Page 78 of Love and War

“What do you meanwhy?” she hissed. Fuck, she wasn’t crying because she was sad. No, she was angry. So angry that I could basically see smoke coming from her ear.

The moment I went to open my mouth, Aziza stepped forward smacking me across the face. I was so stunned I had no reaction.

“How could you!” Aziza screamed. “How could you just leave me when I needed you the fucking most! You PROMISED ME, promised me you’d always be there. You told me it was us against the world, you and me. You said you were going to marry me, have babies with me. You told me you’d take care of me, let me dance. Let me… Let me be f–free!” Snot and tears fell from her face, but she didn’t care. She stepped onto the table, something she did to be more eye level with me.

“A–”

“No. You’re going to shut up and just listen for once. My life was always to help Salem, I needed to help her. It was my job. You were the one thing that brought light into my life. I needed you more than I needed air. More than anything. And when I finally was ready, when I knew I could walk away from everything, you left me. You didn’t leave a note, you just disappeared. I tried searching for you but there was nothing. You truly left.” Aziza shifted on the small coffee table, trying to pace. “Something died inside me. Then I lost dance, and I just about nearly lost it. The only thing keeping me safe was knowing you had to be somewhere out there. Then six years later, you come back and try to thrust us back together.”

Aziza laughed, but choked, a sob coming out instead. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her as she took two steps and two more steps. She was going to fall, but I didn’t feel like being smacked again, so keeping my mouth shut I watched her carefully.

“I found out I was pregnant the night I came to say goodbye,” she muttered, unable to look at me. It was like a stake to my heart. How could she just leave me li–

Fuck.

I didn’t want to believe it, but I had to ask. “Why did you leave?” my voice croaked.

“I didn’t want to give you the chance to leave us.”

I stopped breathing.

My heart stopped pumping.

Everything stopped.

It made sense, as much as I didn’t want to understand. I broke her, not just a small break. I shattered her heart into pieces. Then I tried forcing myself back into her life like nothing changed. When she had changed. She’d changed to protect herself from ever being hurt again. And if she opened herself to me again, I’d leave. Fear was overtaking her mind.

“I left because they made me.” I stared, my own tears filling my eyes. “I was tied to a chair and in not so many words, beaten. They told me if I didn’t leave you, they were going to take you. Force you into marriage, which is common for mafia families. They were going to find the worst man, make you marry him. They’d keep you alive, just to make sure you’d hate your life because they’d torture you. Rape you, Aziza. I—fuck.”

Aziza was suddenly in front of me, wiping the tears that had fallen down my cheek. She looked almost as wrecked as I felt. The truth was finally hanging in the air between us. I felt relieved but also scared. For the first time, I was scared she would no longer want me. She would think I was weak for leaving.

“That explains a lot,” she whispered, cupping my cheek.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “Please—please don’t hate me, moya Printsessa.”

“Oh, Popsicle. I could never hate you, even when I didn’t know. I never hated you. I was scared, I was hurt. But I still loved you. I still love you,” she said, rubbing her thumbs back and forth on my cheek wiping the tears I hadn’t realized were falling. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“I understand why you didn’t.” I wanted so desperately to rub her stomach. I had a million questions.

Dragging her body into me, I wrapped my arms around her. Letting out a long sigh, I finally felt at peace as she tightened her arms around me, letting me hold her.

For the first time since before I left her, I felt calm and like everything was going to be okay.

34

Aziza

StandingwrappedinKillian’sarms cracked the rest of my iced-over heart. I should be mad about the secret he had been hiding from me. But I couldn’t bring myself to care. I actually understood, it made sense why he left and went to another country. He did it to protect me, and I would have done the same if it came down to it.

Gazing up, he licked his lips, and I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I lunged for his mouth, our lips crashing together. Our mouths fused together, starving for each other.

Groaning into his mouth, my hand reached for his cock. Rubbing against the front of his pants, loving the way he was already hard for me, I wanted to strip him naked here, and have my way with him.

Grabbing the back of his neck, I felt like I wasn’t close enough. I needed to get closer to him.

Killian gripped the back of my thighs, picking me up effortlessly.

I pulled back, confused. “What?”

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