How wrong could he be? But then I’ve spent years building walls around myself to hide my insecurities and protect myself, enabling me to portray the strong image my position as both CEO and a Frazer entails.
I also can’t deny his words, although we both know that if Darra hadn’t announced her pregnancy, Eli would have been with Pen.
“I thought maybe you’d come to your senses. After all, I had nothing to offer you but a pile of student debt.”
I cover one of his hands, squeezing it.
“You offered me yourself, allowed me to be me. You made me feel beautiful. Were one of the few people who didn’t care about my last name, you saw past it.”
He lifts his head and stares at me.
“God, Kat, I treated you like that because you were and always have been so much more than your name.”
My heart skips a beat.
Manipulation and deceit.
What would have happened between us if Darra hadn’t interfered? Would we have stayed together? Still be together?
My stomach repels, as it does every time I think of how Zach manipulated me, how I let him into my body.
I pull away and stand up, water trailing down my legs. I need to put some distance between us. With Jax this close, I can’t think straight.
I walk through the gate and towards the sea, my arms wrapped around my waist.
My heart aches, and my throat thickens.
I stop on the shoreline, the sea lapping at my feet. I curl my toes into the sand, grounding myself.
Jax appears beside me.
“We were so young,” he says quietly.
“I was young and naïve… gullible,” I say eventually.
Jax moves behind me, wrapping his arms around my body, pulling me back against his chest.
“Zach’s letter vindicated you of any wrongdoing,” I say, turning my head and looking at him. “I’m surprised you’re here talking to me after everything I’ve put you through. Some of the things I’ve said.”
“The letter may have told the truth, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.” I can feel his heart beating in his chest. “The past is the past. We can’t change it, however much we might wish we could. We can only move forward.”
I spin in his arms before I realise what I’m doing, my palms flat against his broad chest. His hands are resting against my lower back.
“I’m not that forgiving,” I say. “I’ve been horrible to you. Blamed you for something you didn’t do.” I rest my forehead against his chest. “I’m a logical thinker, Jax. I don’t let my emotions drive me, but where you’re concerned. I can’t seem to help it.”
The words are out before I can stop them. The stress of the last five days, of being in his company, having the past dredged up. I can no longer blame anyone but myself for the choices I’ve made.
Jax grips my chin and lifts my head. I try to pull away, but he holds me firm.
“Stop it,” Jax says firmly. “Darra is a master manipulator. Look at what she did to Elijah, to Pen, to her own daughter. No one could escape her, as we didn’t understand the rules. We were nothing more than collateral damage in the sick game she and her father were playing.”
My fists clench against Jax’s chest, my fingernails biting into my palms. My chest tightens.
The desire to yell, shout, scream wells up, bubbling in the pit of my stomach.
I grit my teeth and close my eyes, slowly releasing my breath.
When I open my eyes, I look up to find Jax watching me.
