Page 32 of Loving Her Enemy

Barely holding on to his anger, Sloane grabbed a clean, cloth napkin from the table and put it in her hand.

“Thank you,” she whispered and dabbed at her eyes and cheeks. “I feel like such a fool. I monitored the investments initially, and they were doing great. After a while, I got busy with life and work, and my investments were the last thing on my mind. It never dawned on me that Owen would steal from me. I thought we were a team and in love. I just…” She sniffed a few times, frantically dabbing her face with the napkin.

“I didn’t find out the state of my finances until after Owen left. He cleaned me out. I lived off a savings account he didn’t have access to. But when I got laid off, my life collapsed. And before you ask, I didn’t hire a lawyer or reach out to the authorities for help because like a fool, I had given Owen access to practically everything.”

Sloane bit back the curse words dangling on his tongue. Had he known what Owen had done, he would’ve handled the guy very differently. Instead, he’d helped the bastard by giving him enough money to live off the grid forever.

Shit.

He had to fix this. He had to hunt Owen down and then beat his ass. Which was what he should’ve done in the first place. But no, he had paid the guy to break up with Halayna and then stay the hell away from her.

Owen had probably laughed all the way to the bank.

Halayna lifted her head and looked at him, her watery eyes searching his. Seeing her so sad was like taking a punch to the gut.

“Owen was the biggest mistake of my life.” A rogue tear slid down her cheek before she quickly swiped it away. “I always considered myself strong and resilient, able to get through anything. But after my father died, something inside of me broke. My dad was everything to me, and one of my best friends.

“Once he was gone,” she shook her head, “I didn’t think I could survive that loss. I was young when my mom died, more resilient I guess, but losing my papa was devastating. It was like my whole world had shattered into tiny pieces, and I couldn’t put it back together.

“But Owen was there. Like you, my father wasn’t a big fan of his, but he accepted him because I cared about him.” She shook her head. “My God, I have so many regrets, Sloane. I wish I would’ve listened better to the two of you regarding Owen, but I didn’t. So after my father’s death, I leaned on Owen.

“For two years, I ignored the red flags. Times when I was pretty sure he was lying to me, but I blew it off, figuring I probably misunderstood what he was saying. Or when there were inconsistencies in some of the stuff he told me about his family. I let him slide because at the time, it didn’t seem that serious. I was such a fool, and after he broke off our engagement, I lost my job shortly after…”

The tears were back, and seeing them made Sloane want to find Owen and snap his neck.

“I gave up, Sloane. Despite once feeling as if I could handle anything thrown my way, I didn’t even want to fix what was broken. I just stopped caring and only did enough to keep a roof over my head.

“I couldn’t seem to pull myself together. After giving Owen so much power over my life, I started doubting myself, and I didn’t trust my judgment. I felt like a total failure and fell into a functional depression. I could do a little part-time work, but not much more than that.

“Then the accident happened.” She glanced down at the brace on her hand. “It might’ve been a blessing in disguise because, before then, I wouldn’t return Bristol’s calls. Yet, when she called my cell phone while I was in the hospital… I finally answered.”

“Aww, baby.” Sloane kissed the side of her head before pulling her back against him. “I’m so sorry you went through all that. Nobody deserves to be treated the way he treated you, and I’ll do anything to help you get your life back on track.”

“Even find Owen?”

Hell yeah, he’d find him but only to beat the crap out of him. More than ever, Sloane wished he would’ve handled things differently. His intent had been to protect Halayna without her knowing. Now, he had to figure out how to give her what she wanted, while also making sure she never found out his role in her broken engagement.

“I’ll do my best,” he said.

She nodded. “Thank you and thank you for being a good friend and someone I can trust.”

Awww, hell.

Chapter Fifteen

Halayna stood next to her bed and inhaled deeply, then released the breath slowly, willing calmness into her body. She had been using breathing techniques for the last four days, ever since she signed the marriage contract. It still didn’t seem real. She agreed to marry Sloane Davidson. A billionaire and one of the world’s most eligible bachelors.

How was this her life?

The whole situation was wild. But as she looked around at her luggage, new luggage she had purchased during a shopping spree with Bristol, reality was settling in.

“In two days, I’ll be Mrs. Sloane Davidson,” she murmured and grabbed the garment bag containing her wedding dress and laid it on the bed next to her carry-on bag. She was packed and ready to leave for their destination wedding.

Halayna thought they’d go to the courthouse or fly to Vegas. Something quick, which would’ve been fine with her. After planning a beautiful wedding for her and Owen, the last thing she wanted was to plan another. She was never getting married again, and that’s what she told Sloane.

He surprised her when he’d said, “In that case, I want your one and only wedding to be special, memorable.”

Sometimes he could be so sweet. They argued back and forth for a few minutes before she conceded. And when he learned she’d never been to Hawaii, he got the bright idea to have their ceremony at his home in Maui.