Page 73 of Sweet Deception

But instead of going straight home, I drove to the cemetery.

The air smelled of damp earth and old stone. A soft wind whispered through the graveyard, stirring the dead leaves at my feet. It had rained earlier. The headstones were slick with water, reflecting the gray sky above. I stood there, staring at their names, feeling nothing and everything all at once.”

There were two graves that stood out from the rest, marked by expensive black marble. I had paid for these spots myself, the final resting place of the only two women I had ever loved.

As I did every year, I placed a bouquet of white lilies on their graves and knelt before them.

In the earlier years, I would stay here for hours, letting the rain drench me, letting my tears fall freely.

But now?

Now, I just stared at the names carved into the stone, my eyes blank. The pain was still there, my throat raw from sobbing.Now, I just knelt. Silent. Empty. As if grief itself has abandoned me.

Maybe when I got my revenge, I would feel something again.

After a few minutes, I stood, turned away from the graves, and walked back to my car.

The moment I stepped inside the mansion, I heard music.

Loud, pulsing music. A party? Here?

I frowned. No one had told me about this.

Shaking off my irritation, I went to the master bedroom, dropped my bag, showered, and changed. Then I sat on the edge of the bed and called Anna.

No answer.

I called again.

Still nothing.

A strange feeling settled in my gut.

Could she be in the ballroom? With my family?

I stood and walked out of the room, heading toward the source of the noise. The closer I got, the louder the music became, pounding against my skull.

Then I saw her.

My wife. Dancing.

Careless.

Like she had no weight on her shoulders, no reason to be afraid.

It had only been three weeks. What the hell changed?

Then I saw him.

Arseny.

His hand on her waist. His fingers grazing her wrist. My pulse slammed through me, hot and violent. My hands clenched into fists before I even realized I was moving.”

Rage flashed white-hot through my body.

Did I not warn their father?

Did I not make myself clear?