Page 10 of Damned By His Angel

“You don’t belong here.” She reels back as if I slapped her, her mouth hangs open in shock. “You aren’t meant to hide out in a town like this. You have dreams and goals and none of them center around this place. Call your father and make amends, Meelz. He will eradicate that vermin that lives in Chicago trying to find you.” Her bottom lip quivers but I refuse to allow her tears to sway me from my decision.

“I can’t go back,” she chokes out through her tears. I scrub a hand down my face, utterly frustrated with this fucking situation.

“What the fuck do you want from me, Amelia?” I shout. She flinches but I can’t control my anger any longer.

“I don’t know!” she snaps.

“You ended shit between us a year ago and now here you are in my fucking house. Why?”

She shakes her head trying to deny what I’m saying. “I was scared!”

I scoff. “Not scared enough to move on with the cocksucker from your past, how did that shit turn out for you?”

The instant the words flee my mouth I regret them. “Wow. You sure know how the fuck to kick someone when they are down, don’t you?”

“You taught me well,” I bite back.

She pushes to her feet and stares down at me with disdain in her eyes. “You also taught me how to hide from pain and how to endure a miserable existence. I guess we were a good pair then, huh?” I jump to my feet, seething in anger as I glare down at the spitfire that brought me back to life. I hate her for making me feel! She reaches out and grips my left arm, lifting it between us so Aida’s portrait is on display. “ I couldn’t compete with a fucking ghost! It was never just us, Cronos, Aida was always in the middle and I could never compete with her.”

My nostrils flare. I yank my arm free and grip the back of her neck, pulling her in close until she is forced to stand on her tiptoes.

“There was never a fucking competition, Amelia. She’s dead and you’re not!” I’m yelling now and can’t seem to stop myself from spewing more words. “She isn’t some ex or someone I left, she died for Christ’s sake! I loved her—I still love her and always will because there was never any closure for us. My family killed the love of my life and set my life on the current course it is on now. You foolish fucking woman–” I spit out as I release her abruptly and step back shaking my head. “You never needed to compete with Aida, you were in a league of your own.”

“You didn’t see me when you looked at me, you saw her,” she defends weakly.

I look her up and down in disappointment. “All I ever saw when we were together was you, I never saw anyone or anything else, it was always just you, Amelia.” I can hear the pain in my own voice. “Unlike you, I will never get closure from my first love, but you can if you stop being stubborn and make a fucking call… but you won’t, because you think you are too good and above this mafia life. News fucking flash, Meelz, this mafia life paid for your upbringing, your private school, college, med school and everything you have ever needed. You may hate me and your family for being killers but it’s because of us you were protected and never harmed until you chose to turn your back on family.”

Having had enough of this bullshit argument with her, I turn my back, ready to flee but her words have me halting and my shoulders tensing.

“You have her face on your arm but also have my name. Why would you do that if you thought so fucking little of me and my choices to build a life of my own away from my family?”

I keep my back to her as I answer the question, I knew she wouldn’t let this go from the moment she saw the tattoo.

“I have Kingsley tattooed on me because she was the version of you that loved me first.” I slowly turn to face her and note the shock etched into her features. “I fell in love with Max Kingsley.” Tears gather in her eyes at my declaration. “Amelia Murdoch is the heartless bitch that hates everything about me and my choices in life.” I leave her standing there with her mouth agape and remorse plastered across her face, she wanted the truth and she got it. Amelia is the version of her that sabotaged what we shared, Max is kind and loving and never judges, that is the person I fell in love with, not the jaded bitch that thinks she is above us all because she has a degree.

I only manage to make it three steps inside the cabin before I’m shoved from behind. I stumble forward a step before whirling around on her. The tears from a moment ago are long forgotten, in their place is unfiltered rage and hatred. Good, she is finally dropping her woe is fucking me act!

“I wanted you to fight for me, Cronos. You just walked out and never once tried to fight for me or come after me!”

The last tendrils of control I had on my anger slips through my fingers as I release all my pent up pain and anger.

“I fucking fought for you!” I roar. This time she doesn’t cower away from me, she stands tall and weathers my outburst. “I did come after you!”

“When?” she screams.

“Six months ago I came for you! I wanted to drop to my fucking knees and profess my love for you but then I saw that cunt with you. You looked happy and he fit the image for the type of guy you should be with.”

“You profiled him?”

I scoff. “Get the fuck off your high horse, Amelia! You and I both know I don’t fit the stereotype for a girl like you.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?” I grind my teeth, fighting to keep my mouth shut so the words don’t pour out of me. “Tell me!” she screams.

“Because it fucking hurt!” I scream.

“What?”

I stab my hand through my hair and tug on the strands as a memory of the words London spoke to me long ago replays in my mind.

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