One step.
Another.
She heard him moving toward the door, and then… he stopped.
His gaze landed on her again—heavy, searching.
“Nina…” His voice was low, rough.“I’m sorry.”
She lifted her head slowly.
“I made a mistake,” he said.“And I regret it. I never had the chance to tell you that before. But I want you to know.”
Each word scorched through her.
He was sorry?
Sorry?
She wanted to laugh in his face, but instead a cold wave of fury uncoiled in her stomach.
How dare he stand here, in her home, after everything he’d done, and claim he regretted it?
“I can’t change the past,” he added softly.“And I’m not the man you think I am.”
Not the man she thought?
Her head snapped up. Their eyes met. Nina’s fists tightened.
“But thank you for our daughter,” he said then, pushing her over the edge.“She’s the best thing that ever happened to me. And you should know—I took good care of Lynn. If you ever need help, you can come to me. I owe you, and I’m ready to repay that debt.”
He meant it. She felt it in every word.
She should’ve said she didn’t need anything from him. That she wanted him out of her life. Out of her house. Far, far away.But instead Nina rose slowly from the couch and stepped closer.
It would be foolish to refuse help now. All of this began because of Jasper—logically, it had to end with him as well. She stopped in front of him. And finally lifted her eyes. Ready to say something that might change everything that would come next.
CHAPTER 20
“You know, it’s been a long time since that day. And I’ve always wondered—what kind of monster someone has to be to do something like that,” she said, and not a single note in her voice trembled.“You left me to die in that room. Alone. You ruined my life, Jasper. Do you even understand that? Do you know how long I flinched away from men? How terrified I was of being anywhere alone? Do you have any idea what it felt like to find out I was pregnant with your child?”
“Nina—” he tried to interrupt, but he never stood a chance.
Nina didn’t even recognize herself. Five minutes ago she’d been shrinking away from him, shaking with terror, and now she was staring straight into his eyes, saying everything she’d carried for twenty-two years. She’d finally faced her nightmare—only to find out he wasn’t as terrifying as the memories that haunted her.
“No. It’s my turn to talk. Don’t interrupt.” Her voice was sharp, steady, almost frighteningly controlled.“I don’t know if you’ve ever felt guilty, but I hope you have. I hope there were nights when you woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep because of me. Because of what you did. You never paid for it. Not even a day. And is that fair? You should’ve rotted in prison, not lived your perfect little life.”
Something was unfolding inside her—anger, pain, or maybe a craving for him to feel, even for a moment, what she’d lived with all these years. For him to understand: his‘mistakes’weren’t mistakes. They scorched her life to ashes.
“You abandoned me, Jasper,” she said, her voice cracking but her stance unyielding.“I was nothing to you. Just… entertainment. Something you could break and throw away.”
He didn’t move. He stood completely still, like carved stone, but something dark flickered deep in his eyes—something she couldn’t name.
“You think you can walk in here twenty-two years later, say‘I’m sorry,’and everything’s fine? You think your words mean anything now?!”
She stepped closer. Now they stood nearly chest to chest. She could smell his cologne—a familiar scent, but sickening on him.
“I still remember that room. The locked door. The fear choking me. Your breath. Your voice. I remember every detail of that night. I feel it every damn time I close my eyes.”
