His Brother's Bride

lightly on my lower back, the picture-perfect husband in a perfectly choreographed charade. We looked every bit like the newlywed

ndeliers cast golden light on sequined gowns and crisp tuxedos. Laughter echoed against marble

to just d

breath, barely turning his head. "Yo

et

ending to be a wife, pretending to feel anything but numb,

t. A group of women approached, they were from s

e of them purred. "You l

lking to me. Mrs. Delacroix. The name didn'

, my voice was as l

ys touching my arm and leaning in just so the world saw a man in lo

nged only what words were necessary. Our marri

from the crow

trade, inhaling the cool night air. Below, the lights of the cit

echoed b

len

ee my mother, draped in emerald

h you all evening," she said g

me. I wanted to scream, ask her why. W

said instead

"I know this wasn't

," I said, meeting her

venom in my tone. "We did what was

You mean the company's future. You

'll come to understand with time. Sometim

cry in front of her. I've shed enough tears i

ng-someone-c

through the open terr

sed in black. His face was hal

u

y throat, my heart sl

be. It was

and look

o

as g

ide, eyes scanning the crowd. Damien was speaking

here. I s

.I imagi

I haven't let myself think about him. But the memory clung to me li

f champagne from a passing waiter. I sipped,

going

really

he room again.

roach until he was beside

ou alr

ce a careful mask. " I

Something flickered in his eyes-sus

mething from my shoulder. "Do

ed, too tired to care i

the center of a crowded ballroom trying to figure

*

a's

a black tux, shadowed by dim lighting and a sea of unfamiliar fac

as the

st another man in a crowd of polished, pretentious socialites who c

e beginning of my brother's so-called fair

telling him in vivid detail how I'd spent a night tangled up w

e plan unti

le

ing inside

c hugging her body in ways I remembered far too well. Her hair swept up, exposing the g

d harder than I

l but she does

y were convincing. The power couple. His hand on her back, her poised smile. But there was distan

to him and I hate it

yet that night has rooted itself

f my drink and let

th into his ear. To break the illusion in front of every smug

tated beca

m when she turned her head slightly, her gaze sweeping a

fr

did

icker. Her lips parted, like she was

vely, deeper into the shadow

st ached from the pressure of

asn't anger or betrayal but disbelief and longing. Li

ld follow but I didn't because I realized that I wasn't angry at Damien anymore. I wasn't even focused on rev

im but all I wanted was to walk up to her, pull her out of tha

and gripping the back of my neck

the same way he took from me. But when I saw he

lled me back. I stepped out onto a quieter side of t

ng in lov

violent. Like a

pretend anymore. Every plan I made, every night I laid aw

d the intensity of her gaze. She probably missed me too but that doesn't