Page 84 of Grumpy Billionaire Bad Boy

"It's my fault," he declares. "It's my fault she died."

"What? No. I'm sure it wasn't. Don't blame yourself."

Archer releases me completely, his hands in the space between us. "I can't keep you safe. I can't keep anyone safe."

"That's not true." I reach out and place my hand on his shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"She didn't want anything to do with the life. I should have listened to her. If I would have listened to her, she'd still be alive." Archer's breath hitches.

"Here, sit down." I guide him to the couch, grateful that he complies and sits down. As much as I give him shit and tease him, there's no way I could force him to do anything he didn't want to. Archer is tall, and strong—he could crush me without breaking a sweat.

Archer leans back and runs both of his hands through his hair. "I hate this. I hate feeling this way. I hate saying any of this out loud. Fuck. I shouldn't have drank. I'm sorry."

I face him and pull my legs up onto the couch. "Hey, don't apologize. Sounds like you needed this. Maybe you need to get it out. Vent a little."

Archer shakes his head. "I'm good now. I've reeled it back in."

"You don't have to, Archer. Talk to me. Tell me about her."

"Can't I just drink instead?" He turns his head toward me.

"We're not playing a game anymore," I tell him while placing my hand on his shoulder. "This is real."

"I hate thinking about it," he says. "It hurts."

"Sometimes the things we love most in life hurt us. That doesn't make it any less special, any less worth it. As painful as it is, not everything lasts. It's a fucked-up reality, but it's true."

"I can't do it again."

I pinch my brows. "What do you mean?"

"This. Us. I can't risk losing you. That's why I panic every time I don't know what's going on. It's like it's happening all over again." Archer shakes his head. "Why Silver would do this to me, I don't understand."

"Hey, you're not going to lose me. The situation is handled. It's fine. Joe has no idea where I am. He thinks I'm dead. You have nothing to worry about. Unless someone found out I was alive and explicitly told him, he's never going to find out. And the only other person who would want me dead is already dead. The threat is nonexistent. You have nothing to worry about." I'm not even lying. Silver did a good job cutting the loose ties andmaking sure my escape was clean. Other than my father, there wasn't anyone else who was aware of the business deal, and if I were Joe, I wouldn't be publicizing that he made such a deal with a dead man. All my father's assets were seized by the Feds, so there isn't even anything Joe can do to get his money back.

If Joe was going to find me, he would already be causing chaos.

Unless he's licking his wounds until the opportune time. The thought sends a chill up my spine, but I ignore it because calming Archer down is more important than anything else at the moment.

Archer sits up and riffles through some of the books on the coffee table in front of us, flicking the pages until he finds what he's looking for. He slides out a photograph, holding it in his hand while cupping his chin with his other one.

I lean closer, taking in the picture, my eyes settling on Archer, a different version of him, a happier one. He seems lighter, and freer. And then next to him, a face that haunts me to this day.

I blink a few times, trying to make sense of what I'm staring at, but the image doesn't clear.

Same eyes. Same hair. Same nose. Same everything.

My chest tightens, and I go from being buzzed to completely sober in a split second.

Flashes of a fight come into my mind. Screaming. Begging. Pleading. Gunshots. My father. His wrath. His bloody loafers and his vile breath.

I wanted to save her, to save myself, but I couldn’t.

I did everything I could, but it wasn’t enough. Not for her. Not for the girl in the photo.

The same girl I almost died trying to save, the reason I have a jagged scar across my stomach. The same girl that died at the hands of my father.

Archer isn't the reason why Madison is dead, I am.

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