Chapter 18
“Carmen, do you also think what we just said was hilarious?”
A few friends saw him finally smile and assumed he’d overheard their conversation. They winked and nudged him playfully.
“What?” Carmen shook his head. He hadn’t heard.
“It was about Liora! Yeah, she’s always been your sworn enemy, but damn, she has fierce personality and killer body. Some of us even joked that once you break the mate bond and when you get bored of her, we’d snag her and give her a try!”
“Exactly. Liora’s got way more spice than those little girls. When the time comes, we get rough with her. That’d be one hell of a show.”
“Too bad she’s dead. Otherwise, we’d have to wait till you’re tired of her.”
They laughed lecherously, egging each other on, fantasizing about Liora like she was nothing more than a prize to be shared.
Carmen’s face darkened instantly. The bottle in his hand creaked under his tight grip. He whirled around, eyes blazing as he stared at Oliver. His voice was cold,
“Don’t you dare!”
Oliver was scared at Carmen’s glare but quickly grew defiant. He straightened his neck and shot back,
“What don’t I dare? You hate her, right? Once she’s out of your life, I’ll take her. What’s wrong with that?”
“Say that again if you’ve got the guts!”
Carmen stood up abruptly, smashing the bottle on the floor. Glass shards exploded everywhere.
A fierce rage surged through his eyes, unlike anything anyone had ever seen before but like someone had struck his most sensitive nerve.
Oliver, equally riled up, charged forward, grabbing Carmen by the collar.
“Did I say something wrong? You don’t love her, right? Then what’s with the act?”
They immediately started wrestling, fists thudding against flesh, mingling with the sharp shatter of glass. Chaos erupted.
Others rushed to pull them apart, shouting,
“Enough! We’ve been friends for over twenty years. What kind of nonsense is this, fighting over a woman?”
“And it’s Liora, of all people! She’s dead now. No matter what, she can’t hear any of it. Carmen, why even bother?”
Several hands held Carmen back tightly. His chest heaved violently, but his eyes never left Oliver’s.
For days now, a weight had been pressing down on him. No matter how much he tormented Evelynne or drowned himself in debauchery, he was restless. Hearing those words finally snapped something inside him. His eyes went bloodshot, and he roared, reckless and furious,
“Apologize to her! How dare you speak of her that way! I’ll never break the mate bond with Liora. Even if she’s dead, she’s still mine!”
Oliver refused to back down, and the friends caught in the middle sighed helplessly as they tried to mediate.
“Carmen, what the hell are you doing? Are you really throwing away over twenty years of friendship for someone who’s already dead? Liora’s gone. What’s the harm in us saying a few things?”
That logic made sense, and Carmen tried telling himself the same. But the filthy words they’d spoken about Liora stirred a fury inside him he couldn’t control. How dare they think so little of her? She was his mate, his Luna. Even dead, she was his!
He was panting heavily, while another who had been stopped didn’t back down either, sneering mockingly.
“Have you guys not noticed? Carmen’s been in love with Liora all along.”
The group exchanged glances. That hit harder than a fight over a woman, especially since it came from someone who’d always been Carmen’s sworn
enemy.
Someone frowned and whispered, “No way, right? How could Carmen possibly have fallen for Liora?”
“Why not?” Oliver’s voice was sharp. “Look at him now! If he didn’t love her, would he be this fired up? He not only killed Evelynne, but he can’t even stand a few words about Liora.”
Silence fell over the group. After Liora’s death, they’d assumed Carmen and Evelynne would continue their affair. Instead, he tortured Evelynne for a month before ending her life at Liora’s grave.
Chapter 18
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It was strange enough already, but now with this blunt accusation, doubts started to creep in.
“Carmen, did you really fall in love with Liora?” someone asked cautiously.
Carmen had been silent until now. At those words, suddenly, he slammed the table beside him, sending bottles and glasses crashing to the floor. The loud clatter startled everyone.
Like a wild beast unleashed, his hoarse roar tore through the room,
“Yes, I fell in love with her! I’ve loved her for a long time!”
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