Page 28 of Her Irresistible Husband

"He killed himself even though it meant leaving me orphaned. Five months later, my mother was murdered. By the same man she had left us for."

I'm crying even before he's finished speaking, tears falling endlessly down my cheeks as the full weight of his confession settles over me like a lead blanket.

Everything...everything makes terribly painful sense now.

And it only makes me cry harder as I watch him rise to his feet with an uncharacteristic lack of grace.

Oh, Wynd.

Those ice-blue eyes that have haunted my dreams are shuttered now, and the walls around his heart feel so much taller and thicker, every brick fortified by all of the pain he had experienced as a child.

Just looking at him answers all my questions.

And it hurts so much more because I get why he's doing this.

I get how complicated and twisted love can get, especially in the eyes of a child.

I get how terrifying it can be, to know that a "good" thing like love can lead to death and murder.

I really do get it, and that's why—

"You're leaving me," I whisper brokenly, my voice cracking on every word, "not just because you realize I'm starting to fall for you. Aren't you?"

The question hangs between us like a bridge I'm not sure either of us is brave enough to cross.

And Wynd...

Oh, my love.

He only looks at me one last moment before turning towards the door, and I can't make myself hate him even as he walks away without a word.

I wasn't lying when I said I get it.

He isn't leaving just because he knows I've fallen for him.

He's leaving because he's in love with me, too.

He's leaving because he's doing what he thinks is best for Samuel.

Chapter Twelve

IT HAD ONLY BEEN ANhour since he'd walked away from Star in that boardroom, and Wynd already felt sick to his stomach.

Why did he feel like he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life?

The ride back to Sullivan Tower passed in a blur of downtown traffic and the low hum of his driver's radio. As soon as he was back in his office, he tried throwing himself back into work with the kind of desperate focus he hadn't needed since his early days building his empire.

But it was no use.

Just looking at his damn desk reminded him of the first time he made her come, and every document he tried to read only reminded him of Star's breathless voice as she read the terms of her company's proposal. With every signature he scrawled on a piece of paper, all he could remember was the pain that had emanated from her whole being...upon realizing her existence was deliberately being shunned.

By the time office hours ended, everyone working on his floor was jostling to reach the elevator and escape his wrath. Wynd had snapped at his assistant twice, glared at his CFO into stammering submission, and generally made himself the kind of boss people warned each other about in hushed whispers by the coffee machine.

Prior commitments obliged him to attend another fundraiser gala that evening, and it was only when he arrived at the opulent ballroom that Wynd remembered too late that Hope Rises was one of the evening's beneficiaries.

The ballroom glittered under crystal chandeliers, filled with San Antonio's elite in their finest evening wear. Round tables draped in crisp white linens dotted the space, each centerpiece a tasteful arrangement of white roses, orchids, and baby's breath. A small orchestra played softly from one corner while servers in black uniforms moved between guests with silver trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

It was the same old scene, but what caught Wynd off guard and had him inhaling sharply was the exhibit along the far wall.

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