Page 68 of The Marriage Agreement
“Carey.”
“Sorry. Old habits. I keep forgetting we’re friends now.” Carey’s mouth broadens in a wide, exaggerated smile. “Should I call you older brother now or what?”
“Damien’s fine.”
Ivy seems to sense the tension between us as she says, “And where’s Thalia? I would like to say hi to her.”
Carey’s light mood darkens somewhat. “That’s going to be difficult, my afraid.”
“Oh?”
“She didn’t come.” He downs his wine in a way that suggests he’s drinking to get drunk. Now that I’ve noticed it, I also note the slightly askew bow tie and his somewhat uneasy gait.
Ivy puts a hand on his shoulder. “Anything going on between you two you need to talk about?”
“Now you want to play family. Come on Ivy. You ran away from us. You can’t act like you care about what happens between me and my wife when you barely know her.”
"Did you two break up?" She asks. Carey simply makes a cryptic shrug and leaves us.
Ivy looks on with concern at her brother, but I am more concerned with what Carey has just said. “You ran away?”
“I don’t think it’s something I can discuss now, Damien.”
I want to probe further, but we’re interrupted again by another one of her brothers. Nolan, this time. We haven’t seen each other much ever since the day of the vote. Terry and Craig have been the ones dealing with Nolan’s people, making this meeting a little awkward.
“Hi,” I say to him.
He responds with a similar, even tone.
“What’s wrong with Carey?” Ivy asks.
“He seems a little off to you too, huh? I heard that he and Thalia might be splitting.” Nolan says.
“Divorce?”
“She’s moved out of his place and is currently staying at a hotel or her mother’s place, one of the two.”
The news doesn’t come as a surprise to me. The little I know of Thalia and Nolan’s relationship was that of a frosty partnership where they both barely tolerate one another. However, there was always an underlying heat there that I couldn’t quite figure out. The way Carey would stare at her when she was not watching was one of a man obsessed with a woman he didn’t want to be obsessed with. Maybe that’s where the frostiness came from. He hates his attraction to her. I can recognize that kind of twisted desire. It never leaves you. I know I have learned the hard way.
“I’m sure they’ll sort out whatever quarrel they’re having,” I say. “Those two don’t seem capable of staying away from each other.”
Ivy and Nolan look at me like I’ve just grown two heads. “I’m surprised the split hasn’t happened sooner,” Nolan says.
I am about to explain my theory when I hear a commotion near the entrance followed by a woman screaming, “DamienSinclair!” The buzzy hall goes quiet as everyone’s attention turns to the source of the noise. It’s Nicole, and she looks insane.
Chapter 27
Ivy
I am still reeling from what just happened. Damien is in the front giving his speech while I sit and pretend to listen as though I was not rattled by earlier events. It’s not so much what Nicole did, but what Damien did. Or rather said. The love of my life. He called me the love of his life. And what makes the words weighty is that he wasn’t talking to me when he said it. Nicole came here uninvited and fell down to her knees in front of Daemon and begged him to forgive her. At first, I was confused and even angry, but the longer she spoke, the more sorry I felt for her. She clearly was in love with him and did all she could to keep other women away from him. Her tactics had not worked, and now she was out of a job she had sacrificed her life for. If I were in her position, I too would go a little crazy. Damien instructed her to stand up and asked Nolan if there was a private room close by. Damien took my hand and Nolan directed us to a small room with stools piled up in the corners.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Damien asked her. Now that it was just the three of us, Nicole seemed to gain back some of her sanity. “She needs to leave,” she gestured at me.
“She stays,” Damien replied and squeezed my hand. Nicole’s gaze fixates on where my hand and Damien’s make contact. “What do want, Nicole?” he asked.
“I love you. That’s what I wanted to tell you. I love you will all my heart and even though you’ve said before that you don’t know what love is. I don’t care. I did everything I did because of my love for you. You have to know that I did it all for you. All I did…” she stepped forward, nearly lunging at us as she tried to reach for Damien’s hand. He was too quick for her, however, and she held air instead.
“Nicole, stop.”
