Page 108 of The Bourbon Bet
“She wasn’t going to go through with it?” It’s what he said, but I have to ask to make sure I heard him correctly.
Thorne slides his hands into his pockets. “No.”
The pain in my heart intensifies. I’m a damn fool.
I should be elated that she passed my, what had Daniel called them? Ah, yes, my trust tests. She’s repeatedly proven her heart, yet I’ve been too jaded to see. My blindness has cost me the woman I love.
“Sebastian? Are you listening?” Thorne asks.
I blink, refocusing. “Yes. No. I just…” I need to see her.
“Rosalia opened my eyes. Granted, it took me a few to see what she taught me. And I panicked when it happened,” my brother admits. “Without thinking things through, I voided the bet.”
Technically, when she refused to go through with their deal, he’d lost, but I’d rather bring up another issue that bothers me more. “Why were you carrying around that contract? Did you plan on showing it to her to ensure things didn’t work out between her and me?” I spit, all my anger returning.
He shakes his head. “That was an unlucky happenstance. I’d knocked over a pile of papers on my way out the door. I saw the contract and shoved it in my pocket without really thinking.”
My fucking brother plows through my life like an uncaring tornado. Adrenaline rushes through me and my hands curl into fists.
And suddenly, irrationally, I need Thorne to suffer, to feel even a fraction of the pain I’ve experienced since Rosalia left me. I spring from my chair and stalk toward him, violence dripping from me.
He doesn’t move. His arms remain relaxed at his side, as if accepting whatever comes his way. When I’m within a punch away, he says, “I’m sorry.”
I still. I’ve waited almost two years to hear those words, to see the regret in his eyes. My hands drop, and my fists uncurl. “Why now?”
“Because she saw right through me. And now I see myself clearly,” Thorne’s voice roughens. “Her actions called me out in a way no one ever has. Not you, not Father.” He glances down at his hands, which tremble slightly before he clenches them into fists.
I look at him, searching for traces of the boy who once knew all my secrets, who defended me against the world. Regret is there, but is it enough?
“I’m not sure I can forgive you,” I tell him honestly.
Forgiveness feels like a bridge too far, a promise I’m not ready to make. But there’s a sliver of possibility, like someday, we might find our way back to each other.
His gaze meets mine. “That’s fair. At this point, I just want to be able to look at myself in the mirror without being drunk.”
He stands and moves toward the door. “Anyway, it’s past time I leave and find my way. I want to work for our family, but not with my family. I’m tired of living under your shadow. And Dad’s.”
Before leaving my sitting room, I call out, “Wait.”
My brother pauses, turning to face me with a wary expression.
“I may never forgive you for the things you’ve done. Especially regarding Rosalia, but I understand where you’re coming from, and I sincerely hope this move helps you.”
Thorne nods before walking out the door, leaving me in the silence of my sitting room. In the quiet, I can’t help but see the similarities in our situations. My brother has let jealousy and pride poison us. I’d let my fears and doubts sabotage my relationship with Rosalia.
If my brother has the courage to apologize, seek forgiveness, and start over, then I, too, can take the steps needed to mend things. I have to go to her and set things right before it’s too late.
Pulse racing like a clock running out of time, I dash to my bedroom to change out of my lounge clothes. I need to see Rosalia. I’m done holding back.
“Mr. Blackstone,” Alex says from behind me, “you have a visitor.”
I shake my head. “Not now, I’m—”
My mouth snaps shut. There, standing just outside my master suite, is Rosalia.
Chapter Forty-Two
Sebastian
