more of that faux concern. “You treat this like a game. Even now. You need to man up. I hope this girl—”
“Her name is Katya. Your daughter-in-law, Katya.”
“—is the one for you and that it works out. Maybe you’ve learned to be a better husband this time around. If not, that’s going to be one hell of an expensive divorce.”
Oh, he had no idea. None. A new idea bloomed in my mind. Maybe I’d sign it all over to her when we divorced. Problem solved.
And that bullshit about being a better husband, though it did sting, was rich coming from a man whose own fidelity over the years was at best questionable.
“Is there anything else or am I free to go back to the party and my wife?” Unfortunately I did not manage to keep my irritation out of my voice.
He stood, refilled his glass and picked it up, took another sip and watched me coolly over the rim of the glass. “You’re free to do whatever you want, son. It’s how you’ve been acting for years. Too bad divorces are only for spouses and not other family members, huh?”
He shook his head and left me standing there in his own study. Probably the only way he’d ever get the last word in was to leave the moment he’d delivered it.
Fuck you, Arent van den Hoehnsboek van Lynden.
I strode to his desk, scooped up the untouched glass of whiskey he’d poured for me and knocked it back. It burned so hard that my eyes watered as the smoky-flavored liquid seared its way down my esophagus.
Were they all thinking that? That I’d lost my mind? I unstopped the priceless decanter and poured myself another glass. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Memories of that time—the huge ball of anxiety constantly in my stomach and in my throat. The way that everything I’d bitten into turned to ashes in my mouth. The constant phone calls.
The lack of sleep. The tight band around my chest that made it hard to catch my breath and struggle even harder for the next one. I squeezed my eyes shut as if that would shut out the kaleidoscope of images, feelings and words sliding through my memory. Another drink.
I didn’t stop until I’d finished the third.
The room was starting to fade into a slight blur. A warmth spread through me but it didn’t manage to smother that inner rage. In a way, I still mourned the loss of that naïve young man I’d once been. He’d been killed the night the people I’d most trusted in the world had wedged a knife in my back.
Fuck you too, Claire. Mother. Julia.
I left the study, vaguely aware that I wasn’t exactly walking in a straight line. Inexplicably, I wanted to be near Kat. I could trust her. Of all the people here—including the ones I’d known my entire life—she was the one person I could trust.
We had our moments but her dealings with me had always been on the up and up. Always honest. No bullshit.
This family needed a lot less of that. And I wanted to leave this goddamn mausoleum with Katya. Now.
I needed her now and for a short while, she was still mine.
Mine.
I found her on the back terrace talking to my sister Julia and Julia’s two closest friends—Claire and the new flavor-of-the-month whose name I could never remember. A bubbly blonde girl with a voice that sounded like she’d just sucked in a ton of helium.
The three of them had my poor wife cornered, though Katya didn’t appear to be in any way distressed. My hand tightened into a fist at my side. With that collection of harpies, I’d fear for anyone in her place.
Julia and Whatshername were nodding along, prompting her to continue. Kat took small sips of her glass of water in between talking while discreetly scanning the area around their little group. She looked like she wanted to make an exit herself.
Well here I was, Kat’s white knight to the rescue. I’d even brave the harpy flock, and the dreaded ex to save her. Maybe she’d even appreciate it.
Of course, the fact that I wanted to get the hell out of here meant that my motives weren’t exactly altruistic. I’d get her away from the group and then we’d plot to make our escape. I re-buttoned my jacket and approached the circle, putting a hand on the curve of Kat’s back and avoiding the overtly curious gazes of the other three women.