Five Years His Secret, Now Someone Else’s Bride

My hand gripped the doorknob, my knuckles white.

My heart felt like it had been crushed in a fist. The pain was so sharp I couldn't breathe.

I stumbled back, almost hitting the wall.

Run.

That was my only thought.

I burst out of the club, got in my car, and floored it.

Chicago’s skyline blurred past, but I saw nothing. The only thing in my mind was that scene.

Back at the penthouse, I collapsed onto the carpet.

Every memory in this golden cage was now a weapon.

That Italian leather sofa where we watched countless movies.

That Steinway piano he played Chopin’s Nocturnes on for me.

That floor-length mirror where he held me and told me I was the most beautiful woman in the world.

Now, those memories were like shards of glass, cutting me to pieces.

I curled into a ball, hugging my knees.

The clock struck midnight. I took a few deep breaths, fighting back the stabbing pain in my chest, and shakily got to my feet.

“It’s a new day, Evangeline. Six days left. Then you can leave.”

Then the pain would stop.

I kept repeating the number, using it as an anchor to keep from drowning.

At 4 a.m., the sound of the lock turning startled me awake.

Orion was back.

He reeked of stale liquor and another woman’s perfume. He stumbled through the darkness toward the bedroom.

The moment his body came near me, I instinctively clutched the covers and scrambled away.

He wasn’t angry. He just opened his hazy gray eyes, smiled, and ruffled my hair. He was barely conscious. “Just wanted to kiss you, but I woke you up.”

He climbed into bed, rolled over, and pulled me—and the entire duvet—into his arms.

“Evangeline, I love you, I love you so much…”

“We have to be… together… forever and ever…”

He mumbled into my ear, his words thick with a drunken tenderness I no longer wanted.

My body went rigid.

He was whispering words of love, but every single one felt so filthy it made me want to throw up.

He still smelled of Sienna, and now he was telling me he loved me?

What did he take me for?

Why did he think I would stay by his side after he married her?

I waited until he was fast asleep, then I slipped out of his arms. I tried to sleep on the sofa but couldn't. Instead, I started reading through art files for Switzerland, anything to distract myself.

The next morning, Orion was up early.

He changed into a dark blue, custom-made suit, his hair perfectly styled.

“Evangeline, I know I upset you the last couple of days. There’s a party tonight.” He walked over to me. “Come with me? Let me make it up to you.”

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled me out the door.

The banquet hall was filled with the core members of his family, all powerful figures in the mafia world.

Sienna was there, of course, in a stunning blood-red evening gown.

“Well, well, Don. We’ve all heard how you spoil your little De Luca girl. She’s even prettier in person.”

Hearing this, Orion put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. “Damn right,” Orion said, pulling me closer. “She’s mine. So keep your fucking mouths shut.”

The room erupted in laughter. Dozens of teasing glances were thrown my way.

Someone handed us two glasses of wine, goading us to drink together.

But their eyes kept darting to Sienna.

I may have been a good girl, but I grew up in New York’s world of power. I knew exactly what was happening. They were watching a show.

Sienna just smiled, resting her chin on her hand. She met my gaze without flinching, her eyes full of provocation.

“Alright,” Orion said, his voice light as he raised his glass. “Evangeline is the De Luca family’s princess. She’ll always be my… little sister.”

A jolt went through me. Sienna looked up, her smile widening. “Since she’s your sister, you’ll have to give her a big wedding gift. When are you planning on getting married, Evangeline?”

I looked up at Orion, my smile a blade. “Maybe that depends on if the man I’m waiting for ever asks.”

The smile on Orion’s face faltered. He tried to laugh it off. “Okay, okay. Anyway, I don’t believe in marriage. I only love one person, for life. And the person I love must always be by my side.”

He was staring straight at me when he said it, like he was making a sacred promise.

As the teasing died down, I saw Sienna lean closer to Orion out of the corner of my eye. Her fingers slipped inside the open collar of his shirt.

I saw her fingertips trace paths across his chest, right over the spot where the initial of my name, “E,” was tattooed. Leaving faint, suggestive scratches.

He got that tattoo for me on my 20th birthday.

He said he wanted to carve me onto his heart, so he would never forget.

Orion, is this what you meant by loving only one?