Page 140 of Broken Vows

Crack.

Levi’s fist connects with the bridge of Maverick’s nose.

Maverick staggers back into a parked car, one hand flying to his face. Blood spills bright red between his fingers and over the white cuff of his shirt.

For a moment I can only stare at Levi’s clenched fist.

Then I look at his face.

Whatever he sees in mine makes something shift in his expression.

“I can explain,” he says.

I take one involuntary step back.

Finn moves immediately to my side. Close enough to step between us if needed, but not touching me.

“Go on, then,” I say.

Levi doesn’t explain.

He just stares at the ground.

“He works with Drew,” Finn says quietly. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t know about any of this…the clause. I would’ve told you⁠—”

Levi shoots him a warning look, and Finn falls silent.

“But Drew’s a hitman,” I say, leaning into Finn. None of it makes sense.

“So is he,” Finn says. I look at Levi, but he’s just staring at the ground. “If you’re with anyone before the divorce is final, you don’t get a cent. Dad sent him to make sure you broke the clause.”

“I didn’t want to do it,” Levi finally says.

For a moment, everything falls silent.

I look at Levi first. Any last, foolish hope that this is all some misunderstanding vanishes. His expression confirms everything.

Then I force myself to look at Maverick. He’s still clutching his nose, blood running over his hand and down the front of his shirt. Even now, injured and humiliated, he looks more annoyed than ashamed.

“You hired someone to sleep with me?”

Maverick’s eyes harden. He gives a small shrug, as if the whole thing is an unfortunate technicality.

“You got your little midlife crisis out of the way.” His gaze flicks over Levi with open contempt. “Now you can come home.”

Levi moves, but I step into his path. He stops instantly.

“You have nothing now, Carmen,” Maverick continues. “Finn has the voicemail. Everyone in that gym saw you with him. No one will believe it stopped at holding hands.”

The words sink in slowly.

After a full year of silence this is what he finally brings?

A trap.

Not because he loves me. Not because he misses me. Because he believes that if he strips enough away, I’ll have no choice but to crawl back to where he wants me.

He wasn’t like this when we met. Money changed him. By the time he reached his second billion, he had drifted so far from reality that people were no longer people to him. They were just pawns.