The sun has just started peeking through the sky, lifting the blanket of night.
I watch the rays creep through the window, through each sliver of the blinds and the archways, until they find Aurora.
Then they slide over her skin like warm honey, placing the spotlight on her, then on me.
The goddess is cocooned in my arms, asleep. We’ve been waking up in each other’s arms every morning, whether that’s on the beach or in bed.
This is our last day here.
By tonight, I won’t even have this part. I fly off to Germany to meet Jericho, and she will return to the States.
I hate the break that will give us, but this last-minute business trip snuck up on me.
Perhaps it’s for the best. Every moment I spend with Aurora makes me crazier for her. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad yet for me.
I’ve been lying here for the last two hours contemplating everything. Every single thing, past, present, and future.
I’m not sure at what point Aurora slipped into my soul. Now it feels like she’s swimming through every nerve in my body as if she belongs there.
She stirs but doesn’t wake. Her hand slips from my chest, and I look at her wedding ring.
She was mine when I put my engagement ring on her finger. But that wedding ring feels like it means something more.
Of course, it does. That’s why you have it, but for me, it’s more than just a mark of ownership. It’s like it’s sending a message, a reminder that I wanted this woman from hello.
I sit up with that thought and decide to go outside to watch the rest of the sunrise. Maybe the cool air will soothe my mind. I drag on some clothes and do just that.
I sit on the beach for an hour. Two. Three.
I still feel the same.
My thoughts don’t shift until I see my mother’s car coming up the narrow strip.
I expected her. She always does this when I’m here. We’ll say goodbye the night before. Then she’ll come and see me the next morning. No matter how early it is, she always stops by.
The car pulls up, and she gets out. I shuffle to face her, watching her walking toward me. In her hands is the little wafer bar of chocolate she always gives me.
Right from when I was a kid, she’d make it a thing to hand me and Jericho one each every morning before we went to school. When we went to live in the States, she would send packages for us with the same things.
Her smile brightens when she approaches, and I get up to give her a hug.
‘Hey there,’ she says, reaching out to tap my cheeks.
“Hi, Mom. You know you didn’t have to do this.”
She gives me a wide grin. “I know, but I always have, so why would I stop now?” She hands me the chocolate, and I take it.
“Thank you.”
“Where’s Aurora?” She glances toward the house.
“Still sleeping, I think. I’ve been out here for a while.”
“Thinking?” she asks, glancing now at the beautiful sunny view of the Saint-Tropez sea shore and the sun in the backdrop.
“Yeah, thinking.”
“Mind if I join you for a while?”
“Not at all.”
We sit together, like we have many times before on this beach.
The moment she looks at me, I know she’s about to talk about Aurora and other things I’m not ready for.
“Do you want to share what you were thinking about?” She rubs my shoulder.
“Life in general.”
“Does life in general include your new bride?”
“Yes.” My mother is the only other person who knows the full story about Aurora and me. I couldn’t lie to her, and I didn’t want anyone else to.
Getting married is something she would’ve wanted to be real for me, so I felt I had to explain what was going on that led me to that marriage.
“I like her,” Mom says. “I really do, and like I said to her the other day, I think she’s good for you.”
“You said that?” The last thing I need in my state of conflict is my mother putting ideas in Aurora’s head. Nobody knows me better than she does, so for her to say that, it’s truth.
“Of course, I said that. It’s very clear to me you care for her. Don’t deny it.”
I let out a heavy sigh. ‘I do care for her, but you know if she finds out about certain things, it will ruin everything. We’re going to clash. Her interest and mine don’t align.”
“I understand that but take away all of those things and think of what you have left. You care for her. That has to count for something, given it’s been so long since you’ve met anyone you cared about. It means something to me to watch you heal after Giselle.”
I gaze into her eyes, knowing she’s right. “It’s not that simple.”
“Nobody expects it to be, but as your mother, I have to point these things out when I see them.”
“I suppose that’s understandable.”
“It has to be. That’s my God-given duty.” She pulls in a deep breath and gives my arm a gentle squeeze. “You should also know that Aurora saw your sculpture of Giselle and asked about her.” There’s a fervency in her voice that grips me.
The same way I was waiting for her to ask me about my father, I’ve been waiting for her to ask me about Giselle too. I know she’s been dying to know who she is, what happened, and why the fuck I have so many sculptures of her.
“What did you say?”
“I told her she died, but as I thought it was a discussion you should have with her, I left it at that. I think you should talk to her, and I think you should give her a chance. I don’t think it would be good for you to close your mind off to possibilities. Okay?”
I think for a moment and nod, partly to appease her. The other part of me is listening.
“Okay.’
