Shattered

By Diana Nixon

It was love at first sight; a story that was supposed to last forever. A young heart that had never known true love, and a lonely soul seeking something real. I was that soul, and Elizabeth Brown was my beautiful heart, innocent and full of lawless passion. She made me believe that love can change anything. And it did change me... It broke me, it shattered me.
The betrayal that I never saw coming, was like a dagger straight through my heart. In the blink of an eye, my love was replaced by endless hate and pain that I thought I would never be able to forget.
But who would have thought that even bleeding hearts can love? Who would have believed that in eyes with no hope, a new fire can start burning?
“I will make her fall for me again. And then, I will ruin her, just like she ruined me...”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diana Nixon
• Release date: Jun 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463975213

Diana Nixon

USA Today & International Bestselling Author Diana Nixon writes sweet and spicy romance reads. A book addict and a Master of Law in the past, she knows how to weave plots that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Her stories can be funny or tragic, but her characters are strong, rebellious, and passionate about everything they do. When Diana isn’t busy writing, she spends her time reading books or watching historical dramas. A mom of two, she can’t live without coffee and chocolate, and she believes that writing is the best cure for everything that can be healed with words.Her books have been published internationally, in seven languages: English, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, French, and Portuguese.

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SHATTERED

By Diana Nixon

***

Copyright © 2016 by Diana Nixon

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission of the author except where permitted by law.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

***

Edited by: Heather Anne Davis

Cover design by: Jennifer Munswami

(J.M. Rising Horse Creations)

***

SHATTERED

(SUMMARY)

It was love at first sight; a story that was supposed to last forever. A young heart that had never known true love, and a lonely soul seeking something real. I was that soul, and Elizabeth Brown was my beautiful heart, innocent and full of lawless passion. She made me believe that love can change anything. And it did change me… It broke me, it shattered me.

The betrayal that I never saw coming, was like a dagger straight through my heart. In the blink of an eye, my love was replaced by endless hate and pain that I thought I would never be able to forget.

But who would have thought that even bleeding hearts can love? Who would have believed that in eyes with no hope, a new fire can start burning?

I will make her fall for me again. And then, I will ruin her, just like she ruined me…

***

Prologue

Kameron

I was so fucking screwed, in more ways than one. . .

The moment I saw Elizabeth Brown, the darkest of my desires and the worst of my nightmares, walking through the front door of my best friend’s house, my dick hardened to the core. Shit. . . Almost four years had passed since the last time I saw her, and the bitch still had so much power over me, or at least over one particular part of me that somehow refused to get over her. Un-freaking-believable. . .

"What is she doing here?" I asked Liam with as much venom as I could put into that simple question.

Who? He frowned, his eyes followed mine, obviously trying to find the object of my precise attention. "Oh. . .her? He pointed to the girl with platinum blond hair cascading down one shoulder in big pin curls. She’s here with Declan.

"Declan, as in Declan ‘The Scumbag’ Sanders?" I knew the name well. The asshole and I used to be classmates in high school. There had never been any lost love between us. I just didn’t get him and his pathetic attempts to demonstrate how brazenly rich his family was. I had never felt the lack of money myself, but he was a snob to the max, even compared to me. I wouldn’t have even been surprised to find out that he ate checks for breakfast.

Are they dating or what? I took a long sip of my coke, hoping to seem absolutely uninterested in the answer.

Don’t know. But she isn’t with Kolby anymore.

I smirked humorlessly. That, I am well aware of. Kolby was my half-brother; he happened to be the third part of the love triangle Elizabeth, he, and I still couldn’t recover from. Well, I wasn’t sure about the two of them, but I still felt as ruined as ever. And it was entirely her fault.

Does it still bother you who she’s sleeping with? Liam asked, chuckling into his beer.

Not even a fucking bit, I snapped back. But he knew me too well to buy my bullshit. The story of my so-called love was too messed up to recover from it so easily.

Hmm. . .

And that means what, exactly? I shot him a look that let him know just what I was thinking…it said it all – you better not mess with me tonight, not when Elizabeth and I just happen to be in the same room again. I had been avoiding her for a long time, and I was sure I did a great job getting over her, but apparently, I was not as successful as I had originally thought I was.

