I walked up to my own front door and knocked. The folder was tucked under my arm, and I wore a dress with a denim jacket on top. Springtime was here, and while the sun was shining, it was still a bit chilly.
Footsteps sounded on the other side, and the door opened a moment later.
Liam stood there, his eyes defeated, his frame weak. His chin was covered in a thin beard because he’d stopped shaving, and that brightness to his blue eyes was gone. It used to remind me of the sunshine reflecting off the blue waters of the ocean. Now they were gray, lifeless.
I almost felt bad for him…almost. “Can I come in?”
“It’s your house.” He stepped aside so I could enter. “You didn’t even need to knock.”
My heels clapped against the hardwood as I stepped inside. The house was silent, abandoned. It was as lifeless as a vacant house, feeling almost haunted. I passed the table where I used to leave my keys and purse and entered the living area. It was an open room, the kitchen and living room one spacious area.
Liam followed behind me, in sweatpants and a t-shirt. It didn’t seem like he’d showered in days.
I opened the folder and pulled out the papers. I laid them out on the counter.
Liam didn’t look at them.
“I just need you to sign these. I’ll grab the rest of my things and be out of your hair.” I opened the drawer and found a pen before I uncapped it and set it on top of the papers. It rolled slightly until it came to a stop.
He stared at me as if I’d said nothing at all.
“Liam.” I felt like a mother berating her child.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not signing those again.”
“For what it’s worth, I hoped I would never sign these again either. But here we are…”
He released a painful sigh. “No.”
“Liam, I can get this divorce without your signature. It’ll just take a lot more time and work on my part. After everything you’ve put me through, the least you can do is make this easier for me. I’m just as devastated as you are…even more so.”
He bowed his head. “Baby—”
“Please don’t call me anymore.”
When he sighed, his nostrils flared. “Please work this out with me.” He raised his head and looked me in the eye. “Let’s move and start over. Let’s have a clean break. This was a recipe for disaster, and you know it. I was constantly competing with another guy—”
“And I was honest about that from the beginning. I didn’t hide any of that from you. That doesn’t give you…” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to harden my emotions. When I opened my eyes again, I was calm. “I’m not having this conversation again. I’ve made my decision, and you can’t change it. Please sign these papers so I can collect my things and leave.”
“Anna—”
I grabbed the papers and prepared to leave.
“Okay.” He grabbed my wrist and stopped my movements. “Fine.”
I returned the papers to the counter.
“But shouldn’t we talk about the specifics?”
“It’s the same as last time. I didn’t change anything.”
His eyes narrowed. “Anna, take the money—”
“Never.” I didn’t want anything from him, anything to make me think I needed him. “I don’t need your wealth. I already have a nice apartment and a good job. You made that money doing something I never approved of. If I take it now, it would be hypocritical. I won’t take a single euro that you had you beat someone for, that you killed someone for.” It was blood money.
He looked defeated once more, but he made was no argument.
I held the pen out to him. “Sign where I placed the X’s.”
He stared down at me for a long time before he looked at the pen in my grasp. He studied the writing implement for minutes, breathing deeply and evenly, before he took it and pressed the tip to the page—and added his signature.
I walked away so I wouldn’t have to watch him. My echoing heels couldn’t block out the scratch of the pen against the paper, and the sound of the scrawl was heavy on my ears. I turned down the hallway and headed to the bedroom, where my clothing hung in the walk-in closet. It was the last time I’d ever be there, and I couldn’t stop the tears that welled in my eyes and streaked down my cheeks.
I knew Liam loved me, but he’d still hurt me.
Maybe love didn’t mean anything… Maybe it never meant anything.
I moved in to my new apartment and hung up my clothes in the closet. I was missing furniture, so all I had was a mattress on the floor in my bedroom because I’d sold my old stuff when I’d moved back in with Liam. It was empty and lonely, having this place all to myself. I was starting over, again, and I didn’t feel motivated like I did last time.
A knock sounded on the door.
“It’s open.” After Liam signed the papers, he didn’t contact me again. Once his signature was permanently in ink, he knew there was no going back. He wouldn’t be able to convince me to take him back again. The only reason he was successful the first time because I was heartbroken over someone else.
Damien stepped inside. His t-shirt fit his thick arms in the sexiest way, his sculpted muscles visible even through the fabric. He wore black jeans, so he was dressed completely in shades of shadow. He took a look around the empty space before he looked at me. “I like it.”
