Page 135 of The Diávolos: Part Two
Evander nods and opens his mouth to say something else but hesitates. I simply wait, not rushing him.
“How do you feel now, about…us?” he asks after a moment, his tone carrying a mix of sadness and hope.
I take a deep breath. The weight of Evan’s betrayal has held me captive in a web of resentment and pain for over a year. But now, as I look my husband in the eyes, I realize something within me has shifted.
I could never get over Evander. TheDiávolos. He has imprinted himself on me, like a werewolf who has found his soulmate. We formed an unbreakable bond I so desperately wanted to destroy but couldn’t.
My gaze lowers, and I place my sweaty palm on his hand. “I love you. I always have, and I always will.”
Evander winces. “But?”
“But you hurt me.” I take a deep breath. “I spent all this time wondering:why me? After all I’d been through, I didn’t deserve to be entangled in your devious revenge plot.”
His body slumps, and he removes his hand from my knee, making me feel the instant absence of his touch. His elbows rest on his thighs, his head hanging low.
“I’m sorry, Angelica. I should have never brought you into this. I regretted it the moment I laid eyes on you.” Evan lifts his head, his eyes full of remorse.
“I know, and I forgive you.”
Evander’s eyes spark with a radiant glow, and he cups my cheeks with a rough exhale. Hot tears travel down my face, my heart warming at his wide grin.
“I love you so fucking much, Angelica. I promise to never hurt you again,” he says with much determination, then his tone turns teasing. “Or I know you’ll kill me yourself, little slayer,” he teases, and I can’t help but laugh.
The decision to forgive him was a gradual understanding that harboring all this anger was only prolonging my own suffering. I didn’t have faith in us, until he proved himself to be worthy of forgiveness. I know now that Evander would do anything to keep me happy and safe.
“You hurt us, but the wounds are finally healing,” I say, feeling a sense of liberation from the words, in being able to accept our love for each other.
“Together, we’ll find peace, my angel.”
Our relationship still needs work, and I acknowledge that I have my own imperfections too, but this is not as a surrender or a sign of weakness, but a conscious choice to release the chains that bound me to the past.
To embrace my new future.
A future with the man I love.
With the devil that will always find me in the dark.
EPILOGUE
EVANDER
Three weeks later
“Close your eyes.”
Angelica is giddy, but she shuts her lids, and I cover her face with a silk scarf. “Where are we going?”
“Ah-ah! You’llseewhen we get there. Pun intended.”
She chuckles in response.
I set off again and glance at my angel seated next to me in our new Lamborghini, dressed in the black, velvet cocktail dress I bought her. I’ve never cared about dressing anyone before, but seeing Angelica’s eyes light up when she opens anything I give her, makes my heart squeeze and my cock swell.
We never got the chance to celebrate our wedding night so, three weeks after the chaos that ensued with Philip, I decided that now’s the time. Angelica has fully healed from her injuries and seems to be in better spirits. But she still struggles withnightmares and random anxiety attacks—it can’t be easy for her to come to terms with what she did, though I know she doesn’t regret killing her bastard father.And rightly so.
I haven’t let her out of my sight for a moment. We sleep entangled in each other every single night so I’m able to comfort her when she wakes up in terror. It’ll be a long road to heal from the trauma, but I’ll be there every step of the way.
As we approach our location, my chest tightens in anticipation. I’ve been secretly working on this since we first started planning the real wedding. Excitement and a touch of nervousness swirl in my stomach. I really hope she’ll like it.