Nothing. My friend shrugged, knowing it was better to keep whatever shit he had in that smart-ass mind of his to himself.

Elizabeth and I had a long history together. We first met about four years ago when she and Kolby were about to graduate from high school. I was six years older than she, just finishing my education and getting a degree in Business Management from Stanford University. It was my last weekend before graduation; so, I came to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I had lived before going to college. I came back to hand-deliver invitations to the ceremony to my father, his wife Shelby – Kolby’s mother, and my brother. After my parents divorced, my mom moved to LA. Since we lived so close together, she was the first person to receive the invitation. Not that she didn’t want to raise me, but my father was sure that a boy needed to grow up by his father’s side. Mom didn’t argue with that. After all, she knew it was for the best. I spent all my winter and summer breaks with her, and when the time came for me to choose a college, my choices all ended at Stanford. I decided I would finally get a chance to spend more time with her. She was not thrilled about the meeting with my father and Shelby, but she loved me too much to miss one of the most significant events of my life just because the asshole was supposed to be there too. Mom was not alone. She was dating a great man, Derek. His biggest dream was to marry her, but she was sure one marriage was more than enough for one lifetime.

As for Elizabeth. . . I still remembered the moment I laid my eyes on her for the first time. How could I not? It was impossible to forget. Even after everything she did to break and bury my heart in a pool of its own blood, I still remembered every single detail from the first time we met. Yes, I remembered it as if it were just yesterday, and not so long ago. I was so fascinated by her, I didn’t immediately realize she was there with my brother. We shared a few meaningless words with each other, but they changed it all, they changed me. Since that day, I couldn’t think about anything but seeing her again, talking to her again, just being around her again, which was a huge mistake from the very beginning.

My eyes never stopped following her. She walked around Liam’s living room, greeting her friends, then stopped at the bar, next to a girl who was standing there, kissed her on both cheeks, and laughed at something she was telling her. The sound of her laughter was too damn familiar, and as always, it shot right through me, like an arrow hitting its mark, making every damn inch of my body vibrate in response as if she were laughing right into my ear instead of across the room. Her laughter sent invisible waves of excitement through me. She had always had that kind of effect on me. Everything about her awakened the best and the worst in me, and I still had no idea how to fix it. The only thing that I knew for sure was that I would never be able to forgive her for what she did to me. She betrayed me and every little emotion that I felt for her; she betrayed my love, so pure and boundless; I still couldn’t believe I once let a girl so deep under my skin. No doubt, she was a devil sent from hell to suck the soul and life out of my body, and with it, my desire to see her ever again.

Elizabeth had changed. I could see that even from the distance. She looked more confident, independent, and as cold as an ice cube in the Arctic. Not even her polite smile could change that. She had never been a shy girl. For as long as I had known her, she had been a fighter. And surprisingly enough, I liked that. She fought for her dreams and never gave up on anything, regardless of how much her father wanted to change her and her plans for the future. He didn’t want her wasting her time designing clothes, but that is what she loved. As snobby as he was, he couldn’t imagine his daughter being anything but a lawyer or a doctor. Not that she ever listened to him of course.

She was a match that I never thought I would be able to find. I fell for her…hard, it hurt to even think about letting her go one day. But the only thing that I felt for her now was hate, so strong it shattered me whenever I allowed my mind to wander towards thoughts of her. I wanted nothing more than to hurt her too, to see her suffer as much as I did when she ripped my heart out of my chest and threw it away like a piece of trash. I wanted to ruin her just like she ruined me.

I swallowed the rest of my coke in one gulp, slammed the glass against the coffee table, and moved to the bar, right to where she was standing. Being the only sober person at the party, which by the way, I already regretted even showing up, made everything so much worse, but I couldn’t let myself get drunk today. Tomorrow I had an early flight back to LA where I was supposed to start work at one of my father’s company’s branches; it was one of the biggest computer equipment sellers all over the west coast. And there was no way in hell I would miss my first day of work because of Elizabeth. I had to work my ass off to be who I was now, and she was not a part of me anymore.

