"But he's your son." The words slip out before I can stop them. "And I just... I ran from him on our wedding day. You don't have to help me. I understand if this is too complicated, if you just want to give me some money and—"
"Belle." He cuts me off, taking another step closer. Close enough now that I can see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes, can smell the expensive cologne he wears, something woody and clean that makes me want to lean in. "Look at me."
I do, tilting my head back to meet his gaze.
"Nathan stopped being my son the moment I realized what he was doing to you," Richard says, his voice low and intense. "I have no relationship with him, no loyalty to him. The only thing I regret about our estrangement is that it meant I couldn't protect you the way I wanted to."
I shouldn't feel this way about my almost-father-in-law. Shouldn't have spent two years imagining what his hands would feel like on my skin, what his mouth would taste like, what it would be like to be held by a man who actually cared about my well-being.
But God help me, I do.
"Thank you," I whisper, because it's the only safe thing to say. "For letting me in. For not turning me away."
He's quiet for a moment, then he shakes his head slowly. "I could never turn you away, Belle. Even if I should."
There's something in the way he says it, some hidden meaning I'm not quite brave enough to examine. So, I don't. I just stand there in my ruined wedding dress, barefoot on his expensive floors, and let myself feel safe for the first time in years.
"You need food," Richard says, breaking the moment. He's all business now. "And clean clothes. A phone so you can close your bank accounts before Nathan freezes them, if he hasn't already. A lawyer, eventually, though we can handle that tomorrow. For tonight, you need rest."
I nod mutely, overwhelmed by the list. By the realization that I hadn't thought past getting here. That I have no plan, no money, nothing but the dress on my back and the hope that Richard Kane would save me.
He has, I realize. He's saving me right now.
"Come on." He gestures deeper into the house. "I'll show you to a guest room. We can figure out the rest tomorrow."
I follow him through the fortress, past expensive art and minimal furniture and those enormous windows that show nothing but forest and darkening sky. Everything is beautiful and cold and perfect, like a magazine spread brought to life.
The guest room he leads me to is on the second floor, at the end of a long hallway. It's huge, bigger than the apartment I used to have before Nathan convinced me to move in with him. King-size bed with white linens, attached bathroom done in marble and glass, a sitting area by the windows.
"There are clothes in the closet," Richard says, not quite looking at me now. "Different sizes. One of my assistants stocks the guest rooms periodically. Find something that fits. The bathroom is fully supplied, take a shower, a bath, whatever you need. I'll have dinner sent up in an hour."
"You don't have to—"
"Yes, I do." He finally meets my eyes again, and there's something fierce in his expression. "Let me do this, Belle. Let me help you. You deserve at least that much."
*You deserve everything,* his eyes seem to say. *You deserve so much more than what my son gave you.*
I swallow hard and nod. "Okay."
He turns to leave, then pauses at the door. "Belle?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you came here." His voice is rough, like the admission costs him something. "I'm glad you ran, and I'm glad you came to me. Whatever happens next, whatever you need, I'm here. You understand?"
I understand more than he probably wants me to. I understand that Richard Kane is dangerous in ways that have nothing to do with his fortress or his security team or the distance he maintains between us.
He's dangerous because he makes me feel things I shouldn't feel. Want things I have no right to want.
But I'm too tired and too broken to care about should or shouldn't right now.
"I understand," I whisper.
He nods once, and then he's gone, closing the door behind him with a soft click. I stand alone in the beautiful guest room, wedding dress heavy on my shoulders, and let myself breathe.
I made it. Against all odds, I actually made it.
Now I just have to figure out what comes next, how to rebuild a life from nothing, how to stay hidden from a man who won'tstop looking, how to ignore the way my heart races every time Richard Kane looks at me like I matter.
