Page 73 of Sweet Deception
But instead of going straight home, I drove to the cemetery.
The air smelled of damp earth and old stone. A soft wind whispered through the graveyard, stirring the dead leaves at my feet. It had rained earlier. The headstones were slick with water, reflecting the gray sky above. I stood there, staring at their names, feeling nothing and everything all at once.”
There were two graves that stood out from the rest, marked by expensive black marble. I had paid for these spots myself, the final resting place of the only two women I had ever loved.
As I did every year, I placed a bouquet of white lilies on their graves and knelt before them.
In the earlier years, I would stay here for hours, letting the rain drench me, letting my tears fall freely.
But now?
Now, I just stared at the names carved into the stone, my eyes blank. The pain was still there, my throat raw from sobbing.Now, I just knelt. Silent. Empty. As if grief itself has abandoned me.
Maybe when I got my revenge, I would feel something again.
After a few minutes, I stood, turned away from the graves, and walked back to my car.
The moment I stepped inside the mansion, I heard music.
Loud, pulsing music. A party? Here?
I frowned. No one had told me about this.
Shaking off my irritation, I went to the master bedroom, dropped my bag, showered, and changed. Then I sat on the edge of the bed and called Anna.
No answer.
I called again.
Still nothing.
A strange feeling settled in my gut.
Could she be in the ballroom? With my family?
I stood and walked out of the room, heading toward the source of the noise. The closer I got, the louder the music became, pounding against my skull.
Then I saw her.
My wife. Dancing.
Careless.
Like she had no weight on her shoulders, no reason to be afraid.
It had only been three weeks. What the hell changed?
Then I saw him.
Arseny.
His hand on her waist. His fingers grazing her wrist. My pulse slammed through me, hot and violent. My hands clenched into fists before I even realized I was moving.”
Rage flashed white-hot through my body.
Did I not warn their father?
Did I not make myself clear?