We sit there for a little while longer until it’s time for her to go.
In the quiet, I wonder if I really could open my mind to any possibilities with Aurora.
That would include a future beyond the next six months.
It would also mean coming clean with the truth and clearing away the lies.
I’m away from Aurora for the next three days.
Apart from a few phone calls and text messages here and there, we haven’t really spoken to each other.
I’ve been busy in meetings, and the time difference has made it difficult to keep in touch.
The ruthless part of me has seen that as a tool I could use to take the coward’s way out and allow my absence to naturally bleed my obsession of her from my mind. But the part of me that wants nothing more than to be back inside her suffocated all those thoughts, and I’ve ended up wanting her more than I ever have.
Now I’m back in New York, taking the elevator up to my grandfather’s office.
The first thing on my schedule today is the meeting I’ve been waiting for between him, myself, and Jericho. Instead of speaking to me directly, Grandfather wanted to see us together.
God knows what that means. It can’t be good, but I haven’t been able to focus on anything else besides Aurora to give much thought to what I might be walking into.
It hasn’t helped that I haven’t seen Aurora yet. I landed roughly two hours ago. By the time I got home, she’d already left for Sunset Cove.
With the back-to-back meetings I have today, I’m not likely to see her until tomorrow night—late—or possibly even the next night.
Tomorrow is Luc’s hockey match. It’s the first time I don’t particularly want to attend, but I promised I’d be there with Jericho and all the other guys because it’s the championship finals.
I get out of the elevator, and I’m so lost in my mind that I don’t see Bastian standing by the column until he clears his throat.
That’s what he always does when the fucker wants my attention. It’s annoying and irritating. One day, I might just rip out his jugular and crush it to dust, then he won’t do that again.
I keep walking because I don’t want to talk to him.
“Your bride was beautiful,” he calls out, but I keep going. “There were several shots of you and her in Sant-Tropez. You guys almost look real to me. The picture in the Chronicle shows Aurora looking at you like you’re really the loving husband.”
That makes me stop. I knew we’d have the press following us at some point when we were on the mainland of Sant-Tropez, but that’s not why I stopped.
It’s Aurora’s name on his lips. I don’t like it. I face him and narrow my eyes with seething rage.
“Leave my wife alone. Don’t think about her, don’t speak about her, don’t look at her.” The warning in my voice is evident, but he laughs. “What’s so fucking funny, Bastian?”
He moves closer. “You, brother. Anyone who knows you would know straight away. That marriage of yours is fucking arranged. I just don’t know for what. I’ll find out, though. Something tells me it’s to do with the company. In the meantime, you might not want to wear your weakness on your sleeve. It looks like you’re falling for your own game. She is pretty, though. I can see why you fell into your own trap.”
He gives me the filthiest look he can summon, then walks back the way he came and keeps going.
I loathe what he said to me, but the fact that he can see straight through me is what I worry about most.
You never show a man your weaknesses.
Mine has become Aurora.
It’s not for anyone to see that, let alone Bastian.
With a heavy sigh, I continue to Grandfather’s office. I’m surprised when I walk in and find Jericho already there.
I’m not late by any means. In fact, I’m two minutes early. But the fact that Jericho is here early signifies how worried he is about Grandfather’s decision.
“Great, now that Knight is here, let’s start,” Grandfather says, acknowledging me with a nod.
I sit next to Jericho, noting how different Grandfather seems from how he was when we spoke on the phone to check in. All those times, he seemed like he’d cooled off, but now he’s back to being his old business self. This is the face we see when he’s talking about his empire.
I glance at Jericho, but he doesn’t look back. Another sign of tension.
“Now that we’ve had a few weeks to digest the scandal, I wanted to speak to you both. I also wanted to speak to the two of you because you work together.” He focuses on Jericho for a moment and says, “This is not going to be a situation where Knight can talk me out of whatever I decide.”
“I figured as much,” Jericho replies, sounding empty but keeping the coolness he’s known for.
“Good, because I’ve now come to my decision.” Grandfather looks at both of us. “I admire the two of you in more ways than I should, and it’s obvious to everyone that I do. So, I don’t like it when you make me look like an idiot.”
“That wasn’t my intention,” Jericho attempts, but Grandfather holds up his hand to stop him from continuing.
“Jericho, I know it wasn’t your intention, but that doesn’t change the fact that it happened and made me look bad. This is not the time to be losing anything. Word of mouth has been the key marketing tool for this company. I state my name and my life on making us who we are. When you screw with a man like Paul Linco, you don’t just throw a stone at the window of our empire. You hit it with a bulldozer.” He bares his teeth and gives Jericho a hard stare.
