Page 88 of Legacy

I was coming for answers.

And no matter the risk, the costs be damned, I would stop whatever bullshit schemes he wanted to put into play.

My wife came first.

Always.

It was time to show her how much I meant that.

Twenty-Three

Avra

Once Elias left the house, Vik and Laya slowly exited my office. It was apparent that they heard everything said between Eli and me—his declaration of love, his claim that he could never hurt me, and that vow.

My throat burned thinking of it.

So many thoughts and so many emotions tumbled around in my mind. The flowers set on the low table before me were a blurry haze.

He’d looked so broken when he left.

I’d done that to him. He wasn’t the type to beg, and he’d knelt before me, pleading for me to listen to him.

He expected me to believe him innocent in this.And everything inside me wanted to, oh, how it tried to do just that.

“Avra.” Vik cleared his throat.

This was just too much.

Trust him or don’t?

Believe him or stand firm?

“Avra,” Vik called my name again, but this time with a harsher tone, snapping me out of the pit I found myself drowning within.

I looked at Vik. Instead of feeling discomfort for overhearing Eli and me exchange emotional words, I felt his compassion and understanding.

“Don’t make rash decisions while in this state.” He held my gaze and then said, “I will check in with the team and alert them to this news. I’m going to get the full recording.”

With that, he turned and walked away. He would find the truth, whatever it was.

This man, who raised me, someone who wasn’t one for hugs or loving words, had given me more emotions in the last hour than I’d received from him in years. Maybe he’d walled himself off to protect himself as I had done.

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me, and then turned my attention to Laya as she entered my line of sight. As Eli had crouched in front of me, she perched on the edge of the low table.

I sighed so heavily that it took all my strength not to sob. It was the one thing I hadn’t allowed myself to do since losing Mama and Papa. A tear here or there was one thing, but breaking down, crying my eyes out, and allowing thepain locked inside me to rush out wasn’t something I allowed.

As the eldest, I stayed strong, protected my sisters, and gave them hope for a better future.

Except, I couldn’t muster a tiny grain of strength to do any of it.

If only the numbness I’d used to allow to overtake my emotions would work now.

Fuck, I’ve really lost sight of the plan.

All because of Elias Xenos. Because of how he made me feel and believe we could have something like real love.

Laya took my hands in hers. “That wasn’t how I expected things to go.”

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