Page 130 of My Damaged Protector

But if she's going to be stubborn, then I can be, too.

“Maybe you're right. Maybe I can't do anything to stop you, but you bet your ass I'm going to follow you to New Jersey and do my best to frustrate you until you start trusting me and telling me the truth!”

“This isn't about me not trusting you,” she huffs.

“Then what is this about?” I thunder. What else could be keeping her from telling me the truth?

“My daughter!”

“What?” I blurt out stupidly.

“I'm doing this for my daughter, and if you can't respect that then what the hell are you doing in my life?”

“What?” I mutter again in confusion.

“Instead of always ranting that I don't trust you, how about you start supporting me for once? Or you might as well have stayed gone forever because Lord knows I wouldn't be in half the trouble I'm in right now if not for you!”

What is she talking about?

“I don't understand.”

“You never do. Well, let me make it simple for you. Have you ever thought of how my life would be right now if you hadn't left?Huh? Have you ever wondered if she would be yours? Not his! You know what? Don't bother answering that. I'm out of here.”

She walks away. My ass has been handed to me, and all I can think of is what did Peter say to her?

He had to say something.

38

SARAH

I leftGlazer Ville before anyone woke up.

Peter told me there wasn't any time to waste after I gave in to his blackmail. I still don't know how he found out about me and Kyle or if he really would make good on his threat, but I'm not about to wait around and find out.

Not at the expense of my daughter.

He's right, anyway.

Olivia is more important than a child I haven't birthed yet. At least that's what I tell myself as I enter my car and drive away around five in the morning.

I glance at the mansion and imagine Ian on his front porch, but he's not there.

I want a reason to stop him, to tell him I didn't mean a word of what I said to him last night.

But I didn’t.

Because even though I didn't plan those words, I'm starting to believe them.

How would my life have been if he’d never left? If he'd stayed and loved me like I did him, would Olivia be his?

It's not something I can be sure about. And I don't want to imagine a life without my daughter in it. It'd be a blank world, one where I have nothing to live for. She's been my lifeline for so long, and all I do is to give her the best life ever. And to imagine I would never have it if I hadn't met Kyle?

Nah.

This isn't Ian's fault. It isn't even mine. Well, not really, right?

I shouldn't be blamed for wanting to love and be loved. And Kyle, while he may be many things, a terrible lover wasn't one of them. That man loved me. Maybe not enough to come after me when I ran away, but I know he loved me.

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