Page 157 of Remi's War (Four Dark Horsemen 2)

They have already festered and brought damage beyond repair.

I slam my fist on the glass, hissing, while hating myself for even having doubts about this.

Shame for Duke is not enough. I want him to lose what he loves most so he regrets his deeds till the day he dies.

Not to mention he has subjected my wife, my beautiful, beloved wife, to so much sorrow and pain. She had to grow up without her parents and twin.

With each passing day, I become more obsessive and possessive of her, needing her like the air we all breathe and wanting to be in her company constantly. She’s my calm in any storm, temporarily taming the monster raging within me who craves blood and vengeance.

She inspires an ache in my heart that has been dead for years, and sometimes I wonder… is this the love all the poets speak so highly of?

Craving a woman so much, you no longer know how to exist in the darkness without her, because she’s the only light this world possesses? Thinking about her protection first and doing your best to keep her safe?

And knowing without a shadow of a doubt that if she ever tries to leave you or gets scared… you will clip her wings and drag her deeper into your world until no one but you accept her?

My love is a curse, and unfortunately for Penelope, she’ll have to live with it for the rest of her life.

Because no monster willingly lets go of their salvation; we, better than anyone, hold onto the things we cherish the most.

Because destiny has been so cruel to us, we rarely get such chances.

Kelly speaks through the intercom and pulls me out of my thoughts. “Mr. Reyes, there is a woman here. She is not scheduled, but she insists on seeing you.”

My brows furrow, and I spin around on my heel, glancing at my watch. “Who?” I agreed to meet with the dark four in half an hour at Santiago’s office to discuss Octavius’s latest fuck-up.

“Her name is— Miss, you can’t enter without permission!” The double doors to my office burst open, and a woman enters, stilling me on the spot.

She’s wearing a black dress and heels. Her hair is put in a neat ponytail while her kind eyes flash in fury.

Sofia Carrington in the flesh.

She crosses her arms and lifts her chin. “Remi.”

Kelly runs right behind her, breathing heavily as she rubs her pregnant belly. “I’m sorry, sir. She just barged in.” She glares at Sofia, who sends a tight smile her way, which makes Kelly blink in surprise.

“I’m sorry, but I do have to talk to your boss.” She shifts her attention back on me. “Alone.” She utters the word in a harsher tone, and for some unexplainable reason, I want to stand straight and fall in line.

What in the fuck?

This woman might be my biological mother, but she didn’t raise me, so I don’t owe her shit. In fact, my adoptive mother didn’t do much for me either. Aunt Rebecca has been more of a mother to me than anyone else.

Somehow, though, this justification seems wrong to use against a woman who thought her child was dead.

Kelly darts her gaze between us, confusion written all over her face, and I tell her, “It’s fine, Kelly.” However, since I don’t know how long this might take, I add, “Call the dark four and tell them to meet me here instead of the Cortez holding.”

She nods at me. “Will do, sir.” With this, she closes the door, leaving me alone with the woman who has all my insides flipping. My hands sweat while unfamiliar nervousness washes over me, which makes me almost laugh.

I’m a grown-ass man who has seen so much shit that this little encounter shouldn’t unsettle me at all.

And yet it does, and I loathe myself even more because of it.

“What do you want, Ms. Carrington?” After the divorce, she kept her family name that once again should prove to me how loyal she is to her family.

Who knows?

Maybe she'll be glad once she finds out what he did. She got her freedom, and no one ever learned about her shame back then. She can spill truths now during dinners when it hardly affects her reputation.

Her father gifted her youth when he stole my childhood.

---