Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“How dare you,” I scream once the elevator doors shut, closing me off from Luciano. Spinning on my heels, I stalk back toward Javier, swiping furiously at my tears. I can barely see as I rush at him, hand up, ready to strike when I get within arm’s reach.
A piercing crack reverberates through the air as my open palm connects with his cheek. “How could you?” My voice cracks through a shriek, and I raise my hand again.
Javier springs to his feet and grabs my wrist right before it connects with his reddened skin again, where my handprint’s already prominent.
“What exactly did I do aside from tell your fake fiancé the truth?” He seethes, glaring at me while he holds my wrist in place.
“What truth? You acted like I knew the marriage wasn’t real after you swore it was,” I spit, my body trembling. “You begged me to help you and promised me a divorce.”
He drops my wrist and adjusts the collar of his shirt while he retakes his seat.
Propping his leg over his opposite knee, he settles in again as if he doesn’t have a care in the world and we’re talking about something as mundane as the weather.
“I wouldn’t call it begging, but you may choose to believe what you’d like.
As far as the marriage goes, you knew from the beginning it wasn’t real.
To say otherwise is simply a lie on your part. ”
“You showed me the marriage certificate. You gave it to me.”
“Yes, but you didn’t even bother to look at it, did you?” Pulling his gaze from mine, he pours himself another glass of wine and takes a long sip after swirling it.
I’m caught so off guard by the casualness of his actions, it takes me a moment to realize what he said. “Of course, I looked at it!”
“Closely? Close enough to notice that the French seal wasn’t on the paperwork? The document was a counterfeit, my dear American girl.”
“I… How?” An overwhelming feeling of suffocation settles deep in my chest. But my tears begin to dry as the shock from Luciano leaving wears off.
Javier openly rolls his eyes at me. “It really wasn’t that difficult. Felipe is quite good at forging documents.”
“This is so fucked.” I lift my chin in an effort to exude confidence I’m not even close to feeling.
He laughs methodically, his eyes darkening as they narrow at me. “Either you knew the document was a fake from that first evening and used the information to your advantage to get close to your lawyer friend, or I underestimated your intelligence.”
His words are sobering, like cold water thrown in my face. They’re exactly what I need to stop myself from feeling the pain of Luciano walking out and push another emotion forward to fuel me into ridding my life of the horrible man in front of me once and for all.
Anger.
My heart pulsates with a fury so deep, it’s practically tangible. With an eerily calm tone, I step forward into his space. “Bold of you to assume either. Why me, Javier? What did I do to deserve you ruining the only thing I care about?”
He tosses back the last bit of wine in his glass and stands, towering over me in an attempt to make me feel small.
It’s not working.
“When I woke up in that hotel room the next morning, you were already gone. The only traces of you that remained were your lipstick imprint on a champagne glass and a piece of silk from a makeshift hair ribbon you concocted at some point during the evening. You left me naked and alone, with no way to reach you, and not even a goodbye. I thought we shared something.”
“And I thought we agreed no strings attached,” I snap.
“I’m not typically a man who gets told no a lot.”
“So, because of your wounded ego, you’ve now sought me out a year later to ruin my life? Make it make sense, Javier. You could have looked for me right after I left Paris if I mattered so much to you.”
“I considered it for a brief moment and decided you weren’t worth the trouble.
After those first few weeks, I hadn’t thought of you at all until my father passed.
Then, suddenly, I found myself in quite a conundrum.
I needed a wife, and much to my surprise, when the realization popped into my head, your face followed. ”
“Why?” I ask through gritted teeth
“Evidently my subconscious never let you go. I thought you were special, Raina. The memory of you stuck with me, and I thought you were worth pursuing. Perhaps some part of me had fallen for the woman who discarded me.”
“This isn’t how you treat someone you supposedly love.”
“You misunderstand my words. The memory of you was placed on a pedestal, but when I came to New York and observed you for a few days, I realized my recollection was jaded. However, by that point, the clock was ticking. I needed you to agree with pursuing my plans, but when I asked for your assistance, you came up with your fake fiancé ruse. Not very convincing, I might add, but I could see the fire behind your eyes. You did not want to make this easy for me. And I enjoy a challenge.”
“So now what, Javier? Obviously you’ve succeeded. You got what you want. Revenge. My humiliation. You’ve ruined the only relationship I’ve ever wanted.”
He shrugs, his smile callous as he rubs his jaw.
“Now I will return home to Spain. Had you just carried out the plan as I wished, none of this would have happened. Your beloved lawyer would still be wrapped around your finger; in fact, this lovely dinner”—he gestures to the table—“would likely still be happening. But it all unraveled the moment you left my father’s funeral and the truth came out. You are of no use to me anymore.”
A mechanical laugh floats from my lips. “I’m so glad now I’m officially useless to you so you’ll fuck off.”
“Trust me when I say there is nothing more that I want than to never see you again, Raina. I assume my heirloom ring is not on that chain between your breasts right now, so I will have one of my men fetch it tomorrow from your apartment. Have it ready by 10 a.m.” He exhales air through his nostrils in a silent laugh, like he’s mocking me.
Leaning down, he kisses both of my cheeks as though he’s saying goodbye to an old friend rather than a newfound foe.
Then he leaves, giving me his back as he saunters to the elevator without a care in the goddamn world.
I don’t exhale until the doors close behind him.
Falling to my knees, a silent sob racks through my body. It’s a desperate pull for air as I struggle to breathe.
My head swims.
It feels like the world is collapsing around me, the weight of the last thirty minutes bearing down with excruciating force.
Numb.
My entire body and soul is numb.
Fishing my phone from the pocket of my peacoat, I call Luciano. My hand shakes as I bring it to my ear, listening as it rings continuously before clicking to voicemail.
Frantically, I hang up and try again.
This time, it rings twice before he denies it.
I don’t leave a message.
Using the table for leverage, I pick myself up off the floor and look at the abandoned dinner date Luciano planned for us.
The heaters cast a warm blanket around where I stand, my fingertips brushing along the delicate tablecloth on the table where we should be sitting at right now. My heart aches as I take it all in, appreciating every detail he put into it.
Laughter plays in my head, the vision of a hypothetical movie, of what could have been.
My eyes squeeze shut.
I will not cry again.
He asked for time, so I’ll respect it and give him space. For now, it’s the only thing I can do.
Blowing out a shaky breath, my fingers wrap around the neck of the half-empty wine bottle, and I pull it off the table, giving everything one last fleeting glance before I head back to my apartment, chugging the rest of the wine on the way down.