My neck straightened. “I’m not. That’s why I went to the law firm. I’m not giving him the power. If I had, I’d be home right now.”

“Home with him? Why?”

“He called me, after…” I blinked unnecessarily. “…I yelled at him. I can almost tell you the number of times I’ve yelled during our entire marriage. Honestly, there haven’t been many. It’s just that he made me a promise. From the very beginning of this sick-assed thing…” I motioned toward the contract and emphasized Brody’s words. “…he made me a promise and today he broke it.”

“And you’re surprised? A man who made you sign a contract like this… you’re surprised he broke a promise?”

My chin fell to my chest. “Stupid, isn’t it?”

Warmth enveloped me as strong arms pulled me closer. “No, Vik. It’s not stupid and you’re not stupid. You were tricked into marrying the devil. It’s only natural that you’d try to justify his actions and hold on to any shred of moral high ground.”

Inhaling Brody’s fresh clean scent, I allowed myself to melt against his chest. His words, tone, and actions were exactly what any normal woman would want to hear. But then again, I wasn’t normal. How could I be? I’d been told since before I could remember that I was venom. If there were even a small part of me that had feelings for Brody, the best thing I could do for him was to keep my distance. Then again, I needed his help, at least until the nightmare named Stewart Harrington was buried deeper than my memories.

“Stop it,” Brody commanded.

My eyes widened. “Stop what?”

“You’re still doing it. You’re retreating to wherever you go in that beautiful head of yours.”

He was right. It was safer there. I could control the world in there.

“Vik? Look at me.”

Clearing away the fog of broken promises, I peered into the tranquil aquamarine of his gaze.

“That’s it. Now, stop thinking about anyone or anything else: live in the here and now, with me.”

I shook my head. “I can’t. I need to go home. I’m sure Stewart’s asleep by now, but if I’m not there when he wakes, he’ll ask questions.”

“When you spoke, what did you tell him you were going to do?”

“I said I wasn’t going home right away. I told him I was going to go out with Val.”

Brody’s brows peaked expectantly. “Do you ever spend the night at your sister’s?”

I couldn’t stop the smile. “I have, but not often. Stewart doesn’t approve.”

“But… you yelled at him, right?”

I nodded.

“He knows you’re mad?”

“Yes, I made that pretty clear.”

“Why aren’t you with Val?” he asked.

“She has rounds at the hospital tonight. I remember her saying that she’s covering for some other doctors, ones who’ll be covering for her while she’s in Uganda.”

“Uganda?” Brody repeated.

“Yes, that’s her latest project. With the help of the Harrington Society, she’s been and will continue to bring cancer treatment to remote villages. It’s pretty remarkable. She’s organized a big network. There are volunteers there all the time, but as the administrator of the grant, she has to be the one to monitor and help with transporting the necessary drugs.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“She assured me that there are more dangerous areas of the world,” I replied, remembering how I’d asked Val the same question. “That doesn’t mean I don’t worry about her. I asked her why she couldn’t offer the same services here in the United States. There are still millions of people here who can’t afford the necessary treatment. Especially with Stewart’s diagnosis, it made sense. Why not start Harrington Cancer Clinics in the US?”

“Great idea. What did she say?”

“She laughed and told me she’d get a grant proposal to me as soon as she could.”

“I love the way your beautiful eyes glow when you talk about your sister.”

“She’s the only good thing to come out of this.”

“No, she’s not,” Brody said matter-of-factly.

Pressing my lips together, I didn’t respond.

“How many people has she helped through the Harrington Society?”

“Hundreds, maybe thousands. But who’s to say she wouldn’t have done that—”

“You’re doing it again, Vik. Don’t sell yourself short. You made a deal with the devil and managed to promote good. Damn, beautiful, you’re the one who deserves sainthood.”

He couldn’t have been more wrong. Sainthood was not in my future. Well, unless the devil had an apprenticeship program. I mean, he did start out an angel. I chuckled. Perhaps the devil did have a program. Unfortunately for him, I’d been a very good student.

“You’re doing it again.” His tone was demanding, as he proclaimed, “Stay with me.”

“I can’t.”

“Not the night, though I want that. Stay here in this suite, with the ocean view.” He gestured toward the windows. “Stay here. Don’t go back into the darkness.”

If he only understood: that was where I was born and where I’d lived. It was who I was. Nothing he could do or say would change that.