Page 112 of Lee

Her reaction scared him just a bit because it made him wonder how much she kept hidden from him. Very well hidden. Given her upbeat attitude throughout that day, he’d never imagined she’d break down like she just had.

Lee rubbed his hand up and down her back as he rested his cheek against her hair.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I only cry in the dark. Never like this.”

He tried to figure out what she was saying. “You only cry in the dark?”

Her nod was slight, but because of how close they were, he felt it.

“Why?” Lee asked. “Why only in the dark?”

When silence stretched with no response from her, Lee thought she wasn’t going to respond, but then she said, “Tears only in the dark because no one will see.”

“You don’t want anyone to see you cry?” Lee understood that. He wasn’t exactly a fan of crying in public, either.

“No.”

“Why?” It seemed more than just not wanting to cry in front of people.

“Because if someone sees you cry and doesn’t comfort you…” Lee felt her take a deep breath. “The hurt is so much worse.”

Lee’s heart broke for Rori, knowing she spoke from experience. That was the only explanation for how deep her emotional response had been. However, his heartbreak soon morphed into murderous rage as she continued to cry silently in his arms.

Who had made her feel this way?

Lee wanted to find them and teach them a lesson about imparting hurt on someone so kind and gentle. In his mind’s eye, he saw a young Rori, crying alone while others watched her with disdain or apathy.

“I will always comfort you when I see your tears,” Lee promised her. “Always.”

She remained quiet in his arms as she inhaled shakily. Lee rubbed his hand in circles on her back as he took regular breaths, hoping she’d begin to breathe in sync with him to help her calm down.

He was anything but calm. However, he was taking a page from Rori’s book and doing his best to keep his emotions hidden. She didn’t need to know that he wanted to hunt down the people who’d inflicted this hurt on her.

As he felt the tension leave Rori’s body and her breaths even out, Lee said, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” she said. “But you deserve to know why I reacted… like this.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation,” Lee assured her. “You don’t owe anyone that.”

“I know, but if we’re going to be together, you need to know.” She paused, and Lee waited for her to reveal what had prompted her tears. “If that’s what you still want.”

Lee’s heart skipped a beat. She thought he’d changed his mind because she’d shed a few tears? Loosening his hold on her slightly, he lifted his hand to tip her chin up so he could see her face… her eyes.

They were red and swollen from her tears. Still, she was the most beautiful woman he knew.

“I do still want that. I want the relationship, and I want to know everything about you.”

Her eyes seemed to well up again, and as she blinked, a tear slipped down her cheek. Lee brushed it away with his fingertips, the love he felt for her overcoming everything else. He had to tell her soon.

“The last time I received a cake or present for my birthday was when I was nine years old. By the time my next birthday rolled around, my grandma had died, and I wasn’t with her anymore.”

“You lived with your grandmother?” Lee asked, needing the clarification.

Rori took a deep breath, then nodded. “For some strange reason, my mom chose to stay pregnant with me, though she had no interest in raising me. My dad didn’t either, so my grandma stepped up and took me in when I was born. That’s why she named me, and my parents didn’t. They didn’t care.”

“That’s good that she was willing to take you in.”

Rori nodded. “She was strict and never told me she loved me. But still, she made sure that I had a stable home with my own room, clothes, and plenty of good food. When she died…”

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