“You are young. What happened in your life to cause you to retreat from it?”
I note her breath falters and she stiffens beside me.
“I told you, Canton House was hard in many ways.”
“Bullshit.”
Her soft gasp almost makes me smile, and despite my attempts to tread carefully, I revert to type and say roughly, “We all deal with shit in our lives, princess. It’s not like the storybooks for any of us, but we don’t hide from it. You lived a privileged life compared to many others. You had food, pretty clothes and a warm place to sleep at night. So what if bad words were said to you and hurt your feelings? Who cares if it hurt? They were only words designed to make you stronger. You say your stepmother was cruel, join the club because I live with the biggest bastard on the planet, and guess what? He raised three more. So, forgive me if I have zero fucks to give about your bad beginning because I kind of had one of those myself. A privileged life for sure, but the price you pay for that is your soul.”
She is shaking beside me, and my heart races when she jumps up and faces me, fury blazing in her eyes. Fuck, she is hot like this. I obviously hit a nerve because she is raging.
“How dare you judge me by your standards?”
Her breathing is fast, and her eyes flash imaginary knives.
“You know nothing about what we went through.”
“Then tell me.”
I stand to face her, and she pushes me hard against my chest, her anger evident.
“I lived not knowing if the next woman who dies in our household will be me when my father decided it was endgame. My mother killed herself rather than live with him and left me to face it alone. Alice’s mom died in mysterious circumstances. They said it was an accident, but who believes that? No wonder Tiffany’s mother ran away and married a man who could protect her from him, but she sacrificed her only daughter for her own freedom. Then there is her—Morgan. The woman who appeared from nowhere and made our life hell. Cruelty takes on many forms, Julius, and it’s not only the physical kind. Mentaltorture is far more destructive because nobody can see the scars.”
Her eyes flash as she hisses, “You say life is boring at the convent; I disagree. It’s a sanctuary. A place to heal, to be safe and not to wait for the next verbal dagger to plunge into my heart. I am treated with kindness, and it allows me to breathe, and so what if nothing much happens there? Excitement is overrated in my opinion.”
Before I can second guess my actions, I reach out and grasp her hair, pulling her close and as she falls against me, I wrap my arms around her slight body and hold her close to my chest, kissing the top of her head, murmuring, “Forgive me, Rose, I’m not a patient man and not very sympathetic either. You can relax with me. I’m not here to hurt you.”
She slumps against me, and I’m shocked when a huge sob rumbles against my chest as she breaks apart in my arms. She trembles as she lets the emotion out, and as the fire dances in the log burner, and as the lights flicker around us, I feel like the biggest bastard alive as an angel breaks apart in my arms.
16
ROSE
Ihave never cried like this before. Even at my most desperate. As Julius holds me tenderly in his arms, it unleashes a torrent of pain that I never realized I was holding. I lost my temper, and it exposed the caged memories I have tried so hard to lock away.
Years of abuse, built one brick at a time for my entire life, came crashing down. I thought I was strong. I always considered myself strong, but when he challenged my pain and dismissed it, every demon inside me broke free from their restraints to torment me all over again.
When he held me, it’s as if I broke open inside, and he fought them for me. He is a strong man for sure, an evil one probably, and yet he is a welcome port in a violent storm that I somehow feel protected by.
My sobs subside, leaving me embarrassed, and yet he holds me tightly, stroking my hair and whispering sweet words of comfort in my ear. It’s definitely what I needed because after the day we’ve had, I couldn’t take any more.
I pull back and sniff, “Forgive my outburst, Julius, it’s been a long day.”
I’m surprised when he wipes my tears away with his fingers and smiles.
“It’s good to cry, to let it all out.”
“Bullshit.”
I laugh at the shock on his face and giggle, “It takes me cussing to surprise you—who knew?”
“Angels don’t cuss, sweetheart.”
“I’m no angel, Julius; you are mistaking me for someone else.”
“What makes you say that?”
I yawn. “My life story can wait. I’ve had more than enough emotion for one day. If you don’t mind, I would like to grab some sleep now.”
