What if Leo makes me happy? Why wouldn’t that be enough? On every other scale, Leo far exceeds the standard of approval—well-paying job, owns several properties, attractive, isobsessedwith me, and would probably treat me like a fucking princess if I let him.
Actually, I wonder if she’d even care that I now have a stalker with access to all of my files and information, who won’t stop texting me.
“This is what happens when you don’t study and drop out of school for ahobby.” She sneers the word. “You become stupid trash—don’t think I can’t see all the earrings you take out before visiting me. I’m not blind, Mina. I can tell that boy is bad news.”
I clench my teeth hard enough to hurt. The tears burning my eyes haven’t fallen yet—I refuse to let them. She hates when I cry.
“You need to move back home, get a respectable job, and never speak to?—”
“There you are.” A familiar, deep voice enters the kitchen.
I suck in a sharp breath and whirl around. “Leo, not right?—”
He wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me to his side. I’m torn between melting against him and turning stiff as a board, like it might make Mom a little less mad. “Christine, I believe Agnes was searching for you.”
With that, he pulls me away before Mother can say anything else, and I justknowshe’s adding this to my long list of indiscretions.
The panic builds with every step I take away from her, and I use every ounce of willpower I have to keep an easy expression on my face, but it feels like every person we pass can see right through my mask.
They all know what just happened. They think I’m a whore too. That I’m stupid trash. I know it’s not true, but Mom’s voice is screaming the words on repeat.
I don’t know where we’re going, and I can barely feel his hand on me. I’m numb, but I feel too much. I think I’m shaking. The room might be spinning. The only thing a blast of fresh air does is quiet the racing thoughts enough for me to yank myself out of Leo’s touch the moment he leads us along an alley that goes down into a gully.
“Just leave,” I tell him without turning around, and I stumble across the grass to get as far away from the church as I can.
“I—”
I spin around to face him. That’s when the first tear falls. “Leave,” I choke out. “Please. I can’t deal with this right now.” I swing my arm up, covering my mouth with my forearm to stop the sob.
Leo zeros in on the tear trickling down my cheek, and he goes from angry topissed. “You need to cut that woman off. She?—”
“Is mymother,” I hiss. Even though I wish she wasn’t. I wish anyone butherwas.
“Blood doesn’t excuse behavior.”
I shake my head, swiping away the tears, knowing damn well they’ve ruined my makeup. Yet another thing I can’t let Mom see.
What’s it to him, anyway? Why is he even here? Is he forgetting that he didn’twant me? He ignored me formonthsand did something unforgivable, but I’m stupid and desperate enough to get over it—because that’s what I am.Stupid trash.
God, I want her voice out of my fucking head.
“I’m not having this conversation with you when I can’t trust you after everything you’ve done.”
Leo’s eyes narrow. “That’s hypocritical.”
“You sent your fucking friends after me!” I throw my arms out.
“I didn’t.” His answer comes out low and immediate, eyes darkening as he stalks forward.
I keep stumbling back, clutching onto the anger before it can revert into sadness. “Oh right, because they magically guessed that I messaged you and found what I said just floating around in?—”
“Jack Norton went through my phone. I don’t know how, and I don’t know when. But theonlyperson on my team who would do that is him.”
What?
He... I was right then? Leo, he... he wouldn’t have done something like that to me. That’s what I thought all those months ago.
My feet are rooted in place as he closes the distance and cups my cold, wet cheek in his hand. “I have not—and willnever—do anything to hurt you.”
