Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Except for this.
Axel was still bewildered. “That doesn’t make any sense—”
“Can I see Scarlett?” I didn’t want to talk about Astrid anymore. She was probably on a plane by now. Going to Greece or Croatia…or Norway.
He turned to the study and walked inside.
I followed and found Scarlett holding her son in her arms, who was asleep. Her daughter was sleeping on the couch beside her, tucked under a blanket. Judging by the puffiness of her eyes, she’d been crying…a lot.
I took a seat in the armchair and looked at her.
She looked back at me, her left eye now swollen shut.
I bowed my head because I couldn’t look at her. It was too fucking painful.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m okay.”
My eyes remained on the floor.
“Theo.”
I sighed before I looked at her.
“We’re safe,” she said. “And it’s over.”
I looked at Axel in the other chair.
He wasn’t looking directly at Scarlett either, like he physically couldn’t.
Yes, it was over. But the memory of this night would haunt us forever.
Axel and I didn’t speak for a couple of weeks.
I assumed he wanted to spend time with his family and recover from the tragedy that had struck them.
Astrid’s belongings were still in the bedroom down the hall. I’d hired a new butler and forgot to chase down the old one. I returned to work and didn’t mention Bolton because that feud would need to stay buried.
I felt like shit for letting Astrid go, but there was nothing I could do.
I didn’t want Axel to lose one of his kids.
I knew Astrid didn’t want that either.
So, I was stuck…and so was she.
The house felt haunted by her ghost. When I looked at the bed, I used to remember Shayla dying in it. But now, I remembered Astrid’s smile when she woke up in the morning. The way she squeezed me like a stuffed teddy bear. The way she handled my big dick like it was no problem, when it was a big problem. The way she told me she loved me so many times…and didn’t care that I never said it back.
“I should have said it back.” I sat behind my desk in the study and looked at the painting on the wall. The painting that we’d looked at together. I bought it because I loved it, but I also loved the woman who’d sold it to me.
And now she was gone, just like Shayla.
As good as dead.
Frank, my new butler, entered the study. “Sir, Axel is here to see you. Should I show him in?”
I didn’t expect to hear from him—possibly ever.
A minute later, Axel walked inside, the color back in his face but the spring absent from his step. He approached one of the armchairs and sat down, hands together in his lap. He looked at the surface of my desk before he looked at me. “Haven’t heard from you in a while.”
“I figured you didn’t want to hear from me.”
Axel looked away.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted me out of your life, Axel.”
“Well, I don’t.” He looked at me again. “And neither does Scarlett.”
I expected him to tell me we needed to part ways. That they’d decided to relocate to Paris or something. Start over. Didn’t expect there to be a friendship between us at all. “You know this is all my fault, Axel. I shouldn’t have asked you.”
“It’s my fault, because I could have said no,” he said. “We can play this game all day long. It’s not going to change anything. It took a couple weeks for me to be able to let Scarlett even leave the room, but I’m in a better place now.”
“How is she?”
“She’s doing well. Bounces back a lot quicker than I do. But she didn’t have to see…you know.”
The gun against his daughter’s head. “Yeah.”
His eyes moved down. “I’ll never get over that.”
“I don’t blame you.”
He stared down at his hands for a while. “How are you?”
“Me?” I asked incredulously. “Who gives a fuck about me.”
“I do.” He lifted his head and met my gaze. “What happened with Astrid?”
“I already told you—”
“And it made no sense.” He straightened in his chair. “She looked me in the face and told me how much she loves you. That she’d die if you died. You’re gonna bullshit me right now and say she just decided to be with that freak after everything you’ve been through? Your story is complete bullshit, Theo. So what the fuck actually happened?”
I sank into my chair and looked away.
He continued to stare me down with those furious blue eyes. “Theo.”
“It’s best if you don’t know.”
“Okay, now you’re just making it worse.”
“Trust me on this, Axel.”
He stared for a long time, like he was contemplating the advice. But in the end, he ignored it. “I want to know the truth—and you’re going to tell me.”