world knew. About Andrin. About Ares and Apollo and Zeus. About sleepless nights in thick, cold woods. Weaving my way back to safety in the dark, barefoot.
