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A rush of breath escaped me, and I tensed, waiting for Jacob to throw me off his lap and storm inside to confront his brother, but to my surprise, a chuckle burst from him. “He’s still sticking with that narrative then?” Too stunned by his reaction to reply, Jacob sighed before continuing. “Did you believe him?”

“No.” My reply was automatic, and Jacob’s shoulders sagged. “Aren’t you angry about it? Why would he tell people that?”

He kissed my hand again. “My brother has been intent on destroying me for years, angel. From the minute I was born, he’s been jealous of me, and he’ll try any trick in the book to ruin my life.”

“Why?”

Jacob shrugged. “He’s seven years older than me, and for those seven years, he not only had all the attention from our parents, but he was taught that when he was older, he would inherit my father’s business and all the Du Pont wealth. I was an accidental pregnancy, but when I came along, he learned that he would have to share any fortune with me.” He shook his head. “The greedy fucker wants it all to himself, and to make it worse for him, he and my father both know that I’m the better businessman, and Edward can’t stand that.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t know what else to say. It made sense in a world where wealth guaranteed your place in an elite society; it made people selfish and greedy. My parents were prime examples of it. Yet, despite Jacob having access to millions of dollars, he’d never bragged about his fortune.

For the first time, I understood why he lived on Du Pont Island. He was away from the greed and the games the wealthy played to prove they were better than everyone else. He was left to enjoy the life he’d created for himself instead of getting drawn into showing off to a society that only cared about your bank balance.

In the moment of reflection, I actually appreciated the isolation of the island. It was just Jacob and me, no games to play, no one to impress. Just us.

“Angel, I didn’t kill Amy,” Jacob said, pulling me from the strange craving to return to the peace of Du Pont Island. “Losing her almost killed me; she was my best friend. I would never have hurt her,” Jacob said, sadness lacing his tone. “If you need proof that she killed herself, I can show you the police report. She left a suicide note, and the night she died, I was with someone else. I had an alibi that Edward conveniently forgets about.”

I shook my head. “I don’t need to see the report, Jacob. I believe you. But…”

“But?”

Hesitating, I wondered if I should ask the question that had played on my mind since the incident with Rocco on the boat. “Did you kill Rocco?”

Jacob’s lips pulled up on one side. “No, angel. I didn’t. I’ll admit that I did punch him and broke his nose, something I’m not proud of.” He grimaced before continuing. “But I ordered the Captain to keep him locked in a room on the lower deck until we docked.”

Relief swamped me. I didn’t think Jacob had killed Rocco, but there was a little part of me that couldn’t let go of the thought.

“What else did Edward tell you?”

My lips thinned. There were parts of what Edward had said that rang too true, but maybe Jacob had an explanation for them. “He said you were trying to isolate me. That he’d spoken to my friends and they’d been trying to message me, but because you work in the technology department, you knew how to block my phone so their messages couldn’t come through.”

Jacob snorted. “Edward watches too many TV shows. Yes, I head the tech department, but I design software; I wouldn’t know the first thing about blocking a phone.” He chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement, before he turned serious. “I’m sorry, angel. I hate that your friends haven’t reached out, but that’s the truth.”

I didn’t dwell on it; over time, I’d realized that Jacob was right; they weren’t my true friends. What sort of friend left you to take the rap for something you didn’t do? “He also said my father came to your office to find out about me, but you refused to see him.”

He released a sigh. “He did.” My jaw fell open, but before I could say anything, he held up a hand. “I spoke to him the first time he came; he asked how you were and then asked to borrow money. I told him no, and he came back several times after, but I refused to see him. I didn’t want to tell you, angel. His inquiry into your welfare was nothing but a cover to ask for more money, and I didn’t want to upset you.” A prick of hurt stabbed my chest. I should have known my parents didn’t care about anything other than money. My gaze lowered to my lap in shame at having such shallow parents, but Jacob tilted my chin back up. “Did my brother make any other ridiculous claims I should know about?”

“Only that your parents weren’t really arranging for you to marry someone else.” Abruptly, Jacob stood, taking me with him but lowering me to my feet. “What are you doing?”

“Let’s go talk to my parents. They can tell you the truth. In fact, unless I’m mistaken, I believe I saw the parents of the woman they wanted me to marry at the party. You can even ask them.”

Embarrassment crawled through me, resulting in my cheeks flaming. Every word Edward had spoken was a lie, and I almost allowed him to convince me that Jacob had manipulated me into marrying him.

“I don’t need to go and speak to them, Jacob.” I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek against his chest. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you, I just-”

“Hey, it’s okay,” he replied, looping his arms around my lower back and kissing the top of my head. “It’s my fault you have had a hell of a few days, so I understand why you might have believed Edward. When we leave here, and you have time on your own-”

“I don’t want to be on my own,” I interrupted, trusting my instinct that I was making the right decision. “I don’t want to leave you, and I don’t want us to break up. But things need to change.”

Hope sparkled in Jacob’s eyes. “I know, angel. I know I need to be better-”

“We both do, Jacob. Neither of us is perfect; you have the need to control me, and I have the need to be defiant. We both carry scars from the behavior of our parents, but I want us to work on our flaws. I want us to work because I love you. I can’t imagine not having you in my life.”

His breath hitched. “Angel, I love you too. And I can change; for you, I’ll be everything you need me to be.”

My gaze flicked to his mouth, and I reached up to wrap my hands around his neck, pulling him down so our lips could meet. We both groaned into the kiss, his hands falling from my hair and grabbing my waist.