Page 90 of Sweet Wicked Vows

My back teeth ground together.

“Around the same time, Penny’s mother opted to change the terms and conditions of our divorce settlement last minute. She asked for more money, which fine, I can deal with that. However, she is threatening to take Penny away from me for good.”

“The lawyers will ensure that never happens.”

“I hope so. However, in my state of anger, I lashed out and sent the files to every press outlet possible.”

“So because your life is fucked, you decided to screw with mine?”

Frederic cocked a brow. “This isn’t your life, Jaxon. Marrying her is a means to an end. A means that you seem to have forgotten about. I said I was wrong for leaking the information, but I am not sorry that it is out there. I’m merely disappointed that it wasn’tyouwho did it yourself.”

I’d knock his front teeth out if we were anywhere else in the world.

It wasn’t as if I was never going to do anything with the information. I was always going to use it against Lexington, in my own time. Other things got in the way, that was all.

Right?

“All I am saying is, don’t get attached any more than you already are. And don’t try to deny it, you’ll insult both our intelligence.”

“I don’t need you hovering over me, and I certainly don’t need you reminding me what I married Evelyn for.”

“Don’t you?” Frederic raised an eyebrow. “Because from the outside looking in, it looks to me that you’ve gone soft,petit frère.That you’re letting some woman, some piece of ass…”

“Watch your tone,” I snarled.

“You’re too smart to be blind-sided by a good fuck with pretty eyes.”

“Talk about my wife that way again, and I will happily put an end to your miserable existence.”

“This is my point exactly.” He smiled without feeling. “You are allowing the daughter of the man who wrecked our family to steer you off course. I thought you could handle this.”

“I am handling it.”

Frederic scoffed. “Piss poorly. Just don’t tell me you have gone and done something as stupid as fallen in love with her?”

Absurd.

I wasn’tinlove with Evelyn.

I cared about her. I found every single thing about her attractive. Her smile, her freckles, her laugh, right down to her soul.

But I wasn’t in love with her.

It didn’t matter that my chest ached when she wasn’t around. Or that my body reacted to every touch or glance she graced mewith. Or that I felt like I’d won the lottery every time I made her laugh, or smile, or her cheeks blush a thousand shades of red. It wasn’t love that made me sick to my stomach thinking about the day we walked away from each other.

I wasn’t in love with Evelyn.

Because falling in love with her was a fool’s game.

Which made me the biggest fool of them all.

Fuuuccccccck.

“For crying out loud, you have. You stupid bastard.” Frederic shook his head. “Your silence spoke louder than any denial you could try and tell me now.”

Across the gardens, Evelyn was on her feet and dancing with a gleeful Penny. The faint echo of Evelyn singing carried through the breeze and beckoned me to join them.

The woman was a siren calling me to my ruin.