Page 111 of Truth

I couldn’t stop the tears from falling, so I didn’t even try. Stephan hugged me for several minutes before he stood and picked me up. He carried me into his room and over to his bed, where he laid me down with so much care it made me weep harder.

Taking off our shoes, he crawled onto the bed with me and pulled me into his arms. I embraced him, unable to help myself. Even if I would never be able to be a good submissive for him, I still loved him. Nothing would change that. I didn’t ever want to let him go, but one day he was going to realize I was broken and I couldn’t be fixed. One day, he was going to realize I wasn’t the right one for him. I wasn’t ever going to be enough. And when that day came, he was going to leave me.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Stephan

How could I have been so stupid?

I spent the night comforting Brianna as best I could. She wouldn’t talk to me, no matter how much I encouraged her to do so. That worried me more than anything did. I’d dealt with her fear, her nightmares, her panic... her silence was worse than all of those combined, and it was all my fault.

Brianna hadn’t been ready—nowhere close to ready—to view a scene. Not even a simple one. I should never have arranged it. I’d let what I wanted from her get in the way of what was best for her.

Sunday was supposed to be a fun and relaxing day. The following day, June 18, was her nineteenth birthday. I had no idea how she’d spent her previous birthday. Her eighteenth, the one that should have been a time of celebrating her step into adulthood, had been more than likely shrouded in pain and horror. I’d wanted her nineteenth to be as different as possible, and now I was afraid I’d ruined any chance of that.

My aunt had invited us over for dinner, but I’d turned her down. I wanted to spend this day with Brianna, and only Brianna. Although Monday was her birthday, I wouldn’t be able to spend the entire day with her, so Sunday was ours. I had plans to take her out to dinner on her birthday at a five-star restaurant. I’d rented the entire place and requested a female server to make sure she was comfortable. But that was tomorrow. Today I would let her choose.

“What would you like to do today, Brianna?” We were finishing our breakfast, and so far, she’d been as silent today as she had been the previous night.

She glanced up from her food and then quickly back down.

I sighed.

“Isn’t there anything you want to do for your birthday? I have to work tomorrow, but today you can do anything you want.” I paused and lifted her chin, making her look at me. “Anything.”

Sadness filled her eyes. “Can I... can I see my mom?”

Her request brought me up short for a moment, until I realized what she was asking. From what I knew, Brianna had been taken by her father to live in Two Harbors when she was fifteen, after her mother had died. To my knowledge, she’d never been back to Dallas. “You want to go to your mom’s grave?”

She nodded.

A sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. “She’s in Dallas, Texas?”

She nodded again.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. After what happened to my parents, I avoided planes at all costs. To fulfill her request, however, I would have little choice. The only way to travel from Minnesota to Texas and back in one day was to fly.

Anxiety bubbled up in my chest, causing my heart to beat faster. If anyone else had asked that of me, I would have said no. “Let me make a call.” I released her and went to get my phone.

Jamie answered on the second ring. “Hello, Mr. Coleman.”

“Morning, Jamie. I need you to do something for me.”

“Of course. What can I do for you?”

“I’d like you to charter a plane to take Brianna and me to Dallas, Texas, and back today.”

There was silence on the other end for a very long moment.

“Jamie?”

“I’m here, Mr. Coleman. Sorry. You... you want me to arrange a plane for you?”

I knew it was shocking. Since she’d been working for me, Jamie had only arranged two flights. She knew how I felt about flying. “Yes, and since we need to make this a round trip, the sooner the better.”

“I’ll make some calls.”

“Thank you, Jamie. Let me know when we need to be at the airport.”

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