Page 127 of Dirty Eoin

She’s wrong. I haven’t moved on. I would have waited a lifetime if I thought there was any chance of a future together with her, but there isn’t, so there’s no point attempting to explain what she thought she saw. It won’t change anything. So, I’ll just have to accept that I’ll never feel truly whole. That I’ll need to learn to survive each new day without my person too. That I’ll need to settle for someone else simply because, to fulfill the role I was born into, I need a wife.

Silence.

It stretches almost indefinitely until she finally disturbs it with even more unwelcome words.

“I’m aware as the future Da Duster that you have responsibilities and obligations to fulfill, so I’ll have the marriage annulled. That way, you can move on.”

With Ava.She doesn’t say it, but it’s silently implied.

“To ensure confidentiality, I’ll handle the paperwork personally at my end then push it through as quickly as possible.”

As is Jaine’s way, she then terminates the call.

“Fuck.” I watch my phone shatter as it connects with the wall on the opposite side of the room.

* * *

I’m notsure why Dylan finds it so hilarious that I was fucked off enough to smash my phone to smithereens. I don’t find it amusing in the slightest. And since yesterday. my foul mood has only worsened.

I pass him the manila envelope.

“This paperwork was delivered this morning. The annulment has been requested on the grounds that she was forced into the marriage. She’s already explained verbally that she’ll push it through as quickly as possible and handle it all personally.”

He frowns as he flicks through the content. “You’ll still have to agree.”

He looks back and forth between me and the documentation.

“Yes, but my dragging my heels will simply delay the inevitable. She’s a lawyer. And an extremely good one. Even if I employ the best attorney money can buy, she’ll still use one of her own to run rings around them in court.”

“Has she asked for anything?”

I snort. “You’ve seen her bank statements. She also has an extensive property portfolio on top these days. Jaine Jones has more money than she knows what to do with. She doesn’t require any handouts either from her estranged husband or from the Dusters.”

“Have you mentioned any of this to Da? He’s going to go nuts, Eoin. If she insists on going through with this, he’ll likely try to force her to marry the only other option. Our Aidan.”

The contents of the surface of my desk follow the same destructive path as my phone, this time colliding with the adjoining wall.

“He will never fucking marry her! He will never lay a fucking finger on her!”

Dylan visibly pales.

It’s understandable. It’s not often I show this side of me in the office, but the thought of Aidan touching her in any way… I’d drag him to the docks and tear him apart, family or not.

“Calm down, Eoin.”

“I am calm!”

He side-glances at my smashed laptop. “Clearly.”

Running a frustrated hand through my hair, I lean back on my chair and place my feet on the desk.

Her fucking desk.

“Jaine thinks she’s doing me a favor by pushing the annulment through,” I admit reluctantly.

He frowns at me once more. “And why would she think that given the reason you agreed to marry in the first place was for the protection of Fin. Even if you’ve both decided to do your own thing, surely that should still be the priority.”

I exhale. “Because I did something extremely foolish.”

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