Page 18 of The Wrong Husband

I couldn't believe he wanted me to do that. Take the last of those memories away. "I already have," I lied.

I wasn't going to delete them. They were mine. Someday, I'd look back and find it comforting to know I'd been married once.

"I think that's all, Devi. Thanks for everything."

Devi got up, gave me a look of disgust, smiled at her boss and left Damian's office.

I looked at my watch and sighed. "I have to see my mother at Make Me Beautiful at one."

"I'll come with you."

"Why?"

"We have to tell them."

"No."

"Why? Are you embarrassed by me?" he teased.

"I'm ashamed of myself, Damian," I confessed.

"You're my wife. You have nothing to be ashamed about. I'll see you at one at your mother's office. In the meantime, I suggest you pack the things you want to bring to my place."

I rose and looked at the rings on my finger. "Are you sure about this?" I mused.

"What's done is done. Now, we face the music."

Chapter 4

Damian

"Stop it, Maeve." I held Emilia's mother's hand so she wouldn't slap her daughter again.

Emilia just stood there, her head hung, her shoulders slumped.

I thought they'd be upset but I hadn't expected this kind of vitriol to be tossed her way. I for sure had not imagined physical violence. Now, I understood why she so desperately wanted an annulment. Her family truly didn't like her. I knew she wasn't close to them, but I thought that was because she was different.

"Mama, I'm so sorry."

"You don't apologize for being married to me," I snapped. "Ever. Got it."

I was conflicted as hell.

I wanted to hurt Bianca, yes, but I hadn't thought through what this would mean for Emilia.

She was afraid of losing her family. She was ashamed of herself.

She thought she manipulated me into marrying her. God, she was naïve. That had tugged at something inside me, wanting to protect her—but instead, I decided to use her for another few months. Bianca needed to know that there were consequences to her actions and her behavior. No one made a fool out of Damian Archer and didn't pay for it.

This morning when Emilia came in and apologized, offered me an annulment…for a moment it felt like a golden opportunity. But what was the point of going through all of this if Bianca would not know about it?

It had been easy to get Emilia to play along. Did it make me feel bad to use her? Yes. Did it make me feel so bad that I wouldn't? No.

I wasn't one of the good guys. I wasn't trying to be. I got what I wanted and when I wanted it. If you wanted warm and fuzzy, I wasn't the man for you. That was why Bianca and I got along so well. We both were ruthless. I loved that about Bianca. I had loved every fucking thing about her.

How could she have done this to me? How could she have cheated on me?

But now I had a wife, and I would not tolerate her being abused by her mother for something I did. No matter what my naïve Em thought, the truth was that I had seduced her, I married her, I had sex with her. I did it all to hurt Bianca—I did it because I was angry. I was still angry but through the haze of rage I could see that Emilia didn't deserve this. Not one fucking bit.