Page 58 of One Time in Paris
She took the paper from him and scanned it.
A marriage license for Nevada.
Arealbloody marriage license bearing her name and Aiden’s.
What. The. Fuck.
“Oh...God.” She covered her face with her hand, then lowered it slowly. Then her eyes snapped to his. “Do you remember this?”
“No, I was just as stunned as you are when I found out.”
“And when did you find out exactly?”
His lips pursed. “A couple of weeks ago.”
“What?” She hadn’t meant for her voice to come out in a shriek. She shoved the marriage license back in his hands. “You’ve known forweeksthat we’re legally married, and you didn’t tell me?”
This must have been what he’d been pussyfooting around in Texas.
“I wanted to tell you in person.” He slipped the paper back into the envelope, an edge of irritation in his voice. “Don’t worry, I’ve already started the process of annulling the damn thing. We just need to meet with a solicitor and sign some paperwork. Shouldn’t be difficult.”
She glared at him, his words like blows. “Yes, of course.”
He frowned, an uncertain look flickering in his eyes. “That’s what you want, right?”
“Yes, Aiden. For God’s sake. Yes, I want nothing more than to forget that night ever happened, to be honest, but somehow, it keeps coming back and biting me in the arse. All I wanted was a fun night with my friends, and instead, I ended up drugged, married, and committed to a production that is slowly becoming something vastly different from what I signed up for.” She sank onto the bed, suddenly thoroughly spent.
“Hang on a second. Drugged?” Aiden raised a brow.
Fuck.
She’d never told him, had she?
“Yes, I think that man who was harassing me when you first came to my rescue in Vegas slipped something in the drinks you and I had.”
Aiden’s eyes widened.
He didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
A slow, eerie silence stretched between them, pressing against Isla’s ribs like a vise. His fingers curled tight.
Then he raked his hand through his hair, taking a staggering step back. “What?”
She gulped, and her words came out in a rush. “He gave the drinks to Kelsey and Blair, apparently. And then they went to see the Eiffel Tower and left them on the table without drinking any—which you and I did.” Then she added with a stammer, “A-apparently.”
Why is he looking at me that way?
He lowered his hands to his sides. “And you’ve known about this since Vegas?” His voice was a rough whisper.
“Yes, but?—”
“And you didn’t say a word to me?” His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Do you have any idea how much I’ve tormented myself, wondering what happened? How could I let myself lose so much control that I’d cross whatever lines we crossed? That you believed—thought it possible—that I took advantage of your vulnerable state?And all this time—you knew?You knew.I was as much of a victim as you were.” His hands clenched at his sides, white-knuckled.“Holy fuck, Isla.”
A defensive feeling rose from her gut. “Is it any worse than not telling me we aremarriedas soon as you found out?”
“Yes, it’s worse!” His voice was sharp. “I wanted to do you the courtesy of having this conversation face-to-face. You, on the other hand, didn’t intend to tell me at all. You just saddled me with the guilt and moved on merrily with your life, filming and—” He stiffened, his face darkening. “Is that it? Is that why you said nothing? Because you wanted to use my guilt to fund this production for your friend’s sake?”
“No!” She stood, the offense hitting her like a physical blow. “That’s awful, Aiden. How could you even suggest something like that?”
