The devil's advocate

Chapter 5 Eden

They say your life flashes before your eyes moments before you die. Your fondest memories, greatest achievements, the people you love—it all zips through your mind like a slideshow.

Heartbreak is a lot like death.

Only for me…there aren’t people. There’s just Cain.

Every single one of my flashes revolves around him. And every positive flash is immediately followed by one that hurts so much I wish I was actually dead so I wouldn’t have to suffer through the pain any longer.

I close my eyes as another one spikes through me like the jagged teeth of a hungry animal ripping through its next meal.

I watched from the sidelines as his tuxedo-clad body pressed against some woman wearing a sophisticated purple dress and they swayed to the music. I couldn’t tell if they were friends or lovers…not until his dance partner closed the distance between them.

I smiled. Thinking how sweet it was to see a couple in love show affection.

That is until his hand lifted—the glint of gold from the diver’s watch I got him last Christmas was nearly blinding as he cupped her flushed cheek before his lips—those perfect lips of his—moved against hers tenderly in a soft kiss.

A kiss that lingered long enough people took notice.

A kiss so beautiful it made the people on the dance floor clap.

A kiss so powerful it broke my heart.  

Cain kissed her like she was his everything…and I was his nothing.

The organ in my chest recoils as I touch my tear-stained lips. “He never kissed me.”

“Who?”

I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of a deep voice. I was so wrapped up in my sadness, I didn’t hear anyone approach.  

I shift on the granite bench I’m sitting on so I can see him. Unfortunately, he’s standing in front of the balcony doors on the terrace and the distance combined with the black mask he’s wearing keeps his identity a mystery. The only thing I can make out from his shadow is that he’s tall and his frame is muscular.

It’s odd he would be here given you can’t access this balcony without entering the bedroom first.

I probably should have gone back downstairs, but there was no way I could face all those people. Not in the state I’m in. I figured the best option was to find another bedroom so I could gather my bearings and figure out what to do next.  

Only, I haven’t a clue what to do next. I have twenty dollars in cash and an account Cain oversees and puts money into whenever I tell him I need some. I have no car. No place to go. No family or friends to call for help.

I’m all alone. Dependent on a man who brought me here so he could shatter me for sport.

The one and only thing I know for certain is that I don’t want to see him…with her. And given Cain’s marrying the woman, it makes going back home a very bleak thought. One I can’t bear.

So I won’t.

I’ll hide out in this abandoned castle until someone with authority kicks me out…or my organs cease, and the flesh falls off my bones.

I’ll stay here until it doesn’t hurt anymore.

Lifting my mask slightly, I wipe my cheeks with the back of my hand. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to be nosy?”

I’m not in the mood to talk. I just want to be left alone.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to answer a question with another question?”

The timbre of his voice sends a shiver down my spine. Goosebumps graze my arms when I realize. He’s not just anyone.

“You’re the man who hurt me earlier.”

That gets a chuckle out of him. “I’m not the man who hurt you.”

I swallow hard when he takes a step forward. The light from the moon illuminates him enough to reveal his black mask and beautifully severe features. For a moment, I’m utterly hypnotized. Those blue eyes are so vibrant even the purest ocean in the Caribbean wouldn’t come close to capturing the pigment.  

“That would be your stepfather.”

Trepidation coils my insides like a noose around a person’s neck before an execution. Not only is he the man who attacked me on the dance floor, he’s also the man who helped me when I crashed into the waiter and knocked over his tray.

The man who sucked the blood from my finger and then left without a trace.

My response is automatic. Right out of the Cain Carter politician handbook. Deny, deny, deny. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Head whirling, I reach for my phone. I’ve never seen him before tonight, and yet, he not only knows who I am—he keeps showing up like a ghost out of thin air to either help, harm, or intimidate me.

It doesn’t make any sense.

As much as I don’t want to talk to Cain, I’m not stupid or stubborn enough to be alone with a nosy jerk who knows more than he should.  

With shaky fingers, I type out a text.

Eden: I’m out on the terrace in one of the bedrooms upstairs. Some guy has been following me around tonight and he just showed up again. He knows things about me he shouldn’t. I’m nervous.

I hover over the send button for the better part of a minute before I clear the message and place the phone down beside me on the bench. I don’t want to need Cain. I don’t want him to swoop in and be my savior when he’s the asshole who broke my heart.

So, I won’t give him the option. I can handle this myself.

Given I’m still wearing my mask, I can be anyone.

“Listen, I don’t know what your deal is, but you have me confused with someone else.” I straighten my shoulders. “I’m not who you think I am. I’m also not in the mood for company. Please go.”

Any decent human being would leave at this point, but not him. He takes it as an invitation to sit down next to me.

“Fine, buddy. It’s your funeral. I came here with my husband tonight and he’s go

I once read an article that said if you’re a single woman being approached by a man you’re not interested in, you should pretend to be waiting on your spouse.

I see the faintest hint of a dimple peek out on his right cheek as he looks down at my finger. “You’re not married.”

“Just because I don’t wear a wedding band doesn’t mean I’m not taken.”

He fetches a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. “You not wearing a wedding band has nothing to do with my observation.”

I fidget. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him what led to that conclusion, but I don’t have to because he says, “No man in their right mind would let you out of their sight.”

I roll my eyes. “Wow, smooth—”

“Not because you’re attractive or irresistible. But because a man in love doesn’t leave the object of his affection alone at a party. He also doesn’t keep her locked away like a dirty secret while he fucks other women and marries them.”

His statement is like a lethal kick to the heart. “I can get security to throw you out.”

Smirking, he fishes his lighter out of his pocket and lights his cigarette. “But then you’d have to go down there with all those people.”

I inwardly wince. He has me there. People are my weakness. Especially the people in this town.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at him out of the corner of my eye. “If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police to escort you off my property.”

There. I’d like to see him talk his way out of that one.  

I’m not sure what to make of the expression on his face. “You live here?”