PROLOGUE
HARLAN
SIX MONTHS AGO
“Thisphasehas gone on long enough,” Tobias Black says with a coldness I could barely endure. “It ends now.”
“It’s not aphase. Dante and I are in love—he agreed to marry me,” I say, glancing at Dante who is looking everywhere but at me. Tobias casts a look at his son, my fiancé shrinking under his scrutiny. “Baby, tell him,” I plead, panic rising in my chest when the room stays eerily silent.
“You’ll forfeit the ranch if it’s true,” Tobias says, earning the first reaction from Dante since this intervention began. “You know better than to get involved withthe help.”
“I won’t give up the ranch,” he states vehemently, the force of his words knocking me back a step. “The ranch is my legacy.” He pauses, then his gaze finally meets mine. “Nothing else matters.”
It’s not the words themselves but thewayhe says them, as if he can erase an entire year ofI’ve never felt this way before, Harlan,andyou’re my soulmate, Harlan,andthere’s nothing that will ever come between us—I love you.
My expression must be murderous because he blanches slightly before looking back down at the floor.
“Help is temporary,” Tobias says, giving me a slow once-over, “but a legacy lasts a lifetime.”
I don’t miss the emphasis on the wordhelp.My work clothes and boots compared to their designer style and overpriced haircuts stand out in this room—the division of power clear and intentional.
It hadn’t mattered to me.
Not while Dante was screaming my name into his bedsheets.
And not when he was promising me forever.
Not until now.
My hands fist at my sides, rage churning in my gut. I’d been here for two years before I’d even spoken to Dante—barely knew his name other than that he’d be taking over the ranch one day. He’d sought me out, with his slicked-back hair and bright green eyes, and I’d felt like I was one lucky son of a bitch for catching his attention.
Everyone on the ranch knew Dante was a bit promiscuous—seeking the company of men and women alike. If the rumors were true, Tobias had paid off more than one reporter to bury a story, but I’d never put much stock in rumors.
Maybe I should have.
Because I trusted the cowardly man before me with my heart and body and a part of my soul I’d never get back.
“This severance is beyond generous,” Tobias says, pulling an envelope from his pocket and staring pointedly. “Leave quietly and I’ll be sure to pass on a favorable recommendation.”
I want to laugh.
I want to scream and flip the chairs and shake Dante until he admits it was real—that I hadn’t imagined it.
But as I stare at the envelope, the pieces start to fall into place.
Dantehadbeen promiscuous.
Until me.
I’d kept him out of the headlines and he’d kept me out of the spotlight, claiming that his life was always so public he just wanted to enjoy each other in private. There’d been takeout and dinners eaten in, a few trips out of town but they’d been few and far between and always somewhere secluded.
Romantic.
A lie.
Everyone on the ranch knew we were together, but they’d kept their mouths shut outside the property line to keep their jobs.
I’d fallen in love with one version of Dante Black—but it wasn’treallyhim and it never would be.
