Page 73 of Fear Me, Love Me

She slowly gets to her feet, staring at our joined hands as she says glumly, “I guess I’ve got no chance with you then.”

“Obviously,” Tyrant tells her in a steely voice, tightening his grip on me. “And you never did. The choice was never between Vivienne and another woman. The choice was Vivienne or no one.”

“Where are Mr. and Mrs. Stone?” Julia asks, glancing around.

“Dad killed Samantha,” I tell her. “I killed Dad.”

“And I thought my family was messed up,” Julia mutters, wiping away her tears. “I told you the truth about everything I did and why. I know there’s not much chance of this considering how angry you must be with me, but please let me go.”

Julia did terrible things and then admitted to them without even trying to conceal her wrongdoings. It doesn’t make sense to me. “Why did you spill the truth so quickly? You didn’t even try to protect your father.”

“Because she’s a coward,” Tyrant seethes. “She’s brave when she’s hiding in the shadows and sneaking behind your back, but the moment you drag her into the light, she crumples like the spineless little bitch she is.”

Julia turns her face away from Tyrant. “Fine. I’m a coward. But did it occur to you that I didn’t enjoy doing the things I did to Vivienne? It’s been a year of sneaking around and scheming, and I wanted it to be over more than anyone.”

“Oh, poor you,” Tyrant mutters.

I glance at the man I love, and then back at Julia. “Tyrant wants to kill you, and he wants to kill your father as well. You nearly destroyed me, so I can’t say I have much sympathy for you.” I watch her for a moment, wondering how I’ll feel if I watch her die. I don’t think I care what happens to her either way. “I’ll offer you a chance you probably don’t deserve, and if you mess it up, I won’t care if Tyrant guns you down in the street. Take your family and leave Henson by midnight tonight. I don’t ever want to see you again. If you’re still here after that, then it’s your stupid fault for what happens to you next.”

Hope and relief lighten Julia’s face, and she steps toward me. “Vivienne, thank you.”

Julia tries to embrace me, but Tyrant blocks her way, baring his teeth at her. “Back the fuck off.”

She hesitates and actually has the temerity to look annoyed with him.

“I thought you were my friend,” I burst out. “I would have never hurt you just because my father wanted something from you. I would have died first.”

Julia rolls her eyes the tiniest amount, and mutters, “Of course you would have.”

How did I not see it? Julia Merrick is a selfish bitch.

Tyrant makes a call on his phone, asking one of his security men to escort Julia from the labyrinth. When he arrives, my former friend takes one last, envious glance at us, taking in the tight, protective hold Tyrant has on me while I’m standing as close to him as possible.

“What are you going to do now?” she asks me.

I stroke Tyrant’s sleeve while he glowers at her. “I’m going to stay here with Tyrant, and I’m going to have his baby. And I promise you, I’m going to be very, very happy.”

We turn away and leave her behind. No one else matters anymore. No one but the two of us, Barlow, and our baby. Hand in hand, we walk up into the house together, along the twisting, turning pathways and through gates and stone arches.

I try to memorize the way we’re going and commit various features of the garden to my mind, but soon I feel turned around and confused. “You’re going to have to teach me all the labyrinth’s secrets. I feel lost already.”

Tyrant arches a wicked brow at me. “All of them? But then I won’t be able to chase you down for fun. How about I teach you just enough to make things interesting?”

The way he’s smiling at me makes heat ripple up my body. I like his idea of interesting. I take one last look over the garden. The maze where I fell for Tyrant. The place where I finally learned the truth about everything. “Is it really over?”

“It’s never over for us. It’s only just beginning.”

I turn to him, and I say the words that he’s wanted to hear, and I’ve longed to say. “I wish Tyrant Mercer would steal my heart forever.”

He takes my jaw in his hand. “You’re going to give me this precious, gold-plated heart to take care of always?” He presses a large, warm hand against my belly. “You and our baby, and Barlow too?”

Happy tears spring into my eyes. I have Tyrant, we have my brother, and we have this baby. I had nothing for so long, and now my life is full of love. We’re a family.

“We’re all yours forever. All of us,” I tell him, and he slants his mouth over mine in an eager kiss.

I kiss him back, my beautiful, fierce man.

We find Angela in Tyrant’s room by the window, watching over Barlow as he sleeps, and she gets to her feet with a delighted smile as she sees us. “It’s the pretty little miss who was here before. Welcome back.”

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