Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,160

my life will be filled with death and misery.” He widens his eyes in surprise. “But my mom told me the same thing last year. And yet here we are, happy and healthy.”

His face remains unreadable, but not his gaze. “I will never let anyone hurt you or us.” Cupping my face in his hands, he stares intently into my eyes. “No one.” I give him a quick smile in a failed attempt to silence my torment. “Look, from now on, I’ll always introduce you as my fiancée, and I’ll never travel again without you by my side.”

“Really?” Now that’s something I wasn’t expecting!

“Yeah, I have no idea how far your parents would go to tear us apart, but I do know they are capable of going pretty far to do so.”

My encounter with the soothsayer might not have been the most joyful moment of the evening, but knowing that from now on Alex will no longer introduce me as his goddaughter, but rather as his fiancée, certainly is.

The party seemed to last forever, but fortunately, at midnight, the music finally stopped and most of the guests started to leave. Then Mona apologized to me for her aunt’s behavior, which I insisted wasn’t her fault regardless of how badly she felt about it. Even after the party ended, Alex and I stayed to chat with some of Mona’s friends, and I must say, everyone was incredibly polite and friendly, which kinda surprised me, since they all knew Amanda had been Alex’s girlfriend for ten years. But no one brought it up—not even Mona. After saying good night to everyone, Alex finally leads me to his bedroom. As we step inside, my eyes immediately go to the wall on my right, which consists entirely of floor-to-ceiling windows with a sliding glass door leading to a private balcony and then to the beach. Turning my gaze to the bed, I can’t help but hear Hendrik’s voice echoing in my mind, I mean, they seemed to be very happy together. And my heart tightens horribly knowing they fucked there. Yep, they did. Jeez, I shouldn’t think about it, but it’s a reality that’s hard to swallow.

“Is everything okay?” I hear him asking.

I flatten my lips and cast my eyes down. “I’m sorry, um, it’s just… it’s just weird knowing you slept here with someone else.”

Alex doesn’t say a word as he lets my answer sink in. Then he just stares at the bed and again at me. “Do you want to go back to the boat?”

“No, it’s fine.” I never thought I’d admit it, but I miss Margaret’s rule that didn’t allow him to sleep with a woman he didn’t intend to marry under her roof. Pity Hendrik was not like that. “It’s okay, really.”

But Alex doesn’t seem convinced. “I’m sorry. I should’ve thought about it.” His soft tone makes me feel even worse that I give a crap about it. “If it makes you uncomfortable, we can go back to the boat…”

“No, it’s okay.” And deciding to open up, I say, “I just didn’t know Amanda was so close to Hendrik.”

“I didn’t want to make you feel more anxious or apprehensive to meet him. And I didn’t know my dad would tell you about it. I’m sorry.” I soak up the sincerity of his words. It’s not that I’m mad at him, but the truth is, I never expected his relationship with Amanda would affect me like this until I realized he had shared ten years of intimacy with her, to the point that Hendrik, Mona, and everyone else thought they’d get married. It might sound silly, but I feel like an intruder in their lives. Like I’m the one who stepped in and messed up their relationship and their happily ever after. As I remain lost in my thoughts, Alex stands before me and starts stroking my hair. Then our eyes lock, and he says, “She belongs to the past. You are my present and future. You know that.”

“I know, I just…” I pause for a beat, pursing my lips together. “I just feel bad cause I can tell she loved you. Like, a lot.” Or at least that’s the impression Hendrik gave me. And I wish I’d have ended the conversation there. Curiosity getting the best of me, I add, “Why did you spend ten years with her if you didn’t intend to marry her? It sounds so selfish.”

He chuckles, before shaking his head in displeasure. “I was always honest