Chapter 81
Chapter 81:
A flash of raw, genuine panic crossed his eyes. His jaw twitched violently. “That lawyer will never make it into the courthouse,” Cole snarled, his voice rising. “I’ll bury him in injunctions. I will never sign p>
Silas looked at him with an expression of profound pity. “You don’t even know what you’re losing,” he said quietly. “You are a blind, miserable fool p>
He turned his back on Cole and walked toward the elevator, his posture straight and unhurried.
Cole stood alone in the hallway as Silas’s words echoed around him. Expedited divorce. The phrase was a physical blow. Panic, cold and sharp, clawed at his throat. He would never let her go. He would burn the world down before he signed anything. He was so consumed by this singular, obsessive thought that when he finally stormed back to the Presidential Suite and swiped his keycard, he was completely unprepared for what waited on the other side.
A thick, suffocating cloud of artificial rose perfume hit him in the face.
Cole walked into the master bedroom. Alycia was draped across the massive king-sized bed in a completely sheer black lace lingerie set, red rose petals scattered across the white sheets, her pose calculated for maximum effect.
When she saw Cole, she pouted her lips. “Cole,” she cooed, her voice soaked with manufactured vulnerability. “Where did you go? I was so scared being in this big room all by myself p>
Cole stared at her.
𝘕e𝘄 с𝘩𝗮p𝗍𝗲𝗋𝘀 еve𝘳𝘆 w𝖾𝗲k 𝗈𝘯
His mind flashed back to the bathroom — June’s pale face, her dead eyes, the terrible red blisters across her back. The ice-cold touch of the ointment under his fingertips. The sharp, clinical smell of the burn cream hanging in the air.
Looking at Alycia now, surrounded by cheap theatrics and rose petals, Cole felt a sudden, violent surge of nausea. His stomach turned.
He took a step backward.
Alycia saw his hesitation. Panic flared in her chest. She scrambled off the bed and crossed the carpet toward him quickly, her bare feet making no sound.
“Stay with me tonight, Cole,” she whispered, reaching out with manicured fingers toward the buttons of his shirt.
The moment she touched his chest, Cole reacted on pure instinct.
He grabbed her wrist. His grip was a steel vice.
Alycia let out a sharp cry. “Cole! You’re hurting me p>
Cole looked down at her. His eyes were completely empty — no desire, no affection, nothing.
He released her wrist and stepped back. “Put your clothes on, Alycia.” His voice was mechanical and cold.
Real tears of frustration filled Alycia’s eyes. She played her final card. “Why are you acting like this? Are you angry at me? Did you forget what you promised Caleb? He loved me, Cole. He told you to take care of me p>
Cole’s body went rigid at his brother’s name.
But this time, the guilt didn’t make him surrender. It gave him an excuse.
“You’re right. I respect Caleb too much,” Cole said, his face carved from stone. “And because I respect my dead brother, we cannot do this. I’m not in the mood for your games. Put your clothes on, Alycia p>
The words hung in the air, heavy and final.