“It’s much nicer than my last place.”
He walked past the large windows in the living room and approached the kitchen, where my unpacked boxes sat on the counter. He looked at the fridge and the appliances before he moved down the hallway and examined the bathroom and my bedroom. “It’s in a better neighborhood too.” He walked back to me and glanced at the folder sitting on the counter, which held my finalized divorced papers. He must have assumed what the contents were because he stared for a long time before he looked at me again. “Need help unpacking these things?”
“It’s just clothes and stuff. I got it.”
He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at me longer than the average person would. “What about your furniture?”
“I ordered a couple things. They’ll be here in a few weeks.”
His eyes lingered on my cabinets, taking in the features of the apartment even though he probably didn’t care about the details. “How are you?”
I pulled the packing tape off the box so I could get the lid open. “I’m okay. I’ve been better, but you know…whatever.” I was still in so much pain, haunted by what Liam had done behind my back. Emotion caught in my throat, but I swallowed it.
Damien continued to watch me, his eyes sympathetic. “It’ll get easier.”
“I’m broken by what he did, but—”
“You aren’t broken, Annabella.” He placed his hands in his pockets. “You’re bruised…but those bruises will heal. I promise.”
“I don’t know…” I pulled out a few hangers and carried them to the closet in my bedroom. I hung up my stuff and knew he was behind me, following me into the bedroom. “I’m just over it.”
“Over what?” His deep voice reached every corner of that room, filling it with heat and energy.
“Men.” I turned back around and faced him. “I’m just done with it.”
His face remained stoic, but his eyes filled with emotion. “Not all men are like that, Annabella. If you don’t believe me, think about Hades. You think there’s anything Sofia could ever do to break his loyalty? She could sleep with another man, and his response would be to murder the guy…not sleep with another woman. Don’t let Liam’s stupidity ruin the reputation of every other man.”
“But Hades and Sofia are soul mates. The rest of us…are just people.”
“Love is love—regardless of the intensity.”
“Well, I know Liam loved me, but he still stabbed me in the back.” I walked back into the kitchen.
“Not all men are like Liam.” He grabbed me by the arm and forced me to turn around. “I’m not like him, and don’t you fucking dare think I am. I would never do that shit. If I’m committed to a woman, I give it one hundred percent.”
I pulled my arm away. “How do you know? You even said you’ve never been serious with a woman.”
His eyes showed his offense. “I don’t need the experience to know what kind of man I’d be. Once I fell in love with someone, I knew exactly who I was. No matter had bad things get, I don’t sniff around. I’m loyal…just like you.”
Hearing him talk about love made me want to push him away. “Damien, if you think you and I are just going to get together because Liam is gone, you’re wrong. I need time. I need space. I’m not in the right place—”
“That’s fine, Annabella. I can wait.”
“I don’t want you to wait,” I whispered. “I just want to be by myself for a while…”
His eyes filled with pain even though he tried to cover it.
“He hurt me, you hurt me, and then he hurt me again… I need a break.”
He took a deep breath before he whispered his response. “I won’t hurt you again, Annabella.”
“Liam said the same thing.”
His temper flared like a bomb exploded. “I’m not Liam!” His voice suddenly grew loud, his anger a gushing volcano. “And I hurt you to protect you. I hurt you because I’d only known you for a short time. The situation is totally different now.”
“And you don’t want to protect me anymore?”
He took another deep breath. “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet…”
“This was never meant to be, Damien. I wanted you when you didn’t want me. And now you want me, and I don’t want you.”
He shook his head slightly. “I know you don’t mean that. You’re upset, you’re traumatized, and you need space. I got it, alright? I’ll give you as much space as you want. Just don’t lie and pretend you don’t love me—because I know you do.”
I dropped my gaze. “I just don’t want you to expect anything.”
“I don’t,” he said quietly. “I’m a patient man. If all you can offer right now is friendship, that’s fine. I can be a friend.” He dropped his arms and departed from the kitchen. He stopped to look out the windows that overlooked the city, the sunset leaving beautiful splashes of red and pink. He stared for a while before he turned back to me. “You know where to find me.” He focused on me as he waited for a response, hoping I would say something to numb the pain I’d just inflicted. He clearly wanted an embrace, the affection that we used to share, that we used to be addicted to.
But I couldn’t do it. “Goodbye, Damien.”