She was leaving me with a wolf. She always had. She’d never stood up for herself against Leon, but she’d never stood up for me or Logan either. Suddenly my rage was directed at her as well. I let her leave.
“I understand why Logan left us now.” I turned my attention back to Leon. “It’s all because of you. Because he fucking hated you so much, he couldn’t stand to be around anything even slightly connected to you.”
Leon laughed. “He left because I let him leave. He was useless to me. He was a curse of a firstborn. Perhaps if he’d been born with a single brain cell, then… But alas, as he was, the company would have been doomed with him as its heir.”
My body burned with indignation on my brother’s behalf.
“You’re different.” His tone calmed. “You were always smarter than him.Youwere meant to be the heir. My successor. You’ve been doing so well, Harper. Don’t waste it all for him.”
“He means more to me than you ever will.”
Leon clenched his jaw. “Fine. Then do itforhim. He doesn’t belong in our world. He doesn’t fit. It’s only a matter of time before he sees that too. Now, I can help him. I can set him and his family up for the rest of his life, butonlyif you’re not in it.”
I was spiraling. The wall of rage I’d held between us was being chipped away at one doubt at a time. I didn’t want to show weakness, but like blood in the water, Leon could smell it like a shark. He smiled.
“You think he wants to live his life hiding with you? You won’t go public, you said. Then what… spend your life hiding behind closed doors? Selfish of you to put that on him, don’t you think? He’s built a name for himself already, Harper. He’s used to standing in the spotlight. He won’t be satisfied with you for long.”
“You don’t know him!”
“I know that he is strong, and you are weak. You have nothing butmyname,mymoney, and only because I’ve given them to you. You have nothing of value without me. You’ll weigh him down and he’ll resent you for it. Let him go.”
“No.”Selfish. Weak.“I love him.”
“A fish may love a bird, but that doesn’t mean they can be together. They can’t survive in each other’s environment without breathing what wasn’t meant for them and needlessly suffering for it. You can’t exist outside the company, Harper, outside the family. Because you shouldn’t. It’s not where you belong.”
My chest was heaving, and yet oxygen escaped me. He did this, phrased things like he knew everything and I knew nothing. As if he really believed he was doing things for my benefit and not hisown, like I was small and stupid and had to rely on his judgment, always. “I won’t leave him.”
“Yes. You will.”
I shook my head.
“You will. Either you hurt a little now, or everyone hurts later. And it will be all your fault. You could have prevented it.”
I shook my head again.
“So be it.”
Words and logic escaped me. He swallowed them up the way he swallowed up joy and love in a void of despair that lived in his core. I wouldn’t let him see me break, which meant I had to leave now, before I couldn’t hold myself together anymore.
I turned and rushed out as quickly as I’d come. Mom was standing just outside the door, her hand reaching for me. I shrugged her off as I continued.
I hardly breathed the entire ride home. All I wanted was to see Benny, to feel his warmth, but instead I went to my apartment. I didn’t want him to see how pathetically I’d failed at protecting what we had.
Benny tried calling me as I paced cold marble floors. I ignored it, and every call after, until not even an hour had passed and the elevator doors opened. I turned to see him rushing at me.
I broke immediately, sobbing as he yanked me into him.
“Why didn’t you come to me?” he said, holding me tighter.
“This is why.” I choked on my own breaths. “Because I knew… when I saw you… I’d break… I didn’t… want to break…”
His warm hand cradled my head to his chest. “This is what I’m for, my love. So I can hold you when you break. And then help you put the pieces back together.”
I cried harder, no matter how hard I tried to stop myself.
He held me until I cried it all out, until all the emotions tearing up my insides had leaked out and all that was left of me was an empty husk. Still, he held me like I was precious.
“Rely on me, please.” He kissed the top of my head so gently.
