Page 92 of Of Vows and Betrayal

Derek squeezes my hand lightly. “We all have ghosts, Phee. What matters is how we deal with them. Javier’s love for Paloma was real, but it’s a chapter of his life that’s closed. What he feels for you is his future.”

“Javier loved Paloma like a boy loves. She was five years older, and as sad as it seems, I don’t think she loved him either. He presented the potential of a wealthy future, and he was young enough to be manipulated. I’m not judging. I loved my sister, but the facts are the facts. She used him from the moment she saw the financial potential his intelligence brought to the drug business. There’s no competition, real or otherwise. He would have never let anything go for Paloma, but he was willing to do it for you. He just realized it too late, when the damage was already done. He was young and inexperienced; he’s not anymore. He loved her as a boy, but he loves you as a man,” Tiago adds.

I take a deep breath, trying to absorb their words. “I just don’t know if I can see past everything.”

“And nobody’s asking you to,” Derek says quickly. “This is your decision, your life, and you should not do anything you’re not comfortable with. Ever.”

I look up at him, and the intensity shining in his blue eyes shows me how much he means this. “I won’t.”

A beep and a light turns on, and Tiago stands. “Confession time.” He grabs his robe from the back of the door. “I’ll see you again soon, Ophelia. Derek, call me later.”

“See you soon, Fath—Tiago.” He winks at me and exits the room.

We stand up and start to make our way back to the car.

“I love him, you know,” I let out before thinking.

“Tiago? Yeah, most women do—must be the vestments.”

“No, I—” I can’t help but laugh, seeing the amusement in his eyes. I sigh. “Thank you.”

“I know you do,” he replies more seriously now as he starts the car.

“I just don’t know who he really is. Is the man I fell in love with the real him, or the facade he used to manipulate me?”

It’s good to let that out, but the absence of a reply is a little unnerving. I glance at him as he drives, trying to decipher his face. But that’s the thing with him—you can’t truly tell.

“What is it?”

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

He glances my way and shakes his head. “No, why would I? I can’t give you that answer. Do I know it? Yes, of course I do, but no matter what people will say, you need to figure it out on your own.”

“I know.” I am defeated and tired all at once. All I want is to crawl into bed and sleep for days. “I think he’s going to find a way to let me go,” I say as he enters the parkinggarage. I didn’t mean to say it out loud. I also didn’t mean to make it sound so pathetic.

“He is, yes.”

The pain I feel in the center of my chest is unexpected and surprising, and I hate it. “It’s for the best, isn’t it?”

“Sure. That’s what you want, no?”

I let out a growl of frustration. “You’re really annoying when you do that, you know.”

“Am I?”

“Argh!”

He chuckles before wrapping an awkward arm around my shoulders. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. You’re stronger than you think.”

I lean into his embrace for a moment, feeling the warmth of his support. “Thanks, Derek.”

“Anytime, Phee. Just remember, you’re not alone in this.”

I get to the penthouse, and it feels so empty until I get to the counter and see an envelope there—“Ophelia” is scrawled at the top in Javier’s handwriting.

“Javier,” I call, but the place remains silent. I turn toward the closed elevator and can’t help but smile.

“Derek, you sneaky little…” I whisper, opening the envelope with shaky fingers.

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