“I’m sorry. I truly am.”
I could count the number of times I’ve ever heard Jericho apologize in my life on one hand and still have several fingers left. That includes just now.
“Fortunately, I have managed to talk Paul out of his departure, but it’s cost me a great deal,” Grandfather says, ignoring Jericho’s apology. “Throughout the course of my attempts to fix things, I finally came up with what I want from you. It has taken me a while to speak to you anyway because I didn’t know what you could do that you haven’t already done.”
“What do you want from me? Tell me, and I’ll do anything to fix the situation.”
“I’m glad you say that because my request will fall into the anything category. I want you to find a wife.”
At first, the two of us freeze and stare back at him as if he just told us we’ve been fired, then I wait for him to tell us he’s joking.
But he doesn’t.
Grandfather looks serious as fuck, and I realize the joke and laughter at such a crazy request isn’t going to come.
Sure, I essentially had to find a wife to get what I wanted from the empire, but it wasn’t like that. It was a choice. It was a quest.
This is different.
“What do you mean, find a wife?” Jericho looks at Grandfather as if he’s lost his mind.
“You heard me, son.”
“How the hell does that fix anything?” Jericho’s voice is so high I swear the glass in the windows rattles.
“It fixes your image. That’s what I need you to do. Finding a wife will do just that.”
“Grandfather, don’t you think this is a little harsh?” I speak for the first time. “Jericho isn’t exactly the marrying type.”
“Neither are you, but you did it. You did what you had to to get what you want.” His voice is filled with pride, but I feel nothing but shame. “You already had the image, but now people think Jericho is some playboy, and I have to agree.”
“I’m not a fucking playboy,” Jericho jumps back in.
“Yes, you are.” Grandfather emphasizes his words.
I hate to side with him, but I can’t disagree. Jericho might be as callous as me, and some people call him a wolf, but he’s seen as a playboy. That’s exactly why the press ran with their story.
“You have three months to think about it. The investors, the board of directors, and worse, your father believes you make this company look bad. But I believe we can turn this around with this resolution.”
Jericho shakes his head and raises balled fists. “There must be some other way.”
“My decision is final, son. That’s what I want. If you don’t want to do things my way, the position goes to Bastian. It is as simple as that.”
“This is bullshit. Absolute fucking bullshit.” Jericho gets up and storms out so fast I’m surprised he doesn’t leave a cloud of smoke in his wake.
“I’ll go talk to him,” I say to Grandfather. “But I don’t agree with this. It’s not right.”
“It is what it is,” he simply replies and glances toward the door.
Realizing there is no fight here, I go after Jericho.
He’s already way ahead of me, but I catch up to him and call him. He doesn’t stop. He keeps walking ahead.
“Jericho, just fucking wait.” I grab his arm, yanking him to a stop. “We need to talk about this. This is important.”
He faces me and pulls his arm away. “Knight, if you tell me not to be mad about this fucked-up request, I’ll literally knock your teeth down your throat. And since I know you’d fight back, let’s just agree to fight.”
“We’re not going to fight.”
“Okay, so what are you going to say?” He searches my eyes in an exaggerated manner. “You know he’s wrong, right? Can you at least jump out of his ass for two minutes to acknowledge Grandfather is wrong?”
“I’m not in his ass.” I grit my teeth. I hate when people assume I live up my grandfather’s ass when I fucking don’t. I just know how to choose my battles. “I just think we need to figure things out.”
“How the fuck are we going to do that? You can’t even figure out your own life.”
The accusation throws me out of sync. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Okay, let’s do this. You’re in love with your wife, Knight,” he announces as if the notion is as clear daylight.
It feels like he’s been talking to Bastian, but I know that would never happen.
“What—”
“Don’t.” His nostrils flare, his eyes blaze, and he stares at me with a face ready to fight. “Don’t do that to me. Lie to everyone else, but don’t do it to me, Knight. Don’t tell me you’re not in love with her, and don’t tell me it’s going to be easy for you to hurt her when you sell Sunset Cove. You and I both know the minute Vladimir gets his hands on Sunset Cove, you lose Aurora. Don’t fucking tell me that’s going to be easy for you.”
He looks me up and down, and when I don’t answer, he whirls around and keeps walking.
I let him go because I don’t have anything else to say.
Everything he mentioned is shit I’ve already been thinking about.
That’s why everything is so damn hard.
Sell Sunset Cove. Lose Aurora.
Tell her the truth. Lose Aurora.
Keep lying. Lose Aurora.
There is no scenario where I win and keep her.
But I want her.
It turns out I’m really her Hades after all.
I’m not just obsessed with her.
I’m in love her.
