Page 190 of Damsel in Disguise

“No matter what happens, don’t do anything stupid,” Asher says to me.

“I’ve never done anything stupid in my life.”

Both men burst out laughing right in my face.

The bastards. This time, I raise both of my hands to flip them off.

“Yeah, save it for later,” the laughter lingers as he leaves with that.

The apartment suddenly feels emptier than ever before.

Eventually, Adrian exhales. “You do know he’s terrified, right?”

I glance at him. “Of what? Does he know….” the question stays unfinished, implying what we know about Alistair.

A small smile touches his mouth as he shakes his head. “Of losing you.”

My throat tightens unexpectedly. I don’t dare to speak.

The amusement is gone from his face now. What’s left is honesty.

“When your father kicked him out, do you know what the first thing he asked me was?”

I shake my head.

“He asked whether you’d hate him too.”

My chest aches. I find myself speechless again.

“He didn’t care about the money. Didn’t care about the inheritance. Didn’t care about losing the house or anything.”

His eyes meet mine. “He cared about losing you, Ari.”

The room grows unbearably quiet.

I stare down at my hands. Suddenly unable to look at him.

I know. I’ve always known. Yet somehow hearing it out loud hurts even more.

“You two are idiots,” I try to lighten up the mood and blink back the tears threatening to spill free.

He lets out a soft laugh. “That’s a family trait,” he says and ruffles my freshly showered hair.

I smile despite myself. Then it fades as soon as it comes.

“Sometimes I think everyone leaves,” the confession slips out before Adrian can stop it.

I go very still because I know exactly what he means.

The woman he loved enough to lose. The woman he let walk away from him because staying would have destroyed her.

Just like Asher. Just like the bullet she shot at him. And he took it in his chest willingly, despite everything he did to protect her.

“Not everyone,” I say softly. “Only a few.”

Adrian lets out a quiet laugh devoid of any amusement. “Yup. Only the ones we love.”

The certainty in his voice forces me to look up.