Forgive me.
Ali
Tears flow freely, staining my cheeks. She killed herself. She couldn’t live with what he’d done and ended it all. He’s a monster. I’ve been sleeping with the enemy.
I stand, letting the envelopes on my lap drop to the floor. The letter slips from my fingertips like a feather floating to the ground. Leaving the haunting reminders, I stumble to my room with weak knees and throw everything I have into a duffle bag. The same bag I had my life packed into when I arrived here.
My head dizzies as I walk down the stairs, pulling my bag behind me. Tears make it difficult to see clearly, like rain on a car windshield. I can’t wipe them fast enough to keep up with the constant flow.
I freeze in the kitchen. My lip quivers.
Kane places a mug of coffee on the side and rushes over in his work clothes, engulfing me with the smell of engine oil and his woody scent. “Vi, what’s wrong?”
Words won’t form over the golf ball lodged in my throat. But the terror in my eyes reflects in his.
“What’s happened?” His silvery-blue eyes have never looked so sharp. “Tell me who’s hurt you.”
“You.” My voice croaks. I step to the side, but he grips my waist.
His eyes search mine. “What have I done?”
A ball of fury grows in the pit of my stomach, and I unleash it. “As if you don’t know. You lied to me. You said you didn’t know who my father was.”
His jaw ticks, but he stays silent, which confirms everything.
“You murdered him.” I wipe the tears from my face. “My mother killed herself because of you.” I stand in front of him with my fist clenched around the handle of my bag.
His silence thickens the air.
“You don’t deny it?”
He drops his head, unable to look at me any longer. “No.”
“Who is my father? You at least owe me that much.”
“His name was Gavin Bennett.”
I suck in a breath. My head pounds. His name swirling around the fog. “That’s why you didn’t want me hanging around the twins.”
More silence.
My hands clasp over my mouth. “Oh no. Are they my brothers?”
The ink on his neck ripples as he swallows. “Cousins.”
The air evaporates from my lungs. My chest caves. I have cousins. Two of them. I step around him and walk out of the kitchen. He makes no attempt to stop me.
I turn in the doorway, choking back a sob. “You let me fall in love with you.”
He tilts his head. “You love me?”
My heart beats in my throat. “I could never love a monster.”
His eyes dull and I run to my mini as fast as my legs will carry me. I throw the bag in the small boot, then start the engine, thankful that she starts on the first attempt. Kane makes no moves to follow or stop me as I pull off the gravel drive.
I’ve no idea where I’m going, but I need to get away from this house, away from him, so I can breathe and think clearly. My palms swipe at my face and I wind my window down, inhaling the crisp cold air biting my face. My body’s numb, but emotions rage through me like a tornado. Before I realise it, I’m on the other side of the lake on the dirt road to their house. To Jesse Bennett.
31
