Page 30 of The Wrong Husband

"The annulment papers, Emilia," he said enunciating each word like I was too stupid to understand him.

"There's nothing else. Should there be?" I asked puzzled.

"Where's the monetary addendum?"

"The what?"

"The money part, Emilia. The part that tells us how much money you want to gouge out of us?"

I laughed. I couldn't help it. "You think I want money?"

"Don't you?"

"Sure. But I don't want your money or Damian's money or anyone's money. I want to make my own money. Speaking of which, you mentioned a hundred thousand dollars… well, I'm not interested. I'll sign whatever; but keep your money."

I had had enough. I got up and started to pack my stuff into the backpack…again.

He grabbed my wrist. I winced. "What's your game?"

I removed his wrist from his grip. "I got no game, Duncan. Look at me." I wanted so badly to go to sleep. "I'm tired. My head hurts. I don't have a job, so I need to find one. The media is calling me a man-stealing whore. My mother slapped me. My sister manhandled me and now I have a concussion because of which I have a blistering headache. I'm exhausted. I want to be in my home and my bed. So, if you don't mind, just deliver the damn papers you want me to sign and let me go."

I held up the annulment papers to where my address was listed. "And this is my address."

Duncan stared at me like I was an alien from Mars. I got it. If he thought I was a gold digger, he couldn't comprehend why the hell I wasn't digging into the Archer fortune.

"You don't want any money?" he asked softly.

"No." I shook my head and winced because that made everything inside my brain scream in pain.

"So, why did you marry my brother?"

"Wow! You must have a poor opinion of your brother if you think the only reason someone would marry him was because of his money."

"Not someone, sweetheart, you."

Well, that was clearly insulting.

I zipped my bag closed and slung it on my shoulder. I gave up and decided to go with the truth. "I've always had a thing for Damian. When he showed up at the Bellagio and paid me attention…it was nice. He never noticed me before." No one did. "Then we went to the casino. I lost a hundred dollars playing blackjack, which I don't know how to play. Damian dragged me out of there and we went for a walk. I didn't realize he was very drunk so when he went on one knee and proposed to me right outside the Silver Bells Wedding Chapel, I said yes. I knew he and Bianca had broken up a while back…," I paused and hung my head in shame, "but I also knew they'd get back together." I raised my head and looked at Duncan pleading for his forgiveness.

"Damian went on one knee and proposed to you?" Duncan sounded surprised and horrified at the same time.

"Imagine how I felt," I mocked. "Damn it." I removed the engagement and wedding ring Damian had put on my finger this morning and held them for Duncan. He opened the palm of his hand, and I dropped the rings into it.

"Anyway, it was like a dream come true, so I married him. It was stupid. He was drunk. I was selfish. I'm sorry. Can you understand how amazing it was that Damian saw me? No one sees me." I closed my eyes because I couldn't keep up the appearance of being okay with any of this anymore. Of having the man, I loved marry me and then having to let him go because it was the right thing to do. Everything inside me hurt.

"I understand," Duncan said softly, his anger seemingly gone.

Thank God!

"We came back to his suite and…," I couldn't tell him we had sex because that was also embarrassing. It was amazing sex for me, but he found it…well, he found me inexperienced. Talk about humiliating. "And this morning I asked him to sign the annulment stuff and my friend she said she'll even help me file them at the courthouse. She's a paralegal…well, once she passes the bar, she'll be a lawyer."

Duncan looked at the rings in his hand. "When did he give you these?"

"This morning in his office. That is Bianca's ring."

Duncan nodded.

"It's not my style."