Page 27 of The Duke’s Cursed Virgin (Cursed Brides #3)

Chapter Twenty-Six

“ B e careful what you wish for,” she whispered to herself bitterly.

Sophia was lonely. She had not seen much of Theo. It was a wonder that she was feeling more alone when she was married, compared to when she was still following Aunt Mary around.

Through all of this, she at least had Anna. Having her friend over let her forget about the man she was pining for even for a little while.

No, she was lying to herself. Even with Anna there, the man’s face kept flashing through her mind.

He played games with her mind, making her think she had company at least—even a friend. However, he couldn’t even make an effort to make their marriage feel a little more real.

“You look troubled,” Anna quickly observed.

The younger woman had always been more perceptive for her age, but it seemed that she could also sense what Sophia was going through.

“It’s nothing,” Sophia lied as she sipped tea in the Holtons’ drawing room.

She had missed this place. This time, though, she had a coachman waiting for her outside and Wilhelmina only a few feet away.

Rules .

She and Theo broke them. Now, he was establishing an entirely new array of them for her to follow. She was nothing more than a broodmare at the end of the day—someone to carry his heirs.

What did it mean? Did it mean that he could take mistresses on the side? It was the norm, after all, even though it wasn’t for her father and mother.

“You’re lying,” Anna said, squinting her eyes at her. “What is wrong? Your marriage?”

Sophia sighed heavily. It would be impossible to hide what she was feeling about the new arrangement. The forced nature of her marriage would have been enough reason to feel terrible, but Theo had to make it clear that he was not interested in making it real.

“The whole thing is a farce, you know that,” Sophia reminded her friend. “Everything about it is wrong, of course. He married me to supposedly protect me. Then, he decides that we’ll live as strangers. My life is perfect!”

She shook her head. She was not usually prone to sarcasm, but here she was. She was a bitter newlywed.

“Insufferable! But most men can be like that. Not all of them are, though,” Anna said breathlessly, her cheeks flushed. It was as if?—

Huh.

“Does it have something to do with Philip? I feel like you’ve been generous toward men of late.”

Sophia eyed her friend for the smallest of reactions. She had to know what was going on. She felt like she had been seeing the shadow of Philip everywhere, like that of a ghost or a stalker.

Or a suitor. Or a lover.

“You know me. I love my romance books,” Anna hedged, her cheeks turning brighter red.

“Aha! There you go. I knew I wasn’t wrong about visiting you. You don’t fail to entertain, Anna!” Sophia exclaimed, clapping her hands together

“Well, Philip is rather persistent,” Anna admitted, focusing on the highly difficult job of stirring her tea.

“You don’t seem to mind it. At least, that’s what I’ve been seeing, you sly one,” Sophia prodded, arching an eyebrow.

“Uh, no. I don’t mind him. In fact, I do enjoy his company, which is probably my most questionable feeling so far.”

“From what I’m seeing on your face, dear Anna, I do hope that Philip will continue to be persistent in his pursuit,” Sophia said, smiling.

Her fortune in love might be terrible, but she did not wish the same on her friend. She was genuinely happy for Anna, although the cautious part would always be there. It was natural.

“Philip is reckless. He’s far too charming for his own good, too,” Anna admitted, revealing more about her relationship with the Earl by using his first name with ease.

Sophia could not help but arch an eyebrow again.“You like him.”

It was not a question, but a statement. Sophia knew Anna well enough to make that conclusion. The coquettish smile. The sparkling eyes. The fidgety hands.

Anna was worried about what she thought.

“I do.”

Anna turned her head away, perhaps to hide her embarrassment, but Sophia had spotted the blooming flush on the younger woman’s face.

“If you really like him, then don’t be afraid to give this a chance. B-But be cautious, too. I’m probably no longer making sense?—”

“I understand you completely, Sophia!” Anna laughed, reaching out to clutch Sophia’s hands. “Do the same with Theo. You are married. It won’t be unseemly to approach him.”

Sophia had not told her that she had already lost her virtue to her husband before they got married. It was a secret she wanted to carry to her grave. Anna knew about the kisses, but not the things that happened afterward.

“It’s not the same, Anna.”

Sophia rubbed the furrow between her eyebrows. Suddenly, she felt suffocated in that little drawing room.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

“How is it not the same?” Anna asked, tilting her head.

Sophia did not respond. She merely lifted her cup of tea and sipped it as if it were her only plan for the rest of the evening.

She let its comforting heat soothe the coldness she felt deep within.

Back in his study, the Duke sat alone, the shadows of the room pressing in around him. His fingers absently traced the rim of his glass as he stared into the darkened fireplace.

A fresh bottle of whiskey had been opened and emptied with little consideration for the weight it would add to his already turbulent thoughts.

The fire crackled softly, its warmth offering no comfort to his restless mind.

Philip’s words echoed through his mind like an unwelcome guest.

Let yourself be happy. I believe it’s time. Let yourself love her. Let her in.

The idea lingered, gnawing at him. Could he truly offer her more? Or was he already too far gone, too fractured by his past to ever be what she needed?

Theo had always known he was damaged; his parents’ dysfunctions were a constant reminder of that.

How could a child of those two unstable people be any good?

After that shove down the stairs… His mother’s guilt…

And after she picked up that pistol…

Well, that was that. It was sealed matter. Done.

That was what molded him: the Theo who found comfort in shadows, in solitude, in avoiding connections that might tear him apart. He had convinced himself that he was better off alone, that no one could be trusted with the fragile parts of him that remained.

But Sophia…

Sophia had come into his life like a storm, uninvited yet unavoidable. Her presence in his house, her beauty, her sharp intelligence, the raw passion within her—she unsettled him in ways he couldn’t ignore.

He had married her to protect her. But now, with her under his roof, the arrangement felt like a prison he had built for himself.

And, consequently, for her.

He had always prided himself on his ability to control his emotions, to keep them locked away. But Sophia… she had a way of breaking through those walls without even trying.

His hand tightened around the glass, the burn of the whiskey doing little to dull the ache that had settled deep in his chest.

He had promised to protect her, to shield her from the dangers of the world, but could he protect her from himself?

Could he allow himself to be the man she deserved, or would he only drag her deeper into his own despair?

He let out a slow, weary sigh, the weight of it pressing him deeper into the chair. It was easier to hide behind his walls, to let the distance grow between them. But in doing so, he would be abandoning her to a life of loneliness, just as he had abandoned himself years ago.

Theo closed his eyes for a moment, a flash of Sophia’s face before him. The way she looked at him, the way she had kissed him with an unspoken plea. That was before everything had become so complicated. Before he had pulled back, before he had let fear and self-doubt take root.

He couldn’t keep doing this, couldn’t keep running away from the very thing he wanted most.

The whiskey had dulled the edges of his thoughts, but the questions still remained, unresolved and heavy in his chest.

The fire crackled, its warmth doing little to thaw the coldness inside him.

He had always known he was damaged. And he couldn’t drag Sophia down with him.

No matter how much it pained him.