Luca gives a sharp jerk of his head, a clear sign of dismissal, and the Purcell family all turn and walk away, cutting across the crowded ballroom. Sadie looks like she could cry, and I hope like hell it’s out of relief and not because her dad will take the failure of his little scheme out on her.
This needs to end.
The thought rises up in my mind, strong and more clear than it’s ever been. This ruthless, cruel game needs to come to a close before more innocent people get swept up in the violence and manipulation and greed.
“Okay.” I shake my head slightly to clear it, dragging my gaze away from Sadie Purcell’s retreating back. “Let’s get to fucking work. I want this night to be worth it.”
Theo shoots me that look of quiet pride I’m starting to recognize, then nods, grinning lightly. “Whatever you say, boss.”
Determination fills me as I spin in a slow circle, searching the crowd around us for any sign of Adrian.
I don’t see him on my first pass, so I start to scan the crowd again. But when my gaze drifts over the entrance to the ballroom, my entire body freezes.
My heart freezes.
My lungs freeze.
My skin flushes hot and then goes ice cold.
Earth and air.
At least ten yards separate us, but I can still pick out the sky blue and rich brown color that complement each other so beautifully. The man’s gaze settles on mine, and my entire world shifts on its axis.
Marcus.
Chapter 13
Beside me, Ryland makes a strangled noise in his throat.
It’s the only sound I hear. The orchestra has faded away, and the hubbub of surprised voices around us is swallowed up by the rushing in my ears. I feel Theo stiffen beside me as he catches sight of Marcus too, and then all three of us move at once.
There are people standing between us and the doorway as they stare at the newest arrivals, but just like the music and the voices, those people seem to have faded into non-existence. Maybe I walk around them, maybe I walk fucking through them, I don’t know. All I know is that I need to get to Marcus.
To touch him.
To make sure he’s not a mirage or a hallucination.
My pulse picks up with every step I take, my heartbeat an insistent drum in my chest, and when I’m just two yards away, I open my mouth to speak.
But before the words can escape my lips, another figure finally breaks through the pinpoint focus I have on Marcus. Victoria, the girl I remember from the church, steps up beside him. She’s dressed in a blood red gown with a train that trails behind her, and her shoulder brushes against his as she looks straight at me.
It’s that look, that hard-edged, cool stare that brings me up short.
Instead of throwing myself into Marcus’s arms like I intended to, my footsteps stumble to a halt just a few feet from him.
His breathtaking multicolored eyes are still fixed on me, but I can’t seem to stop my gaze from bouncing back and forth between him and Victoria.
Something isn’t right.
Something is wrong.
Marcus’s face is a bit thinner than I remember, and a little paler too. His angular features, strong brow, and straight nose are just as beautiful as they’ve ever been, but something in his eyes makes my stomach tighten painfully.
“Marcus.” Ryland’s voice is a low rumble beside me, shock resonating through the word. It deepens and hardens as he adds, “Victoria.”
The girl with the green eyes and auburn hair styled in an elegant updo smiles, although there’s not an ounce of warmth in her expression. “Ryland. Theo.” Her gaze turns to me. “And you must be Ayla. I saw you at the church.”
“What the fuck is going on?” Theo’s voice resonates with suspicion. I feel him edge a little closer to me, as if he’s trying to physically protect me.
Victoria shrugs elegantly. “What’s the matter, Theo? I thought you’d be glad to see your friend isn’t dead.” Her smile widens, and she wraps one delicate hand around Marcus’s arm. “I hope you’ll at least congratulate us on our engagement.”
Marcus’s jaw ticks, his body stiffening.
The ring on her left hand glints in the light.
I stare at it, transfixed by the gleaming princess-cut jewel as all the blood seems to leave my body, replaced with… nothing.
There’s nothing inside me.
I’m empty.
I step backward, nearly tripping over the hem of my dress in my haste to escape. Ryland reaches for me, but shock has slowed his movements, and I slip from his grasp. Whirling around, I stride away as fast as I can, nearly running as I weave my way through the bodies in the crowded room. I don’t know where I’m going. It doesn’t even fucking matter.
Anywhere but here.
I need to get out of this ballroom, away from the hum of voices and the soft strains of the music. Away from Victoria. Away from the truth that grips my heart like an iron fist.
Marcus is back.
But he’s no longer mine.
Tears sting my eyes, blurring my vision as I finally make my way through the thick of the crowd, slipping through an arched doorway and down a long corridor. I turn left when I reach another hallway, reaching out to steady myself against the wall as my legs shake.
I can’t breathe. Or maybe I am breathing, and my lungs have just gone numb.
I don’t understand. I don’t fucking understand.
“Angel. Wait!”
Marcus’s voice behind me hits me like a heavy weight, making my already weak knees threaten to give out. The sound of the nickname he gave me on his lips plucks a chord in my heart, but I don’t turn around.
“Fuck.”
I hear his low curse behind me, and a second later, a hand wraps around my arm, dragging me sideways. He yanks open
