page42 (1/2)
Chapter Forty-Six
COLIN DECIDED TO STAY IN Switzerland indefinitely
It had been several weeks since Sabela left the chalet He threw hi, he drank his way through most of the liquor in the chalet and slept heavily in drunken stupors
The liquor dulled the pain, and silenced his conscience More now than ever, he knew his mother wouldn’t approve of what he’d done
Both Bruno and Marie had silently shoith their expressions, that they didn’t approve of his behavior either Colin cared more than he’d admit that his servants’ opinions mattered to him
Colin wasn’t sure what to do next He had spent so long thinking about exacting revenge on Trevor Vaughn, and, in the end, he had ended up losing both of the women that he cared about It made a certain amount of karmic sense
He wasn’t sure what the future could have held between hio He had pushed her away and encouraged her to leave Worse, he had been cruel
She left hi Blanca on Trevor, but he had no one to bla Sabela but himself
Sabela had shown the kind of backbone that Blanca lacked If Blanca had possessed the strength to call himself and Trevor out on their bullshit like Sabela did, Blanca would still be alive
Instead, she had led Trevor on and let hi irl eet, but who craved attention, and Trevor had given her plenty of that He’d picked up the slack while Colin orking a thousand miles away
But no matter how often Trevor was there for her, it didn’t excuse what he had done Blanca had never intended to leave Colin, and this knowledge made all the difference in the world
He’d only recently begun to truly understand the past, to look at it frole and see what he’d missed before
As for Sabela, Trevor was right when he’d sneered that she was too good for Colin Those words stopped him every ti to call Sabela and apologize
He let Sabela go because he was destined to hurt her, again and again No ot the best of him She deserved better than that
And him? He deserved to be alone
So alone he sat, staring into the flickering flaerous If he got too close, they’d burn him
Marie carried in a tray and set it down on the side table On it were two slices of toast, lightly buttered
“You need to eat You’re going to pickle yourself if you don’t eat so,” she insisted
She’d said the sa it True he had barely eaten anything since Sabela had left, but he wasn’t hungry
All he felt was hollow
“Leave me be,” he said
“You act as if you don’t have a choice,” Marie said with a stern tone in her voice
Colin glanced up at her, irritation knitting his brows together “Of course I have a choice, Marie You can’t force me to eat toast I don’t want”
Marie, usually so docile, rolled her eyes Colin was taken aback by her sass
“I meant you have a choice about what to do next, Colin You knohere Sabela is You just have to go and get her”
Never before had she called him by his first name What had happened to the professional housekeeper he knew? Colin blinked, trying to judge if the liquor washim hallucinate
He kneasn’t He rubbed his face “It’s not that simple, Marie”
Marie crossed her arms over her chest “It is that siht even be in love with her”
Love The bottom dropped out of Colin’s sto what to say Marie cut him off
“I know it’s scary, but it’s nothing to be afraid of It’s theout on it by being a … a …”
“Take care You do still work for me,” Colin interrupted “For what it’s worth, I know I’ out That’s beside the point I have to stay away fro to hurt her”
“She’s going to make some man very lucky someday,” Marie said in a wistful tone
The idea of Sabela being with another ht She will”
“It’s too bad it can’t be you I thought you made a handsohter”