I stopped right behind her, taking my time to appreciate the black mini dress she was wearing tonight. It fit her perfectly, outlining her every curve, covering and showing just enough to want it off of her. Her body was one of those things that I couldn’t resist. And no matter how sick the thought of fucking her again was, I didn’t mind it happening. Maybe not for pleasure, but at least for revenge.

As if feeling my presence, she slowly turned around, her amazing turquoise eyes bored into mine. I had never seen eyes of the same color as hers. Which was one of many things that I used to love about her. I drowned in them, hypnotized by their beauty and depth.

My whole body froze at the look she gave me. And if I didn’t know better, I would say she was as excited to see me as I was to see her. So much for my hate-you-to-death rule. Shit.

Hello, Kameron, she said, smiling as fucking sweetly as ever. What a pleasant surprise. . . I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight. Her face stayed cool. She had always been damn good at hiding her emotions. Poker-faced bitch.

I smirked in response. Oh, did you? My eyes traveled to her blood-red lips, shaped so ungodly perfect; I never knew how to stop myself from kissing them. You know, I always loved it when you wore red lipstick, I said in a low purr. A twisted part of me still enjoyed teasing her, flirting with her. As if my fucked-up life after her was not a good enough reason to stay as far away as humanly possible from her for the rest of my existence.

Really? I didn’t remember that, she said, taking a sip of her champagne. God knew I needed all of my willpower to not pull those devilishly luscious lips of hers to mine. As always, I just couldn’t stop thinking about kissing her senseless. Only this time, there was nothing romantic about my desire to be closer to her. I just wanted to hurt her, make her feel used.

My eyes shamelessly slipped down her dress again, the front of it was even more amazing than the back, fitting her like a glove. I smiled slightly at the view of her high-heeled shoes, the fuck-me-hard kind of shoes. I knew she was crazy about shoes, as well as she knew how much I loved her wearing them like tonight – as if they were her secret weapon in a game that she and I always loved to play.

Nice stilettos. Did you put them on for the precise reason of teasing me?

No response followed. She had been quiet for no less than a minute; it was one of those awkward silences. Then finally, she smiled, leaning closer to my face and breathed against my lips, Fuck you, Kameron Grayson.

I could practically taste the scent of champagne emitting from those bright-red lips of hers. My fists doubled in my jeans pockets. I was too close to dragging her to one of Liam’s guest rooms and taking her right there and then. Only this time, she didn’t deserve such generosity from me, no matter how badly her hardened nipples begged me to do just that. Did she even know that her body betrayed her every secret thought? I shook my head, frustrated. I couldn’t let her get to me, not again.

Her eyes stayed locked with mine for no more than a heartbeat, but it was more than enough to see the truth that she obviously hoped she would be able to hide from me. She knew I was back from LA, as well as she knew I would be at Liam’s tonight. The only thing that she didn’t expect was how fast I would be able to see it through the small and sexy as hell spectacle she was playing for me. I was not going to fall into the same trap twice, no matter how much a selfish part of me wanted to claim her as mine again.

She had always been mine, even tonight. I knew her too well to believe that she was not interested in me anymore. Regardless of how much of a cheating bitch she was, I knew she would never belong to anyone but me. And the funniest part was that she knew it too. Despite how screwed we both were, there had always been something pushing us to the edge, testing our limits, pulling us to each other, and then breaking us apart. Fate maybe? Or just a sick joke the universe enjoyed playing, where she and I fit together perfectly but could never work together. Go figure. . .

***

Part One

FOUR YEARS AGO

"The only true love is love at first sight; second sight dispels it."

