Page 214 of Vexatious Queen

“I didn’t want a future, of any kind, where these monsters who had terrorized me for so long could come for our daughter,” she whispered, but I felt the weight of her words. “And it had to be me who finished it. Part of me died the night my father broke us apart. More when Christov…” She swallowed, choking down a sob, but composed herself and continued. “But the final straw was Lawrence. Those parts of me…I don’t know if I’ll ever get them back, but they were going to pay for taking them from me.”

I cupped her cheeks, wanting to wipe away her tears, but I had no words. For the first time, my heart, mind, and soul were in such turmoil that I simply didn’t know how to put what I was feeling into a coherent thought.

“You may never understand. Ren may never understand. But I had to hurt the two people I love with my entire being to take back my life. I had to die, to be reborn. But…” Ana’s voice cracked. “I never stopped loving either of you, not for a single second. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think of you.”

She lifted the chain around her neck that held the diamond and lily necklace I’d given her. It felt like another lifetime ago.

“You may have felt weakened, but it is only because you’ve always given me so much strength to carry on. Even when we couldn’t be together, I fed off you. I’m not and never will be sorry for finally taking control of my life and getting revenge. But I will be eternally sorry for the pain that I’ve caused you and our daughter.”

Ana mirrored my hands and cupped my face. I didn’t stop her when she rose on her toes and softly kissed my lips.

The emotional thread I’d been holding evaporated, and I kissed her hard. Our lips moved in sync like no time had passed, and the desire that ignited in my chest was strong enough to burn the whole world down. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, letting her shake in my embrace as we spoke without words.

When her fingers undid the top button on my dress shirt, I broke the kiss and placed my hands on hers. I slowly pulled them away from my shirt.

“I need the night to think. I…”

“Of course.”

Ana turned and grabbed her blouse off the ground. I stared up at the ceiling, asking God for help, because I was lost. The pain was still so raw, and yet I understood her motivation.

“Eddie?”

I lowered my eyes and stared at the woman who had claimed my heart so long ago.

“Do you want me to leave? Or are my men and I staying here?”

“You can stay here,” I said. “I’ll show you to your room.”

We walked out of the office and down the hall to one of the spare bedrooms. All I knew for sure was that I still loved her, and if Lawrence wasn’t already dead, he would have taken his last breath tonight.

MARCH 8 – SUNDAY 1:00 AM

Nash

The hardest thing to get used to in this relationship was not being able to help when it was all I wanted to do.

I wandered down the stairs, and all I could think about was the look on Ren’s face when she came out of the bathroom. It was more than just sad. She looked haunted, and it cut deeper than I would’ve thought possible.

The house was quiet, but it wasn’t asleep. When you lived this life, there were always people awake. Guards patrolling, watchful, and waiting for the moment they were needed and hoping that they never were.

At the entrance to the kitchen, I stopped cold. A shadow sat at the breakfast nook, and even in the dim illumination from the appliances and the moonlight, I knew it was Edmundo. Head in his hands, elbows on the table, a gun and a bottle of something strong were in front of him.

“Hey,” I said, and his head came up. “I was going to get a drink. Do you want anything?”

His movements were slow as he reached for the bottle and lifted it to his mouth.

“I’m good,” he said far too calmly before taking a swig.

This was a side of Edmundo I’d never seen. He had always possessed an air of nonchalance. I couldn’t even imagine what he was dealing with tonight. What happened with Mya paled in comparison. Walking to the cupboard, I snooped around until I found the mint hot chocolate mix, then put on the kettle. It had become my new secret obsession thanks to Princess. Neither of us spoke while I fixed my drink, and when it was done, I decided to take a chance and sat down across from him.

Edmundo stared back, but it felt like he was looking through me.

“You going to be okay,” I asked, glancing at the gun. “Or should I take that away?”

He smirked and ran a hand down his face.

“I’m not going to shoot myself.”