Page 87 of Shattered Diamonds

“You and I can still be together, sir.” I hear Tegan reason through stifled cries.

“Our arrangement is over. The child is not mine.”

“Admit it, Demetri.” I hear her frustration through unsympathetic hearing. “At the very least, admit that what I saw was you signing a contract to marry her.”

“You are not wrong.”

“Admit that you love my body and that I am the best you ever had? You said I was.”

“I did say that.”

And with his admittance my heart shatters. I rip my arm away from Paisley’s clutched hands and run down the hallway as best I can in a dress that now feels like a straitjacket suffocating me. My heart pounds. My chest constricts. Air squeezes its way through my lungs with each choking cry I try to hold back but can’t. Why? Why would they do this to me? He clearly had something special with her. Why did he give that up?

My feet carry me down the narrow hallway, heading to the unknown. I can’t go to the girls. I hardly know them. Besides the point, they are all married into the family or are family. I’m alone here. I can’t go back upstairs. I have no one. Not one person who watched us get married has my best interest. They watched me say my vows, profess my love, and knew it was a joke. My own brother arranged this marriage. With that thought another realization hits me even harder. Ciarán. My cousin knew. He had to know. There is no way he didn’t. His words make sense now. The night of the rave Ciarán was yelling at Demetri.

“She needs to experience life before she is strapped down.”

My memory might be hazy but those were his words. I cry out with the thought and keep running as best I can with the short steps the bottom of the dress allows me to take.

I’m mid-stride when I’m yanked so hard off my feet that I’m almost pulled out of my wedding shoes. I gasp and flutter and slap at the hands that have hold of me. I shriek as I fight my assailant. The music is so loud, no one will hear me, but I scream even louder in hopes that someone will. I’m jerked through a doorway. The door is slammed shut at the same time I’m shoved up against the interior wall and an unforgiving hand goes over my mouth, silencing my cries for help. Not even two seconds later, the door flies open. My best friend’s face becomes white as a ghost when she comes face-to-face with none other than my trusted bodyguard.

“Leave,” Finn’s harsh voice thunders, demanding Paisley leave us alone.

“Shit.” Her eyes widen in shock. She glances at me, sees the fear on my face then straightens her back and squares her shoulders, yelling, “Absolutely not.”

“I said leave. Now,” he bellows with so much authoritative energy before snarling at her, still holding his hand over my mouth.

I fight his hold, jerking my chin back and forth but it’s no use. I think about kneeing him in the balls, but my dress is too tight.

“Do not test me, Paisley. That is, unless you would like Haven to know the secret you’ve been keeping.”

She stills, her expression regretful. She gives me a sorrowful glance then turns and leaves the room, closing the door as she goes.

Finn releases my mouth, but not my body, his hips are still pinning mine to the wall.

“What the feckin fuck are you doing, Finn?” I slap at his chest.

“We need to talk.”

“Talk? You just accosted me! You scared the shit out of me. For a feckin talk? We have had many talks without physical abuse involved, Finn.”

“Haven,” he breathes with disappointment, pulling his hips back slightly but not fully releasing me.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I shove at his chest.

“I’ve been trying to get to you for days, Haven. Why don’t you answer your fucking phone?”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Being fucked by that son of a bitch, right? You gave him your virginity, didn’t you?”

What the hell?

My mouth drops open at his vulgarity. “That’s none of your damn business.”

“I was trying to tell you about the wedding.”

“You mean the contract. Everything I just overheard is true, isn’t it?”

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