My Dark Prince: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Dark Prince Road)

Was this what Sebastian felt like, tucked behind a thick curtain, watching as the world moved on without him?

I stood at the window on the second floor, hidden from view, nestling a glass of whiskey I had no appetite for.

An Uber pulled up to my front gate. The driver slid out of his seat and popped up his trunk, hurling Briar’s raggedy suitcases inside with little finesse.

The dinner party raged on in the backyard – with round-two entrees, courtesy of Hettie, who’d already snuck in Haitian dishes into the party earlier. Apparently, my guests had an appetite for the shit show called my life and not so much the vegetarian menu I’d curated to appease my fake fiancée.

My ex-fake fiancée.

I took a healthy swig of the amber liquid, letting it swish in my mouth. Letting her go was the right thing to do. I had no other choice. This thing between us had no legs. Fuck, all it had was nostalgia.

And that wasn’t enough.

I was a fuck-up, who screwed her over. She was brilliant, dazzling, strong, independent, and funny. With an impressive career and a yoga body that put supermodels to shame.

I’d tried to stay tough, to play it cool, to pretend her words didn’t singe their way past my skin and into my deepest layer.

I managed to do all that, for the most part.

If I tried, I could block the way to the airport at the drop of a hat. Hell, I could make a phone call to some board members at Delta and United and cancel all outgoing flights from the area for the night if I truly put my mind to it.

I could delay her. Maybe even stop her. But I didn’t.

The past few days had been frustrating, amusing, terrifying, and confusing, but exhilarating all the same. I wanted the bicker, and the banter, and the sexual tension, and the constant attempts to one-up each other.

And still … I let her go.

For the first time since Sebastian’s injury, I admitted that I hadn’t made that vow to leave Briar because I owed Sebastian. I’d done it because the notion that I was cancerous to the people around me had intensified by the minute.

After the accident, Seb never met my eyes. Dad shook his head at the sight of me. Mom couldn’t even stay in the same room as me for long.

My own family had no faith in me.

How could I expect Briar to?

I didn’t want to fuck up her life the way I did Seb’s. So, I latched on to his demand, using it as an excuse to do what I’d already planned on doing. I threw myself into the task of healing my brother and cut off all connection to Briar, knowing my presence would only complicate her life.

I didn’t deserve anyone’s love.

Just like that night, I chose what was right for Briar.

I’d chosen her path and lost sight of my own.

The passenger door of the Uber clicked shut. The Prius rolled out of the cul-de-sac, slinking out of sight.

I threw my glass of whiskey on the window and watched as it shattered to pieces, liquid gold slithering down the bare concrete.