“Of course. And I tried. So many times. I just couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“The moment was never right. It was either you were too happy or too sad.” He shook his head. “I know I’m just making excuses. I’m so sorry. I was a fucking coward, and I’m paying for it. I just thought…hoped you’d never know, and not just because I was afraid to lose you, but I didn’t want you to get hurt.” He shook his head again. “I didn’t know you already saw her with someone else. I didn’t know you…”
His gaze tore from hers. “I’ll never forgive myself for not figuring it out. Not paying enough attention. I’ve always taken pride in knowing you so well, and I failed to notice something even your ex, who didn’t understand shit about you, knew.”
“No one knew about the scar except Dad. I never told Kyle, either. He figured it out on his own. He told me today how he’d asked a doctor friend about what could cause a scar like mine. When the doctor had told him it was a blade, Kyle suspected, and Dad confirmed it.”
“Which makes me even more of a dick. If someone should’ve investigated this, it should’ve been me. He even tried to warn me, but I didn’t understand. I never—”
“Never thought I was that much of a wacko.”
“Never thought you’d do that to yourself.” How could someone so beautiful, so smart, so amazing end her life like that? He should have expected it, though. Abuse was one of the worst things in the world. It destroyed people from the inside out until there was nothing left to matter. Not even life itself.
Her fingers weaved in the back of her hair. Her breaths became shallow. “None of this matters now. I won’t do it again anyway. Looks like I’d never get it done right. God wants me alive for some inconceivable reason. Just have to accept my destiny and fucking live.”
“Don’t talk like this, please.” His heart shrank. “You deserve to live, Maggie. You deserve to be happy.”
“I was happy.” Her voice went louder. “I was finally happy, Mike, and then…” She closed her eyes, sobbing.
Every sob stabbed his heart. “Amore, you once told me if the past dictated our future then we just had to be strong enough to accept it as it was and still follow our dreams.”
“Take a good look at me, and tell me if strong is a word you can use to describe any part of me.”
“Maggie, please.” He went on his knees before her. “Despite everything, I’ve always hoped you’d find it in your heart to forgive me.”
“Even if I do, it doesn’t matter.” She stared at him. “I really wish I could be with you again, but she made sure it’d never happen. How can I touch you, knowing what I know now? How can I push away the images she planted in my head? She told me…very intimate things.”
His hands balled into fists as he winced. “Please, amore. I’d do anything. Just name it,” he pleaded.
“There’s only one thing that I want from you.”
“Anything, vita mia. Anything.”
“I wantDark Hopes.”
Scene83
Mike
Mike’s heartbeat rang in his ears. “What do you mean?”
“I want to buy it back. You take my money, my shares, the island, the car. I just want it back,” she said.
He just stared at her, his jaws tight.This is why you wanted to see me? To take away the last thing that could bring us back together?
“Please don’t look at me like this.”
His vision blurred with tears. “Like what?”
“You don’t expect me to be able to work with you again.”
“Maggie, are you listening to what you’re saying?Dark Hopesis my last chance to have you back.”
“We don’t have a chance,” she shouted, and he could see it hurt her.
He held his hands up. “Just calm down. You can’t yell.”
