Chapter 3Betrayal at the Pier

I stared at Jules, unable to believe what I was seeing. After our parents died, my sister was the only family I had left, and Jules knew exactly how much she meant to me.

"Get up there. Officiate the wedding."

She looped her arm through Nicolas's and smiled at me. My fingers dug into the photograph, my nails cutting into my palm.

"I, Max McGraw, am honored to pronounce Ms. Jules McKenna and Mr. Nicolas Bernstein husband and wife..."

I don't remember how I made it out of the church. All I know is that the press had a field day at my expense.

[THE KINGPIN TURNS SOFT? BROTHERS-TURNED-RIVALS IN LOVE, AND HE'S WORSE OFF THAN A KILLER]

Jules had paid an army of trolls to stir up the narrative online.

[Jules faked her own death just to get away from him. Max's level of obsession would scare any woman off.]

[If I were her, I'd have run a long time ago.]

[What does he even do besides hurt people? The one who was never loved is the real third wheel here.]

I stayed awake all night.

The next day, I went back to the mansion and found all my belongings dumped outside, soaked through from a full night of rain.

"Sorry, Max. This is all just trash to me now. I don't want any of it."

The door opened, and Nicolas leaned against the frame, watching me.

"Why are you here?"

I tried to look past him into the house, but Jules stepped into my path.

"You signed this house over to me years ago. It's about time it went back to its rightful owner."

I blinked, not believing what I'd heard.

"But this was my wedding gift to you."

Jules cut me off, impatient.

"What wedding gift? My husband lives here now. I've decided to sign this house over to Nicolas, so get your junk out of here!"

She shoved me. I stumbled and caught myself against one of my own boxes. When I looked up, I saw the pocket watch my mother had left me hanging from Nicolas's breast pocket.

My lips trembled with fury.

"Give that back! You have no right to touch anything of my mother's!"

I lunged toward him. Before I even touched him, Nicolas lurched backward and tumbled down the stairs.

"Nicolas!"

Jules's face went pale. The second she saw the blood pooling beneath him, she screamed at the guards.

"Get a doctor! Someone call an ambulance!"

…

Inside the hospital room, the doctor shook his head helplessly.

"Jules, Nicolas's thigh has been shattered in multiple places, and... his fertility has been affected. He may never be able to father a child."

Nicolas collapsed against Jules, sobbing so hard he could barely breathe.

"Jules, what am I going to do?!"

Jules turned on me, her face twisted, while I knelt on the floor against my will.

"Max, you came here on purpose today, didn't you? You wanted to hurt Nicolas!"

Her palm cracked across my cheek, hard enough that it swelled instantly. Jules looked like she wanted to tear me apart with her bare hands.

"Just looking at your face makes me sick! If you didn't have the harbor in your pocket, you really think I'd have ever looked twice at you?"