Page 206
“I ran around this castle trying to win you back while everyone watched!” She spins and points toward the door. “I told Bliss and Aura what I planned to do. I kissed you, held your hand, let you touch me in front of them, and convinced myself they were watching us become something again.”
“They were.”
“They knew the worst part, Ryan!”
“They knew pieces.”
“They knew enough to wonder how I could possibly believe I had a chance after what Lance did to you.”
“Nobody thought that.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Briggs told me he thinks you have a chance.”
Her head jerks up. The reaction tells me Briggs gave her some version of the same opinion. I file that away without dragging another conversation into this one.
Charm points at herself with a shaking hand. “I look like an idiot.”
“You look like a woman fighting for something she wants.”
“A man who has every reason to hate her.”
“I don’t hate you.”
“You should!”
“I tried. It was fucking exhausting.”
Her mouth trembles. She looks away before the tears spill faster, but I see them fall.
“He’s Lance,” she whispers. “How am I supposed to separate myself from what he did when he did it because of me?”
“You don’t inherit his sins because you share his blood.”
“I defended him.”
“You stopped.”
“After he almost ruined your career!”
“You didn’t know.”
“I should have.”
“How?”
“I should have understood what he was capable of!” Her voice cracks into another shout as she strikes both hands against her thighs. “I spent twenty-five years inside that family. I knew what silence looked like in our house. I knew what happened when someone disappointed him. I should have known he wouldn’t let you leave and succeed without punishing you for it.”
“You were terrified of him. Fear doesn’t turn anyone into a fucking detective.”
A sob tears free.
I cross the room before deciding whether I should. Charm plants both hands against my chest and shoves, stopping me before my arms reach her.
“Don’t.” Her fingers twist into my shirt. “Don’t hold me and make this better.”
“I’m not trying to make it better.”
