"And how's that?"
"Like I'm someone you can't trust."
The words hit home. Because he was right. That was exactly how I was looking at him.
But wasn't I justified? Hadn't he earned that mistrust?
"You're working with Leo," I said quietly. "With the Donatis. For people who do things that—" I stopped, shaking my head. "I know things, Eric. I know who the Donatis are, what they do." I searched his eyes. "And your family is the same?"
"Yes. We're trying to work with them, and yes, we're the same. Same businesses. But when we met, I was only doing construction. It was how our family first began, and it's where our roots are. It's what I enjoy. When Daniel died, I needed to take over for him, step into a role that wasn't the one I wanted but the one I had to do."
The truth was stark. Honest in a way that made my chest tighten.
"What does that mean?"
He was silent for a long moment, and in that silence, I saw him weighing something. Deciding how much to tell me, how much truth I could handle.
"It means that my family has to get dirty sometimes to survive," he said finally. "When my brother died, I inherited more than just construction contracts, businesses to manage, and trade routes."
I wanted to ask more. Wanted to demand details, specifics, something concrete I could use to understand what I was dealing with.
But part of me was afraid of the answers.
"So everything you told me this morning was a lie."
"No." He stepped closer, and this time when he reached for me, I didn't pull away. His hand cupped my cheek, thumb brushing away a tear. "The construction company is real. Briticanna Buildings exists. It's legitimate. But it's not the only thing my family does."
My stomach dropped. "So there's blood on your hands?"
He held my gaze, emotions simmering in those dark depths. "Yes. It was not something I wanted to drag you into. You'd been through enough hell in your life. But leaving you has been my biggest regret. I wanted to tell you everything soon, to see if you could accept it, that you'd still…"
"Want you? Care for you?" I finished for him as he swallowed.
How could I get past this? Accept that he was involved in all of this crap? I'd been kidnapped once, was I really willing to dive into this world for him? I'd followed Elena into it, but that was different.
"I can't do this." I pulled away from his touch, wrapping my arms around myself. "I can't be with someone who lies to me. Who keeps parts of himself hidden because he thinks I can't handle the truth."
"That's not what I was doing."
"Wasn't it?" I met his eyes. "You had plenty of chances to tell me. This morning. Last night. When you showed up at my apartment with flowers. But you didn't. You let me believe what I wanted to believe."
"Because I wanted you to look at me the way you did last night." His voice was raw, struggling to mask his emotions. "Like I was someone worth trusting. Someone worth... loving."
Love. Is that what he felt? A part of me wanted to be touched, but how could I love a person I didn't truly know?
"I did trust you," I whispered. "I was starting to. And then I see you up there with them, and I realize I don't even know who you are."
"Yes, you do." He moved closer again, crowding into my space. "You know exactly who I am. You knew me before any of this. Before my brother died, before I took over the familybusiness. That person is still here, Ivy. Still the same man you fell for four years ago."
"Is he?" I searched his face, looking for something familiar. Something I could hold onto. "Because that man still lied to me and abandoned me. That man was building a relationship on half-truths and then bailed out via text."
"That man was scared." The confession came out quiet. Vulnerable. "Scared that if you knew the whole truth, you'd walk away. Scared of dragging you into this world. But then I found you again. And I couldn't lose you again. Not when I just got you back."
My throat tightened. "You should have trusted me."
"I know."
"You should have told me the truth."
