Page 77 of Provocation (Temptation 3)

But that wasn’t all.

Lachlan stood in the doorway, staring at me, confusion and heartache covering every inch of him.

All I could do was stare, my confession still ringing in the air, taunting and torturing me.

“Let’s get you out of here.” Agent Curran wrapped an arm around me as Nick’s maniacal laughter filled the space.

“And now he knows the truth!” he shouted, his crazed voice victorious. Like this was part of his plan all along.

Lachlan was right.

This was never about sharing what he’d discussed with Claire.

It was to get under my skin.

To exert his power over me.

To manipulate me.

And he did. The fucking bastard did it again.

“He heard firsthand!” Nick continued as the guards dragged him to the door on the other side of the room. “Heard that you still belong to me. That you will always belong to me. Like I promised. Till death do us part, Julia. Till death do us part!”

The door slammed closed, causing me to stiffen. As Agent Curran led me from the room, I couldn’t stop shaking, Lachlan’s heartbroken stare trained on me every step of the way.

“Julia?” He pulled his lip between his teeth, eyes glassy with emotion. “Do you…” He shook his head, swallowing hard. “Do you really believe that? Do you really think we’ll never have a chance?”

I peered at him, wanting to tell him I didn’t mean any of it. That I didn’t believe any of it.

But I couldn’t lie.

Instead, I did what I’d done most of my life. I stayed silent as the air grew thick with tension.

“How could I have been so stupid?” he choked out, then pushed past me.

I started after him. “Lachlan, if you’ll just—”

He whirled around and advanced, the swift movement startling me.

“Don’t,” he barked. “Just don’t. I can’t take any more of your lies or excuses. That’s all I’ve been getting from you for months now. I’m fucking done. And do you want to know the truly upsetting part about this whole thing?”

I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat, tears streaming down my cheeks.

“It’s not that you’re lying. Or that you keep making excuses. It’s the fact you keep lying to yourself. To Imogene. To everyone who fucking loves you. It’s…” He trailed off, shaking his head. Then he returned his gaze to mine. “It’s sad, Julia. You’re sad. I used to think you were this strong, resilient woman who suffered through something so tragic, yet somehow managed to still smile. But now… I don’t admire you. I fucking pity you.”

His declaration hung heavy in the air, seconds stretching into an eternity, the only sound that of faint footsteps and the occasional buzzing of doors opening and closing.

Then he spun, walking away from me for what I knew in my heart would be the last time.

Nick got what he wanted.

He always did.