Page 55 of The Rancher's Vengeful Heart

Xylan's mouth opened and closed. "Fine, okay, you got me there. But it's different with him."

Yes, it was.

"When we broke up, the whole world didn't know about it. But when that asshole dumped you—-"

"He didn't." The words felt torn from her throat.

Xylan stared at her incredulously. "Why can't you just accept the truth? He—-"

"He left me—-"

"What the hell's the difference?" Xylan demanded impatiently.

"Because he thought I m-married him to h-hurt you."

But instead she had ended up hurting herself.

"Married?"Xylan could only stare at her. "We just broke up, and you ended up married to him?" Xylan felt as if he had never known Tassy at all after hearing this. "It isn't like you to be so fucking impulsive—-"

"I wasn't."

"But you married him—-"

"Because I love him."

And as soon as the words were out, it was as if the very last of her walls crumbled for good, and now there was no holding back the sobs rushing out of her throat, just no way to stop the pain from clawing at her soul until it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

"I l-love him, Xylan. I l-love him."

Xylan could only stare as Tassy broke down in tears in front of him. He had never seen her cry. And he had certainly never expected to see her cry like this.

"I'm sorry, Tas.

She wished she could laugh at how awkward Xylan sounded, but the tears simply wouldn't stop falling, and her pain only seemed to keep growing.

"I love him..."

Oh God, why couldn't she stop saying it?

"I really love him."

Why couldn't she just stop when every word was killing her?

"I love him...b-but I don't think he ever l-loved me...if he can hurt me like this."

Chapter Seventeen

THE EXECUTIVE OFFICESof Young Enterprises gleamed with modern minimalism—steel and glass surfaces reflecting the city lights outside. During the day, it buzzed with the hustle and bustle of a highly driven corporate workforce. But at midnight, the entire place was quiet and dark...save for the office of the man who owned all of it.

Lucius wearily leaned back against his seat, suit jacket discarded, and sleeves rolled to the elbow. Everything inside of him felt dead. It had been so since he had gotten rid of her.

A sound alerted him to someone coming inside to his office, but Lucius couldn't even find the fucking energy to open his eyes.

Marius' lips tightened as he studied his eldest brother, who was a picture of exhaustion and despair. It was like looking at a fucking stranger.

"What is it, Marius?"

Marius' lips twitched. When they had been younger, none of them could slip anything past their eldest brother. It was nice to know this part of Lucius was still the same.

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