Seven years ago, Tristan Knight walked away from the love of his life, Serenity Harris, without a word or a backwards glance. No goodbye. No Dear John letter. No words of apologies or excuses. She'd woken up one morning to an empty bed, her body sor...
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Lies have a way of catching up with you...
Nyle dazedly stared out the large, picturesque window of his penthouse suite and wrestled with his tie, the knot feeling like a noose around his neck. He coughed hard and braced his hand against the window, blinking rapidly as he tried to slow the erratic pace of his heartbeat and his shaky breathing.
He exhaled and stroked his bearded chin with his free hand, lost in thought. "When?"
"Yesterday."
"Who told you?"
"Ricky."
Nyle paused, biting hard on his lip. "Does she know?"
"Far as I know, no."
"Who told him?"
"His mother called him. Said her invitation had disappeared and she couldn't find it. Said the last time she saw it was when he visited her day before yesterday. She's tried calling him but he's not answering or returning her messages."
"Serenity probably knows."
"Wouldn't she tell you?"
Nyle chuckled dryly and shook his head. "No. She knows what it would do to me. She wouldn't want to see me upset." He swore under his breath and slapped the window with his palm. "Fuck!"
"Maybe that's not why he's back. It could be any reason. Maybe his mother just misplaced the invitation."
"No. No. He knows. That's the only thing that would bring him back after all this time." Nyle felt his blood boil and closed his eyes, breathing through his nose. "After all this time... Fuck. Fuck!"
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I need to think about this for a minute. Just give me a second."
Nyle tugged at his tie again; then yanked it loose and tossed it on the chair next to him. He stalked over to the bar in the corner of the living-area and grabbed a glass, quickly opening a bottle of whiskey and pouring a huge helping.
Dennis, his best friend, best man, and cousin, silently stood by watching, respecting his wish of silence and privacy. Nyle knew it was killing him not to say anything but his cousin knew not to push him. Tristan Knight was not his favorite subject and the fact that he was back in town and could destroy everything Nyle had worked hard to bring to fruition would likely send him over the edge. He needed time to think. To strategize. To plan... Just in case...
Nyle walked back over to the window and looked out again, momentarily distracted by the beauty in front of him. The suite he was staying in was located in one of the fanciest, most luxurious hotels downtown and the hotel was in the center of the city. He was on the 40th floor and could see the gorgeous landscapes and visual attractions for miles and all of the bustling activity below. But as quick as he was distracted by the breath-taking view before him; the tension crawling up his back brought him right back to the misery of the present.
