“Fuck, Princess, you did so good,” he rasps.
“I’m so sorry,” I cry, letting my emotions pour out of me as I grab the hem of Kane’s shirt and bring it up to his nose to stop the bleeding. “I knew it was you, but then … it was like you turned into Anthony and?—”
Kane tenses, and I pause, debating whether to backtrack or carry on.
But Kane makes the decision for me when he says, “Anthony … as in Anthony Rothschild?”
“Yes,” I choke out. “He raped me.”
I stare at Kane’s stricken face, but thankfully, he doesn’t let me go.
“Jesus, Bri. Please tell me my dad didn’t know.”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “Anthony raped me, and then everything spun out of control. Andrey found out I was pregnant and killed my boyfriend and then forced me to have an abortion. My entire world had exploded, and I couldn’t handle it, so I went to Russia to live with my grandparents and didn’t return until Dominick showed up and forced me to come home after they both passed away.”
My cries turn into sobs after I finally tell him the entire truth.And even though I don’t know what this will mean for us, it feels good to tell him everything.
“I’m so sorry, Princess,” he murmurs, holding me tight. “I promise no one will ever hurt you again.”
I want to tell him that he can’t promise that, but the conviction in his words has me almost believing him. As I cry in his arms, with him murmuring comforting words in my ear, my last thought before I fall asleep is that right now, the only person who can hurt me is Kane. Because I’ve given him my heart, and now I have to hope he doesn’t break it.
30
Kane
Brielle was rapedby my flesh and blood.
And then she was forced to have an abortion.
She had her boyfriend and baby ripped from her.
She fled to Russia and then was forced to come home.
Where she tried to get her life on track.
And then what did I do? I forced her to marry me.
I knew she craved control, had scars that ran deep, but I didn’t know how deep they went.
As I watch her sleep, I know what I have to do to make it right …
“I can feel you watching me,” she croaks out, a beautiful smile spreading across her face.
Since we re-created the scene and she nearly beat the shit out of me and then told me everything, it’s like a weight has been lifted off her, and the darkness that surrounded her has been cracked open, letting the light shine in.
“I can’t help it. You look gorgeous when you sleep.”
“I bet I’d look even more gorgeous with your cock inside me,” she teases, draping a bare leg over mine.
“I have no doubt, but we have to catch our flight.”
She pouts, but doesn’t argue.
Since I couldn’t sleep, I packed up our stuff, so all we have to do is get dressed.
The drive to the private airstrip is quiet. Brielle is working on the Pilates studio renovations with Molly sleeping in her lap while I make plans that I wish I didn’t have to make.
When we get home, I tell her I have a work emergency, and even though she looks like she wants to argue, she lets me go.
