Page 8 of His Forever

His silence was all the confirmation I needed. He knew, deep down, that I was right. There was never going to be a normal life for me, not once I’d gotten involved with him, with his world. But instead of facing that, he’d run.

“You were always good at fooling yourself, Leo,” I said, my voice softening slightly. “But you can’t hide from the truth forever.”

He exhaled slowly, the weight of my words hanging heavy between us. “I thought I was doing the right thing,” he said quietly. “But clearly, I was wrong.”

I watched him closely, waiting to see if there was any more fight left in him. He looked... tired. Defeated, even. This wasn’t the same Leo I remembered. The Leo I knew always had a plan, always had control. But now? Now, he looked like he was finally realizing just how out of control everything had become.

“And what would you have done differently?” I asked, genuinely curious. “If you had known about Guy and if you knew what I was getting into—what then?”

Leo met my gaze, his eyes dark with regret. “I would’ve come for you,” he said simply. “I would’ve pulled you out of it, no matter the cost.”

I wanted to believe him. A part of me, buried deep beneath the years of anger and betrayal, wanted to trust him again.

“And how do you think that would’ve gone, Leo?” I asked. “Do you really think Guy Maranga would’ve just let you walk in and take what was his away?”

His jaw clenched. “I would’ve found a way.”

I leaned back, crossing my arms over my chest. “It’s a nice thought. But you and I both know that’s not how it would’ve played out. Guy wasn’t the kind of man you could just walk away from. Not without consequences.”

Leo’s silence was answer enough. He knew exactly what kind of man Guy had been. Hell, everyone knew. That was the wholepoint of Guy Maranga. He was the man you didn’t cross, the one you didn’t even want to be on the wrong side of.

“Brynn...” Leo started, but his voice trailed off. He looked at me, his eyes filled with something I couldn’t quite place. Regret? Pain? Or maybe just the crushing weight of all the missed chances between us.

I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. I didn’t want to drag this out any longer than it had to be. “Look, Leo, what’s done is done. You left. I moved on. I did what I had to do to survive. Guy and I came to an understanding after a while, and now he’s dead. There’s no point in rehashing the past anymore.”

“Did he hurt you?” Leo asked, his voice tight with concern.

There were so many ways someone could be hurt. The hurt Leo was thinking about was physical. He wasn’t the type to consider emotional scars, especially not where Guy Maranga was concerned. If Leo ever acknowledged the mental toll, then he’d have to realize he was guilty of it, too.

“Guy and I came to an understanding,” I said again, my words measured. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either.

“He hurt you,” Leo growled, his jaw tightening as he leaned forward, his fists clenched. He wasn’t asking anymore.

I looked away, feeling the weight of those early years settling like a stone in my chest. The first few years of my marriage to Guy had been rough, to put it mildly. We were both hot-tempered, neither of us willing to back down from a fight. And when Guy fought, he didn’t use words.

I didn’t need to say it. I knew Leo could read it on my face.

“Guy fought with his fists,” I admitted quietly. “It wasn’t good, not at first.”

Leo’s expression darkened, a low growl rumbling in his chest, but he stayed silent, waiting for me to continue.

I let out a slow breath, feeling the old memories crawl up from the depths. “Things changed when he got sick. WhenGuy was diagnosed with lung cancer, something shifted. He stopped... he stopped using his fists. We stopped fighting like that.”

Leo’s eyes softened for a brief moment. “And before?”

Before. That was a loaded word. I could still remember the feel of Guy’s hands on me, but not in the way Leo had imagined. There had been fear, yes, but there had also been understanding. As twisted as it sounded, there had been a mutual respect that grew between us over time, especially in the later years.

“Before wasn’t good,” I said, my voice steady. “But after the diagnosis, things changed. Our fights became less frequent, and his hands... they never touched me again in a hateful way.”

I glanced at Leo, seeing the conflict in his eyes. He wanted to hate Guy, to see him as nothing more than a monster. In some ways, he wasn’t wrong. Guy was ruthless. But our relationship, as broken as it had been, had evolved into something else.

“Our marriage wasn’t one of love,” I said softly. “But in the end, it was one of friendship. He trusted me and relied on me. We had an understanding.”

Leo shook his head with disbelief etched across his face. “I should’ve come for you,” he whispered.

I smiled faintly. “It wouldn’t have changed anything.” Guy wouldn’t have given me up to Leo. Guy knew of my past with Leo, and even in those first years of my marriage when it seemed like Guy hated me, he never would have given up something that he thought belonged to him.

Leo stared at me for a long moment, the tension between us heavy.

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