Israel Zangwill

Chapter One

Kameron

I looked at my watch and yawned. I didn’t even bother hiding my attitude towards the situation taking place right in front of my eyes. Shelby was terrible at throwing parties, and she was even worse in her attempts to be a loving wife and mother. I never understood the kind of relationship she had with my father. She did everything he told her to do, and not even once did she try to talk back to him, or maybe she was not smart enough to be her own person and take charge in her life; either way, she seemed content to let my father dictate her every move. My mother was the complete opposite, she had absolutely no word filter to speak of when it came to calling my father names, and believe me she has called him every name in the book – in his presence and behind his back. They separated when I was five, and shortly after that, I found out that my dad was going to marry again. I can’t say that I was surprised, my parents fought all the time; but that doesn’t mean it didn’t affect me, it did. . . I was mad when I came to the realization that I would have to sit there and watch a different woman than my mother by my father’s side, doing all the things a wife is supposed to do, and pretend to be a mother too. Even after many years had passed, I still couldn’t force myself to love that woman, AKA my second mother. To me, she still seemed like the other woman, my dad’s secret lover, who would sneak into his hotel room when he was away from his family for business or otherwise.

Why did you even want me to be here tonight? Liam asked, as bored as ever. This party sucks, and we both know it. But we are still here. . .

"Dad asked me to stay at home tonight. You know, I would gladly skip the fun to leave this place and have a few shots with my best friend, which happens to be you; but he said we needed to talk about something very important, so I didn’t have any other choice than to stay here."

But still, what am I doing here? Kimmy wanted to hang out tonight, but I ditched her to watch a couple of snobby daddies, sharing stupid dirty jokes, and showing off their new lovers in an attempt to figure out which is hotter. . . Seriously, man, this is not how I expected this night to end.

"I can hardly stand living under the same roof with Shelby, but I don’t have much choice. Besides, you know how much I love ruining every damn party my ‘mommy’ throws. I needed your company to help me live through this particular one. That’s it."

You are welcome, Liam muttered bitterly in response, sending a text message. I was sure it must be addressed to his own new passion, Kimmy.

My eyes traveled around the room, looking at no one in particular until I spotted her. . .a stranger, a girl with an incredibly beautiful smile. She was holding a glass of punch in one hand when she walked over to my brother and kissed him on the cheeks, and then she went to my father and Shelby and kissed them on the cheeks too. She was acting like she had known them for ages, but that couldn’t be the case because I had never seen her before.

Hey, who’s that? I asked Liam, punching him lightly in the arm. I was hoping to distract him from sexting with Kimmy, which I was sure was the only logical explanation for the shit-eating grin plastered all over his pace.

Who? He asked aloof, not even bothering to look up from his phone.

That girl, over there, talking to Kolby.

Finally, he lifted his head, looked in the direction of the girl, and let out a chuckle. "Oh, that. . .she’s your brother’s girlfriend, Elizabeth. Elizabeth Brown. She is Christopher Brown’s daughter. Ever heard of him?"

Didn’t he used to be one of my father’s companions?

Aha.

How long have they been dating?

For a couple of months, I guess. Why?

They look like they have been together for longer than that, they seem more like a husband and wife whose marriage has seen better times. The only thing that made me believe there was something more than just friendship between them was my brother’s lovestruck expression, that to be honest, was the funniest and at the same time the stupidest expression I had ever seen on his face.

The girl’s been through some rough shit recently. Her parents are in the middle of a divorce. And guess why? Because her old man has been living a double life. He has another family in Houston, and as far as I know, he has two other children that neither Elizabeth nor her mother knew a damn thing about.

That is not cool.

Not at all. Especially considering the size of her father’s fortune. . .now he has to divide it between three children, and two wives.

Suddenly, I felt really sorry for Elizabeth. She didn’t look like she was enjoying Shelby’s shitty party either, and I couldn’t blame her for that, so I thought I would cheer her up a little.

I waited for her to excuse herself and go out to the patio, and followed her. I didn’t really care whether Kolby liked it or not. He could put on his best suit, use a whole bottle of that damn hair gel he couldn’t live without, and go straight to hell. I wouldn’t give a fuck. I never cared about what he thought or felt. He was my worst enemy’s son, and no matter how hard our father tried to make our fellowship work, we were anything but friends and even less brothers that were supposed to take care of each other. So I didn’t see anything wrong with trying to get to know more about his lovely girlfriend.

"Even an empty patio feels better