Page 84 of Of Vows and Betrayal

“How? By lying more? By keeping me in shackles?”

“No,” he says firmly. “By being honest, even if it’s too late. I never wanted you to get hurt. Things spiraled out of control.”

“Spiraled out of control? You mean you lost control, Javier. You tried to play both sides. You wanted everything, and you failed.”

He flinches at my words, but he doesn’t argue. Instead, he takes a deep breath and looks me in the eye. “You’re right. I lost control. I thought I could handle everything, but I fell desperately in love with the most beautiful, kind, and aggravating woman in the world. Something I never saw coming, and yes, it all crumbled.”

There’s that word again.Love. “Love has done nothing but hurt me,” I reply, but I’m not only talking about him. I loved my mother, and she left me. I loved my father, and he left me too. And God help me, I loved Javier, and he broke my heart.

“Ophelia,” he begins, his voice trembling with sincerity, “I know I can’t undo the past. But I want you to know thatmy feelings for you are real. They always have been. I made terrible mistakes, but my love for you wasn’t one of them.” He takes a tentative step toward me.

I laugh bitterly, shaking my head. “Love? Javier, love is supposed to protect you, to make you feel safe. All it’s ever done for me is bring pain.” I take a step back and then another. “I’m tired too.”Of everything, I think before turning around and taking refuge in my room.

I lie on the bed in my black dress and let the sorrow come again, and I cry. Except that this time, nobody is holding me, and I hate to admit that I miss Javier’s comforting presence.

The room feels colder and lonelier than ever. Each sob racks my body, a painful reminder of everything I’ve lost and the betrayal I feel. The silence is deafening. I clutch the pillow, wishing it were someone who could offer comfort, even if that someone is Javier.

My thoughts swirl with anger, hurt, and longing. I want to hate him, to push him away forever, but a part of me still yearns for the man I fell in love with.

As the tears finally begin to subside, exhaustion takes over. I curl up on the bed, pulling the blanket around me, seeking warmth and comfort.

Just as I’m drifting into an uneasy sleep, I hear a soft knock on the door. I don’t have the energy or will to respond.

“Ophelia.” Javier’s voice comes through the door. “I know you don’t want to see me right now, but I’m here if you need anything. I’ll be right outside.”

I don’t respond, but knowing he’s there, offering a small piece of stability in the chaos, brings a strange comfort. Despite everything, his presence makes the pain a littlemore bearable.

As I lie there, drifting between sleep and wakefulness, I know he’s right there, just across the hall, a silent guardian in the dark. It’s not enough to erase the hurt, but for now, it’s enough to know that I’m not entirely alone.

Chapter 22

Javier

“You told Evans he’s not my boss, didn’t you?” Derek asks, slouching in the chair across from my desk.

I sigh, looking up from the acquisition contract I’ve been trying to read for the past two hours. I decided to get a sense of normality and left her alone to go back to work. “If you accepted your role as COO instead of being the ‘weird tech guy,’ it wouldn’t happen.” “Whatever. He’s still an asshole.”

I snort. I can’t help but agree—my CFO is a dick, but he’s also the best there is. “You don’t have to worry about it. I’m sending him to the EMEA board meeting. I’m staying.”

“You’re what?”

I cringe internally but look up anyway. “Staying.”

He shakes his head. “But you can’t. This is too important.”

I shrug. I know that, and this empire used to represent almost everything to me, just like my revenge, but now there’s this frustrating woman. “She won’t run away, Jav. She’s got nowhere to go.”

This time, I can’t control my cringe. It’s not the vote of confidence I want, but it’s the truth. “Things are getting better between us.”

Derek raises his pierced eyebrow. “Is that right?”

I nod. “For the past few days, she didn’t run away after I sent her a text saying I was coming home. She doesn’t give me the middle finger when she sees me, and she has not told me to go to hell at all in the past three days.”

“Wow, it’s like watchingLove Story. It’s so beautiful.”

I throw him a glare for his heavy sarcasm. “And last night, she was actually cooking dinner. She cooked for both of us. She told me to go take a shower, and when I came back, dinner was on the table.”

“Uh…” Derek rubs his jaw, and I can see the doubt on his face.

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