Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 78487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
His lifts his gaze to me. “Was any of it real? The things we did?”
“What do you mean?”
“Us? All of it. Was it all part of the plan to make me fall in love with you and then break my heart before you killed me?”
I gasp, my eyes wide. The idea that he thinks I faked my feelings makes me want to cry again.
“I love you,” I whisper. “That’s not a lie.”
He doesn’t believe me. His eyes tell me he wants to, but I can see on his face that his common sense tells him I’m a big fat faker.
“Everything was real.” I reach for him, but he pulls away.
He’s not ready.
“Will you ever be able to forgive me?” I ask softly.
“Will you?”
“I need some time to process it all. Who Joey became. What he did. But I love you, and…” My emotions break, and I sob. “I understand now.”
Ares stands and walks to the window. The storm clouds have swallowed the remaining rays of sunlight and cast the afternoon in an eerie gloom.
“This isn’t going to work.” Ares voice is rough. “You and me.”
“Don’t say that,” I plead softly.
He turns back to me. “Staying together only ever means hurting you day after day. I’d rather die than do that to you.”
Oh God, he’s ending this.
I shake my head, knowing where this is going. “You don’t love me?”
His nostrils flare. “I fucking love you like I’ve never loved anyone else.”
“Even when I share the same blood as the monster who did those things to those women… to Belle?”
“You’re nothing like him,” he growls. “Do you hear me? Nothing. You’re everything that is good and right in this world. But whatever this is between us, it’s been built with lies, deceit, and darkness. You’ll never forgive me because, at the end of the day, I took your brother’s life, and I know that won’t ever stop hurting you. And I can’t do that, Rory. I can’t wake up next to you every day knowing I’m hurting you.”
I start to cry. “But I forgive you.”
“You say that now—”
“Please don’t do this,” I whisper.
He looks toward the door.
My heart breaks.
My body goes cold.
My voice is small. “Are you breaking up with me?”
I see the pain on his face as he replies, “Yes.”
ARES
I don’t know where I get the strength to walk away.
I’m numb.
Fucking numb.
When she was asleep, I made the decision to leave because it wouldn’t be fair to her if I stayed.
This is never going to work.
Those words killed me to say. Because I’m fucking crazy for her, and the idea of her being gone from my life is destroying me from the inside out.
But I need time to think.
It starts to rain as I leave her apartment, and thunder rolls through the clouds as I descend the stairs and walk toward my bike.
I wasn’t expecting you. Her words echo in my head.
Just like I hadn’t expected the kid in the back seat all those years ago. But he was there, and he changed the direction of my life.
I get it. I’m the kid in the back seat. The unexpected change in her life.
But feelings die, especially when they’re built on lies.
“Wait.” Her voice cuts into the gloomy light.
I pause, but I don’t turn around.
“Don’t leave,” she cries out.
If I thought for one second she could forgive me, I’d turn back.
If I believed it wouldn’t hurt her to see me every day, I’d go running to her.
But I took what was dear to her, and I sent it straight to Hell, and she doesn’t need to be reminded of that when she rolls over every morning and sees me lying there.
“Ares, please don’t walk away. I know you probably hate me, but I love you.”
I don’t hate her.
I fucking love her.
With every sorry beat of my cold black heart.
“Please tell me there’s a chance for us,” she pleads.
I can’t help myself. I turn around.
Standing in the rain, she looks so small and sad, and a knot forms in my chest. I want to take her in my arms. Instead, my fists clench.
“You’ll never forgive me,” I say, the rain coming down harder and soaking me, my T-shirt clinging to my body, water dripping down my face.
“It’s not you who needs forgiveness. It’s me. I need your forgiveness. But if you need to hear me tell you that I forgive you, then I will. I forgive you, Ares, with all my heart, you have my word. I know why it had to happen, and it’s all I need to move forward.” She walks down the stairs but stops at the bottom. “But can you forgive me? Can you understand why I did what I did and forgive me for it?”
I want to tell her yes.
That she’s right.
But before I get the chance, the shadows behind her move, and in a flash, something grabs her from behind and drags her into the darkness and out of view.