Page 25 of Zenith
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Iwas tooafraid to leave the opening on my own.
Blanche’s gloating had unsettled me to the core, and as I watched her glide around the gallery as if she owned the entire building, she made it her sole purpose to illustrate that she had complete power over me. She knew Edward’s darkest secret and was not afraid to destroy his entire world. She could see what I had so blatantly disregarded—my love—and had used it against me. Two birds, one stone.
I was so worried by her declaration, but I did not know what to do. Should I warn Edward? I was not sure if her plan hinged on the fact I was estranged from him. Perhaps if I joined forces we could find a way to silence…
“Jane,” Rivers said, bumping his shoulder against mine as we walked toward the dark studio.
I’d waited until Rivers was ready to depart the gallery, and he escorted me through the night, back to the apartment in Shoreditch. We now stood outside the roller door, and he was jangling his keys, fumbling through them for the correct one to unlock the side door.
“Yes?” I asked as he let us into the dark space and turned on the lights. He carried a bottle of wine under his arm, a gift from Space Gallery, a look of giddy happiness upon his lips.
“I sold every piece tonight,” he said with pride. “You must linger a while so we can celebrate. I am not yet ready to sleep. I’m far too awake to even contemplate rest.”
I was far too stressed to sleep myself, so I nodded, hoping a little sip of wine would assist in calming me.
“You sold the entire collection?” I asked as I set my purse down on the coffee table.
“Anastasia told me there was a furious bidding war over the portrait,” he said, retrieving two wine glasses from the shelf behind the couch. Handing them to me, he popped the cork on the bottle and filled both with the smooth red liquid.
“Really?”
“Do not sound so surprised, Jane,” he replied, taking a glass from my hand and raising it. “One day, you will look at yourself in the mirror and not feel so confused as to what is staring back at you. You need to open your eyes, and see what everyone else sees.”
“Who bought it, do you know?”
“Some rich man from up north, I think. The name was held off the record, but it is not uncommon for bidders to be anonymous. Regardless, someone loved it enough to pay a handsome sum. You should be flattered, Jane.”
Removing the glass from my fingers, he placed it on the table next to his own and fixed his gaze upon mine. He stared at me with such intensity my skin prickled in warning.
“Jane, I know you have told me you do not want a relationship,” he began, his gaze falling to my lips. “But I cannot stop thinking about you. Your words say no, but yet you linger and show interest in my life.”
“Rivers…”
He darted forward like lightning, and his mouth covered mine, his hands grasping my shoulders painfully. His tongue forced its way into my mouth, and I tensed under his touch, remaining motionless as he kissed me.
“Jane,” he whispered against my mouth. “Jane, please… I’m falling in love with you, can’t you see? Please, kiss me.”
I twisted out of his grasp and attempted to think of a way to end this madness once and for all. He reached for me, his hands pulling at my waist, and it was enough to prod me into movement. I rose to my feet and steeled my resolve. He must be told before this got any more out of hand.
“You are mistaken,” I declared. “You are reading too much into my actions. My words are my truth, and they have always been so. I do not love you, Rivers. I cannot.”
“It’s him, isn’t it?” he snarled. “Rochester. He harms you beyond compare, you flee from him, yet you still pine for his touch.It’s abhorrent.”
“What?” I whispered, struck dumb by his venomous words. I had not told him I’d fled Thornfield, and nothing had passed my lips about Edward Rochester at all. “I have not…”
“How could you love a man who has previously harmed you, Jane?” He rose to his feet, his eyes pleading with mine. “I would care for you more than any other in my life. I love you, Jane. Be mine, and the world can be ours.”
I shook my head, my entire body racked with tremors. “You do not love me, Rivers,” I said. “How could it be love when you do not even know me? Love cannot be forced.”
“Do you doubt me, Jane?” he demanded. “I know the strength of my own convictions.”
“I doubt you entirely because you do not know the strength of mine!”
“Have I not shown you nothing but kindness?” he asked, his eyes blazing with anger. “Have I not been patient?”
“Please…” I muttered, edging backward as fear rose sharply within me. “You must understand…”
