Semua Bab The Seventh Time the Don Turned Our Wedding Into a Mock Divorce, I Left Him: Bab 1 - Bab 10

When I returned to the estate, drenched from head to toe, every light in the house was on."Drink some warm water."He sat down beside me, concern written all over his face.It might have meant something if Selene had not been sitting there too.I took the cup and almost laughed.Selene had Damon's coat over her shoulders, her face pale.She said softly,"Damon, can I stay here tonight?""I'm a little scared."Damon looked at me.Almost without thinking, he stepped in front of her, already waiting for me to make a scene.The old Evelyn would have.She would have demanded an explanation.This time, I only paused for a second."Sure.""Stay as long as you want."Damon's frown deepened.I did not look at either of them again. I changed my shoes and went straight to the master bathroom.Hot water ran over me, but I still felt cold to the bone.It was not the first time something like this had happened.The day Selene returned to New York, Damon brought her back to the estate.She was drunk

The next day, Damon seemed to be truly trying to make it up to me.He had the wedding schedule sent over again and removed every last trace of the old prank setup."This time, it's real."He stood at the study door, his voice low."Evelyn, don't be angry anymore."I looked up at him.If not for the miscarriage report I had hidden away,if not for the child no one had ever known about,I might have believed him.Damon's phone rang soon after.He went out to the balcony to answer it.When the glass door closed, only Selene and I remained in the room.She set down her teacup, and the softness on her face vanished."You're still not leaving?"I looked at her.She laughed."Honestly, I've never seen anyone put up with as much as you.""Seven times.""All I had to do was say one word, and Damon turned a wedding into a divorce ceremony.""How are you still here?"My fingers tightened slightly around the cup."And what are you?""No matter how much Damon protects you, I'm still the one standin

Night had fallen by the time Damon returned to the estate.The staff had not touched the master bedroom. Torn photographs still covered the floor.He bent and picked one up.It had been taken shortly after he became Don. In it, I was leaning against his shoulder, smiling without the slightest reservation.I had written a sentence on the back.[I finally made it here with you.]His hand went still.For years, Damon had believed I was the one who could not live without him.Only now did he understand who had been carrying whom.The ledgers I had organized remained in his study. North Port contacts, casino accounts, weaknesses within the old families. Everything was indexed and cross-referenced.I had taken nothing that belonged to the Voss family.Even North Port, the route I had spent three years securing, had been handed back intact."Miss Evelyn revoked all of her access before she left," his assistant said. "She left herself no way back in."Damon closed his eyes.The words hurt more

The Hale family held a formal reception to present me as its heir.I stood beside my father in a black evening gown, accepting greetings from every family in attendance.Adrian remained half a step behind me.When someone asked about the alliance, he did not answer for me."That is Evelyn's decision."The answer alone told everyone in the room exactly how much he respected me.Halfway through the evening, the entrance fell silent.Damon stood beyond the doors.He had no invitation, but he wore the black suit meant for our wedding.In only a few days, he had lost weight. His eyes were bloodshot, and the composure he wore like armor was beginning to crack.His steps faltered when he saw me."Evelyn."The Hale guards blocked his path.I raised one hand."Let him through."Hope flashed across his face.Then I spoke again."Mr. Voss."The color drained from his face."Don't call me that. Come back to New York with me. I know what Selene did. She will never have North Port or another vote in

Six months later, I formally took control of the Hale family's ports and art trade.My body recovered slowly under the care of my doctors.The first negotiation I led did not go smoothly.Several partners assumed that an heir who had spent years away could be cornered. Minutes before the signing, they raised their price.Adrian sat beside me and said nothing.I placed a competing shipping agreement on the table and removed every bit of leverage they thought they had.Only then did he lower his eyes with a faint smile."Why didn't you help me?" I asked on the drive home."Because you didn't need help."He paused."If they had tried to hurt you outside the negotiation, that would have been different."It was a kind of restraint Damon had never understood.Adrian stayed near me, but he never pressed me to set a wedding date.He remembered my medication and asked the staff to deliver it on time.When meetings ran late, he waited outside and asked whether I wanted dinner.If I said no, he s