Page 128 of Mine to Ruin

I snap my head toward Brandon, and Kendrick seethes, “You never deserved him as a brother, you little shit. He came back for two things, and you were one of them,” he says, and I flinch when the door shuts behind him.

Brandon holds his head between his hands.

“I won’t forgive you this time,” I say and rush toward the door.

He blocks my exit and says, “Please. You stay here. I will leave. I won’t bother you. I swear.” It’s the desperation in his voice that stops me. He packs a bag of clothes and offers me the keys to his suite.

“I hope you will forgive me.” At the door, his shoulders drop and he eyes me over his shoulder with apology. “I’m—”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

He walks out the door and I lock it, sliding down and hugging my legs to my chest.

Chapter 45

Kian

I’m hung over, and alone in my penthouse, with her sweet smell around me, I wonder when it will stop hurting. Betrayal, betrayal, and betrayal. Is this what they call love, stabbing someone in the back? I sip from my drink, and the door opens and Kendrick strides to me and he clasps my shoulder.

“How are you?”

“Fantastic.”

“Kian, she’s innocent.”

I snort and drag the bottle to my lips. My fucking brain keeps replaying my nightmare, a film starting repeatedly from scratch as if my neurons are charged with endless battery power.

“A woman who fucks your own brother is never innocent.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“She told me herself.”

“Do you need anything?” He takes in my destroyed living room, worry lines digging in his forehead.

I wave him off. “No.”

Reluctantly, he leaves after I jerk my chin toward the door. Once again I am alone, but this time it’s as if I am caged inside. I look over my shoulder to see Brandon walking in, a duffel draped over his shoulder.

“I want to hear your side of the story,” Brandon says.

Caution laces his words and I cock my head, my lips loose from all the alcohol. I have to give it to him, he has some nerve.

“Do you deserve to know the truth?”

“Why do you want to hurt our parents?”

I zig zag to my office and open my safe and take an envelope filled to the brim with evidence. I drop its contents on the desk and plop myself down on my armchair and his jaw drops. His eyes flicker, wide with disbelief, from the picture he picked up to me and back.

“Is this you?”

“Yes.”

“Where was I?” he asks with a tremor in his voice.

“Safely tucked in, dreaming of your next present.”

He slumps in an armchair, and I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I’m not your brother, but your uncle. I found out a few weeks ago, but back then when my supposed father came in asking if I wanted to make him proud and make mommy love me again, I said yes.”

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