Page 114 of Darkest Deception

“How fucking dare you!” I scream, slapping him across the face with such force his head whips to the side. “I trusted you. I told you about my deepest secrets, but you are going to use that against me. I made a mistake with you,” I whisper, my own heartbreak dripping into my voice.

“No, I would never do that. You own me, Emerald,” Helia whispers. “You are all I think about. You have bewitched me the moment I saw you. The moment Remo asked me to look after you so you didn’t get your company back. And I did. I hated you at first, but not anymore. There is no hate for you left in me. You’ve ruined me.”

I shake my head. He uses his words wisely. He knows his way around words.

He’s lying.

“If we had never met, it would have saved us all this mess.” I grit out.

“Once upon a time, I loved looking into your eyes, now? All I find is deception.” I whisper.

How do I hold myself back when I had loved someone for the first time in my life and he did this to me?

“You don’t believe me, but trust me—”

“Trust you?” I gasp in disbelief.

“Baby, please.” He grabs my hands.

I try to shake his hold off, but he doesn’t let me. He pulls me to him, making me crash against his chest, then leans down, letting his forehead rest against mine. I shut my eyes.

Tears. Tears and more tears.

“I’m tired,” I find myself whispering. “I’m tired of everything,”

“I know, baby.” He runs a big, soothing hand down my cheek, wiping away my traitorous tears. “I will ruin everyone who’s brought tears to your eyes.”

I open my eyes and look up at him. At the deep depths of his green eyes.

“What if it was you?” My voice travels across the silence in the room, and the wind outside howls as if it’s screaming my pain.

“Then I will take any punishment you give me.”

I reel back.

“Then I want you gone. I want you to leave me alone. I don’t want to look at your face.”

“That, I won’t do. That’s one thing I can’t grant.” He looks around my room, then grabs my wrist and pulls me towards the bed.

“What are you doing? Let go.” I try to shake my wrist out of his hold.

He lifts me and places me on the bed, then takes his shoes off and gets under the covers with me, his front to my back. I go to turn around, but he doesn’t let me.

“Stay still, Ambrose.”

“What do you think you are doing?”

He places his head into the crook of my neck, wrapping an arm around my waist and the other under my head.

“Sleep, rest. Ambrose. You need it. I’ll be gone by the time you wake up.”

“I said I don’t want to lay with you.”

He places a hand on my mouth, shutting me up.

Silence.

Helia’s steady breathing sweeps softly across my ear. My heart doesn’t feel like it’s intact anymore.

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