Forbidden: The Billionaire’s Secret Sister Chapter 06
Phoenix
I stared at the photo on my phone screen, feeling like a sledgehammer had just slammed into my chest.
Augustine had his arm around Sera’s shoulders, the two of them standing in front of her house. His posture was protective and intimate, and she–damn it, she was smiling. That kind of genuine smile that came from the heart, an expression I hadn’t seen on her face in a long time.
Just overnight? How did he manage to take her to his vineyard and get this close to her in less than twenty–four hours?
My fingers gripped the phone so tightly I wanted to smash it into pieces. “Fuck!”
I shot up from my seat, the chair scraping harshly against the floor.
Augustine was right outside in the courtyard, inspecting newly arrived oak barrels. I stormed out and blocked his path.
“You’re using her to get back at me!”
He slowly straightened up, turning toward me with an expression so calm it only fueled my rage further.
“No, Phoenix.” His voice was low and steady. “I’m giving her the respect she deserves. Something you’ve never done.”
“Bullshit!” I stepped forward, nearly pressing against his chest. “Sera is mine! This has nothing to do with you!”
Augustine looked at me, something flickering in his eyes–sympathy? Or contempt?
“Yours?” He repeated the word with a mocking tone. “You mean you want both Celeste and can’t let go of Sera?”
The words cut like a knife straight to the core. I opened my mouth to argue back, but the words stuck in my throat.
“Phoenix,” Augustine’s voice softened but remained sharp, “do you know what real love is? It’s not possession, not control, and certainly not keeping a woman in perpetual uncertainty.”
felt blood rushing to my head. “You think you know her? You think a few dates can make her forget verything between us?”
“Maybe not,” he said calmly, “but at least I won’t make her feel like she’s a dispensable option.”
Those words hit my deepest fear. I turned and left, unable to face those eyes that saw right through everything.
At dusk, I stood in front of Sera’s pottery studio, my palms sweating.
I had to see her. Had to let her know–damn it, I didn’t even know what I wanted to tell her. I just couldn’t watch her disappear from my life.
The moment I pushed open the door, familiar scents of clay and paint enveloped me. The dim lighting made the entire space feel particularly intimate. Sera sat at her potter’s wheel, focused on shaping a vase, completely oblivious to my arrival.
Her profile was soft and beautiful in the lamplight, her concentrated expression reminding me of the heart–flutter I felt when I first met her heart-
“Sera.”
Her hand trembled, and the vase instantly lost its
shape. She looked up at me, her eyes holding no surprise, only exhaustion.
Phoenix, what are you doing here?” walked toward her, each step feeling heavy. “We need to talk.”
She stopped her work and wiped the clay from her hands. “About what?”
“About us.” I crouched down in front of her, trying to grasp her hands, but she deftly avoided my touch. “Sera, I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
She looked at me, her expression so complex it made my heart race with panic. “And then?”
“And then-” I swallowed hard, “but Celeste is fragile right now. I can’t abandon her.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I knew I’d said the wrong thing. Sera’s expression instantly turned cold.
“So you want me to wait?” Her voice was soft, but each word felt like an ice pick. “Like my mother waited for the men in your family?”
“No! This is different!” I quickly stood up. “Give me time. Once Celeste recovers, I’ll choose you. I swear!”
Sera also stood up, her body tense. “Phoenix, do you hear what you’re saying?”
‘I’m saying I love you! I’m saying we can-
You’re saying you want to have it both ways.” She in- terrupted me. “You want the sense of accomplishment
that comes from Celeste’s dependence, and you want me to wait here forever for you to change your mind.
“That’s not true!”
“Isn’t it?” She turned and walked toward the window, her back to me. “Then you can choose now. Right now, Phoenix. Choose me, or choose her.”
A thousand excuses crowded in my chest, but not a single word could escape my lips. A voice in my head was screaming, “Choose her! Choose Sera!” but another voice was saying, “You can’t abandon Celeste, you can’t be that kind of heartless bastard.”
Those few seconds of silence revealed everything.
“I knew it.” Sera let out a bitter laugh. “You’ll never
choose. Because choosing means responsibility, means you have to face what you really want. And you, Phoenix Blackwood, are best at running away.”
“Sera, you don’t understand-”
“Phoenix. I wish you and Celeste happiness.”
she walked out the door and disappeared into the night.
wanted to chase after her, but my feet felt nailed to the ground.