“You abandoned me in the middle of the night! You left me alone for five years!” Maya hissed as he lifted his hand to touch where her slap had left its mark. “I left to protect you! I left because I love you!” Nathaniel protested in a futile attempt to defend himself. —————————————————— Five years ago, Nathaniel De La Rue found love and a new life in Arlington City, but his past soon caught up with him and forced him to leave behind everything he had built, including his beloved Maya Miller. Now, Nathaniel is done running. He must confront his past to protect those that matter the most to him. After fighting for his right to live and accepting his rightful place in the De La Rue family, he finally returns to Arlington City. However, upon his return, Nathaniel finds that his world is not the same as he left it. Maya, the woman he loves, is engaged to another man. His best friend now works for the man who stole Maya from him. Furthermore, the woman who had cared for Nathaniel like a mother is being abused by her husband. It’s as if he has to start from scratch. But things have changed. This time he has the De La Rue Family by his side.
"No one outside this room is to learn about the choice I had to make," Nathaniel's gaze met every single person in the room until it finally landed on Emilia's.
He knew that his sister was getting closer and closer to Jay, he knew that his friend was becoming more and more important to his sister and he didn't want her to lose him over this.
"I'd never betray you," Emilia whispered.
Nathaniel was stunned when he realized she thought he was expecting her to slip and tell Jay or someone else.
"Shit," he cursed under his breath. "I didn't mean you would be the one to tell him."
"You're looking at me like I already have," Emilia's voice didn't shake. It was steady and strong, just as she had trained it to be.
As his representative in the Underworld, Emilia was trained to show no emotion, but unlike the people in the Underworld, Nathaniel knew his sister better.