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Liar. “Right. Then maybe you didn’t kill them. You slaughtered them, murdered, erased them from this world, or whatever word you can use to justify your deceit. So, no. There is nothing you can do to stop me from hating you.”

“Look, I am your husband. And as a husband, I have rights that I can claim. I could have told everyone that we are married and exercised those rights. I could have taken you with me by force. But I didn’t. I could’ve snatched you out of the house—God knows I am capable—and yet, all I did was try to get you to forgive me by honest, conventional methods.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You want praise for acting like an honest human being for once in your blasted life? For not acting like the scoundrel that you are?”

“Well… yes,” William answered earnestly, and Victoria knew that he truly believed that.

“You are a lunatic!” she spat.

“Yes,” he agreed. “I am. However, I’ve done everything you asked of me. You wanted time, I gave you time. You wanted space. I left you alone. Doesn’t it show you that I am willing to change? For you.”

Suddenly frustrated, Victoria swiped away a lock of hair that clung to her forehead. “I don’t want you to change for me, William. I don’t want you putting up a charade of an honest man just to gain my trust back. I want you to actually become a trustworthy person.”

“And when I do?”

“If you do, then perhaps you’ll understand why I can never be with you. William, know this, I will never, ever, ever go back to you willingly. I will not step into the trap you set for me of my own volition.”

If she thought that would deter him, perhaps she should have known it wouldn’t. William just smiled. “Hypothetically—”

“I don’t know what that means!” she cried, ready to stomp her foot. And I don’t want to. He was the only man on earth who could rile her up to this point of frustration.

“Just… imagine for a moment an alternate world. A fantasy. What would it take for you to even entertain the idea of taking me back?”

A lump in her throat made it difficult for her to speak. She swallowed it. As much as she hated William, sometimes she still dreamed of being reunited with him. A little over a year ago, he came to his brother’s house and made a grand speech asking for her forgiveness, begging her to take him back, and she almost caved on the spot.

Later, she found out that the coup happened in Russia and that her sister and her extended family were imprisoned. If it wasn’t for William, she would’ve been in Russia at that time, and perhaps, she would have been able to help. Later still, she found out that William had blackmailed her friend.

Victoria hated him. With every bone in her body.

There was no forgiveness for him. Ever.

And yet…

In the dead of the night, she still thought about him. About his lips on her skin, his hands on her body, his comforting smell. Oh, how she wanted to find comfort in his embrace right now. She’d loved him then, and she loved him still, and she had no idea why.

She was a blasted weakling! “There is nothing you can do, William. You are a villain. You’re selfish and hypocritical. The opposite of what I would want in a man by my side.”

“And Porter is that man?” Disbelief and bitterness lined his voice.

“I don’t know.” She licked her lips. “I don’t know him. You and I are married, and for some unfathomable reason, it’s for life. I am stuck with you for life. But I will be damned before I spend the rest of my life with you. If I ever find myself a lifetime lover, he will be a hero. Someone who helps people, who saves people and does not ruin their lives.”

“A hero.” William scoffed. “If you think you’ll find a hero among lords, you’ll be very disappointed. But know this. No matter what you think of me or how you feel about me, you’re still my wife. You will always be my wife.” He stepped closer, his face an inch away from hers. “And if that knave, Porter, or anyone else for that matter, so much as dares to kiss you, I shall rip their lips off their face. And if they dare touch you, I shall break off their extremities. Because you’re right, my dear. I am a villain. And I am also your husband. Forever.”

* * *

Autumn 1741

Moonlight sifted through the ornate windows of the church, casting a radiant glow upon Victoria. She looked like an angel, as though she had been sent from heaven to bring him peace.

For peace was what William felt in her presence. She didn’t need to say or do anything; a single glance from her endowed him with a renewed purpose in life.

He had spent most of his life stealing, cheating, and blackmailing people, content to live alone in the service of vengeance. Then she had entered his life, and everything had changed.

Her smile warmed his heart and filled him with vitality, hope, and, dare he say, happiness?

She looked exquisite in her simple midnight-blue gown, a rose from her uncle the Marquess of Roth’s garden adorning her thick, jet-black hair, in an attempt to look festive. She had said she wanted to look beautiful for him on their wedding day, not realizing that for him, she would be beautiful regardless. To him, no one in this world rivaled her beauty, regardless of what she wore or how she styled her hair. Whether she wore a simple frock or an old worn nightgown, as long as she stood beside him, today would be the happiest day of his life.

Their wedding day.