She glances at me and notices my hungry gaze, and it seems to piss her off even more.
“Josiah, go to bed. We can talk in the morning,” she grumbles.
“No, I want an answer now. In the morning, you’ll have some other excuse.”
I take a step closer to her, cornering her against the counter.
She looks up at me, and I see the dark shadows beneath her rose-tinted eyes.
“Have you been crying?” I blurt out, horrified.
She quickly turns her face away. “No,” she snaps.
Threading my fingers around her jaw, I force her to look at me. It breaks my heart because all I see is the burden she is trying to carry alone.
“Tonight…” I sigh. “Tonight was a lot. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner to protect you.”
Her shoulders soften, and her eyes shift, trying to look anywhere but at me.
“Kayla, do you hear me? I’m sorry.”
She bites her lower lip.
I can’t take it. I can’t take how beautiful she looks. How sweet and vulnerable.
“At least you’re sorry about something,” she mutters.
“What does that mean?” I ask, stung by her words. I drop my hand away.
“Forget it, Josiah,” she snaps, trying to push past me.
But I grab her arm and pull her back against the counter.
“No, you aren’t doing this. You’re going to talk to me even if I have to tie you up and force you to stay.”
Her eyes flare for a second, flooded with intrigue.Really? How interesting.
Kayla pulls her mouth tight, and I fight the urge to step even closer to her. To press my body against hers.
“Talk to me, Kayla,” I demand. “What did you mean by that? Is it because I forced you to move in here? Is it because of the marriage certificate I tricked you into signing?”
She shakes her head, her eyes glittering with a shimmer of tears that she refuses to allow to fall.
“It’s because of five years ago!” she blurts out. “Five years ago, when you tore my life into shreds and did so with such intense brutality that I can never look at you the same again.You are a monster to me, Josiah. And I will never trust you with my heart. I will never trust you to take care of me in any way whatsoever.”
Her voice is breaking as she speaks. A single tear escapes and rolls down her cheek.
My heart cracks and bleeds in my chest.
My jaw is clenched so tightly it aches.
“Kayla…” I whisper, filled with the pain of what I did to her in the past. “I had no choice.”
“Everyone always has a choice,” she snaps.
“Yes, and I thought I made the right one!” I growl defensively.
“How? How could such a cruel act be the right choice? How could treating me like I was everything to you and then dropping me like a sewer rat be the right choice?”
