Page 57 of A Diamond Deal
She’d never known if her father wanted her orthem.Which family was his family? Both or neither? Wasshethe dirty secret he kept away from her siblings—from their mother? Which one of his families had been the mistake? Had he cared for any of them? Had they all been unwanted by her father so he could live his carefree life regardless of who he hurt? Had he ever wanted her?
Konstantinos had wanted her. He’d needed her to secure the honourable life he wanted to lead.
She’d found strength in their relationship.
A safe marriage where no one could get hurt.
A successful relationship, measured by respect, trust, and safety.Rules.
Isaak had shaken the foundations of their marriage.
Obliterated their every rule. Smashed the agreed-upon foundations they’d thought were so very strong.She had.But…after… The extravagance of her life—the financial safety of it—what Konstantinos provided…
It was a hollow thing after Isaak’s death.Empty.A lonely place. Superficial.
Everything she’d thought she needed to feel safe had meant nothing in the face of her loss. The pain. Nothing had felt safe. But she’d never asked Konstantinos for what she needed.Him.She’d expected him to be there. Towantto be there for her.Hehadn’t. But she’d never said those words. Never told him she neededhim.Not with words.
She’d stopped being honest with him the minute they’d conceived their baby. She hadn’t been ready to be vulnerable.Not on purpose. Not by choice. When she was sick shehadbeen vulnerable.Exposed. It hadn’t been a choice.
And it had revealed how weak their relationship was. Their marriage, it wasn’t strong. It couldn’t withstand the unexpected harshness of reality, because what held them together, sex, and conversations that never went beneath the surface, it didn’t make them friends. Notrealfriends. And that was why they hadn’t survived. The rules they’d bound themselves to had pushed them apart.
At Versailles, he’d shut down. Removed himself from the conflict brewing between them. Just asshehad a year ago. Just ashehad when she was sick. When Isaak had died…
He’d looked away from her distress, and she’d looked away from his.
They couldn’t carry on like this.
They needed to talk about the divide between them. Address what lived inside it.
Isaak.
Wood creaked.
Poppy turned towards the doors.
The gold handles moved.Downwards.The doors opened inwards.
His gaze narrowed, moved over her cut-off denim shorts, her bare legs, unpainted toes, and flicked to her boards.
‘How’s the planning going?’
Her heart raced. ‘I don’t want to talk about the ceremony.’
He stepped into the room, and with a graceful flick of his white-cuffed wrist Konstantinos closed the doors behind him. ‘Why not?’
‘I want to talk about what happened at Versailles.’
He shook his head. A graceful swipe. ‘It won’t happen again.’
‘Nothing happened,’ she corrected. ‘Youdidn’t let it happen.’
‘But you wished it did?’ He stalked closer. ‘You wish something happened between us?’ he asked, his eyes holding hers fast. ‘You no longer wish to enforce it, Poppy?’ He stood in front of her. Six-feet-plus of nothing but tight, defined muscle standing before her. His black suit moulded to his muscular frame. ‘The contract?’
The contract had left her wide open. She’d tried to protect herself with her no-sex clause. He’d turned it into a weapon to win control. She’d retaliated.
There would never be closure, unless they both did what had to be done.
‘No, I don’t,’ she admitted tightly.
