As I told her many times, if she submitted to me one hundred percent, I would drop the world at her feet, and I meant it. I walked over to the bed and sat down.
“What’s wrong, Kitlyn? Why the tears, hon?"
She sniffed loudly as she continued to lay her things out across the mattress. "I...I feel a little sad about everything, and I think the reality of going home is as terrifying as it is exciting, if that makes any sense."
I smiled at her, staring into those gorgeous green pools. I patted my knee. "Come sit, sweetheart. Before we leave, I want to discuss a few things with you, so you aren't surprised when you return home."
She climbed onto my lap, still shedding the teardrops that easily slid down her cheeks.
She looked at me, confused, sniffing loudly while wiping her eyes. "Did you do something to my house when you returned to collect my things?"
I leaned towards the nightstand and grabbed a tissue.
"Here, blow your nose before it runs down your lip."
She took the tissue and did as she was told, handing it back to me with a slight smile.
I threw the dirty Kleenex into the wastebasket, then turned my attention back to her.
"Kitlyn, I had you pronounced dead a couple of weeks ago. I needed the media to stop announcing you as a missing person, for obvious reasons."
She gasped, covering her mouth with her palm.
"You had your goons pronounce me dead? What the hell, Atlas!" I reached out and pressed my finger against her lip.
"Shhh. It's going to be okay. It is something that can be retracted. They will announce it as a mistaken identity or whatever story the CIA conjures up. No one will question it. I'll ensure all the red tape isdone, and you should be able to return to your old life as if you never left it."
I tucked a few loose strands behind her ear as I continued speaking in a gentle tone.
"People will ask you questions, and you will only tell them you don't know who kidnapped you, and honestly, you don't. As I told you earlier, I don't exist in the system. I have lived under a false identity for the last seven years."
She looked at the floor, her hands fidgeting in her lap.
"Atlas, I am happy to be getting my old life back, but I am also scared of what's on the other side waiting for me."
I kissed the top of her head gently, inhaling the scent of her peach shampoo.
My little kryptonite.
I am going to miss her smell. Her taste. All of her.
"You are going to be just fine, precious. You were before you met me, and you will be now."
She looked at me, confusion written all over her face.
"What changed your mind about letting me go? Just before, you know…I kicked you in the balls; you were adamant that I was to be sterilized when we left.”
I rubbed my temples momentarily, trying to will away the headache that threatened to bloom.
"Let's just say I had anah-hamoment while lying on the floor listening to you. It made me realize Iwasmy father, and you reminded me of my mother for a split second. She was so unhappy with him and wanted out of the marriage, but he would never allow her to leave."
I caressed her leg, enjoying the softness of her skin.
"He thrived on the misery he caused and made sure she felt his temper as often as he could. The man was very violent and controlling. He used to beat the shit out of her almost daily when my brothers and I were just small children."
A sad look spread across her face as I continued my tale of woe." I was too little to defend her when the abuse started. My father became more erratic as time went on. If my mother forgot to put a dish away, he would take his anger out on her with his fists. He would punch her anywhere…it didn't matter. He never tried to hide the evidence of his abuse."
She rubbed her hand on my leg, trying to comfort me. I managed to smile, enjoying her tender touch.
