Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“I shouldn’t have assumed the only danger was in front of us,” I clarify, the disgust in myself evident by my tone. “I should have kept a better eye on them. I should have chosen to protect them.”
The only sense I get from her that any of this is penetrating is a subtle narrowing of her eyes on me. As if she’s having an epiphany. I’d known having this talk now was the right thing to do. There’s no way we could have gone down the path we were destined for without giving her the privilege of being fully informed of my perfidy.
Anna lets out a shaky breath. Dipping her head, she stares at her hands where they are folded in her lap. Her voice quavers a bit. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“You don’t know how sorry I am. How I’d give anything to change the circumstances.”
She refuses to look at me, but her tone is gentle… so Anna-like. “I can imagine, and I think I’ve told you before that I’d never wish anything to change for you so they could change for me. You’ve given me a lot to think about, though.”
It’s the long silence that lets me know the conversation is over. She has nothing more to say to me, and I’m not sure if I should continue to apologize. I’d do it as penance if I thought it would help, but the distinct impression I’m getting from Anna is she would like to not have to suffer in my presence right now. I’ve given her far too much to think about, and in no way can she do so with me sitting next to her.
The man who killed her husband.
Quietly, I get up from the couch and head to the door. I don’t expect her to stop me or even call out a farewell. I get what I deserve as I leave… nothing from her at all.
CHAPTER 16
Anna
My mom does me a solid by meeting me close to Jameson so we can hand off Avery, saving me a good half hour on my commute to work. I want to get in early because I have important things to do.
Not anything to do with my actual work duties for Kynan and Jameson, but important all the same.
I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night. Malik’s confession left me reeling, my thoughts running in a hundred different directions as I tried to make sense of his bombshell. After hours of tossing and turning—punctuated by feeding Avery and getting her back to sleep—I finally realized there could be no clarity until I knew the absolute truth.
The only thing I knew for sure is I only had one side of the story—Malik’s—and there’s always more than one side. Or maybe I’m so desperate to disbelieve Malik that I want to believe he’s wrong.
But how could he be?
He was there.
And why would he tell me something so awful? Just to sabotage a potential relationship? That doesn’t make sense, because even though we’re both a little wary, the kisses we’ve shared revealed the utter truth that we have the potential for something amazing. Besides that, Malik’s not the type to come up with a whopper lie just to end things. He has integrity. He would tell me the truth, which means what he told me last night was completely his truth.
It just doesn’t mean it’s the complete one.
I’m not the first to arrive—that’s always Kynan. I see him in his office as I walk by. He looks up, I wave, and he lifts his chin in response. He’s not the type of boss who expects me—his assistant—to get him coffee, but I still call out through his door, “Need me to get you anything?”
“I’m good,” he replies with a smile. “You’re in early.”
“Yeah,” I reply distractedly, taking a moment to stop and lean back a bit to give him my attention. “Got a lot going on.”
“Then don’t let me keep you.” The smirk I get has me moving away from his office and straight to mine, bypassing the tiny kitchenette one door down that has a small coffee pot set up and a vending machine. I don’t drink more than one cup of coffee a day, and I’ve already had my allotment.
No need to flip on the light in my office as I enter. They’re on motion sensors. The overhead sputters to life, burning brightly. I set my purse down on my desk, shrug out of my winter coat, and plop into my chair to boot up my computer. Drumming my fingers impatiently on my desk, I wait for the login screen.
“Morning, Anna,” I hear from my doorway.
I glance up to see Saint walking by as he throws an arm up in greeting. He’s gone before I can even respond, so I call after him, “Morning.”