Page 109 of Keep Me

With one more brave swallow and nod of his head, he pulls me into his arms.

For a while, I convince myself this could work.

Deep down, I know that nothing else matters. Not really. Not the contract or the money or even the house. Eventually, everything around us will cease to exist, and while I’ve spent my entire life numbing the pain of being agonizingly unloved, as I hold Killian in my arms now, I realize something more profound.

The world outside this room is cosmic and too massive to comprehend.

But the world that exists between him and me is more so. The love we share is infinite.

Chapter Thirty-Five

I’ve never been to Anna’s home before, but today I’m not going for a tour and a chat. I’m not even coming to bargain. I bang on the front door of her quaint house near town. Her heels click against the floor before she opens it and stares at me in shock on her doorstep.

I’m sure she’s surprised to see me because I’m coming uninvited, but also because Killian and I are still supposed to be on our trip by the sea.

“Sylvie,” she stammers. “Is Killian all right?”

I push past her, barging into her home and marching right into the sitting room at the back of the house. Much like her first visit to my apartment, I come with some astounding news for her.

“Call it off,” I bark as I slam my bag down on the table.

“Call what off?” she asks, scurrying in behind me.

“The contract, Anna. That stupid fucking contract.” My blood is already boiling, and I know the further we get into the conversation, the hotter I’ll get.

“I don’t understand…”

I slam my hand down again. “You arekillinghim!”

She puts up her hands in surrender, and I can tell by the lookof fear on her face that if I fly off the handle again, I’ll never get my point across. Now is not the time to be angry. Now is the time to be clear.

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and refocus. “Anna, you cannot take that house away from Killian. You think you’re helping him, but you’re not. His issues run deep, and forcing him out of that house could kill him.”

“Did something happen?” There’s a tremble in her voice and fear in her eyes.

“Yes, something happened. He had a fucking panic attack on the floor of that B and B in the middle of the night. It looked like he tried to drink the anxiety away but didn’t make it in time. Anna, he’snot well. And that fucking aunt of yours…”

I clench my hands into fists and try to ease my temper again. “I know what happened to your parents, Anna, and I think that awful woman is trying to punish Killian for it. And I refuse to let her get that house from him. Irefuse.”

Anna blinks, and a tear slips down her pale cheek. She quickly grabs a tissue off the table and wipes it away. Then she sits on the chair and places her face in her hands. She’s struggling to maintain her composure, but at this point, I want to see her lose it. She should be screaming and crying the same way I am.

But I think this poor motherless girl fell into the wrong hands and did everything she did with the best of intentions. “But the contract is already in place, and the trust says…”

“Fuck the trust!”

“We can’t, Sylvie,” she argues. “The trust states that after one year of marriage, you will inherit the house and hold enough power to transfer the deed to my aunt, whichyouswore to do in that contract. And that contract is airtight,” she says.

I drop into the seat across from her. “So, what if I break the contract? I just won’t sign the house to her.”

“Then,you’llowe her the ten million.”

“I don’t have ten million dollars!” I shriek.

“Then you should be careful what you sign,” she replies coldly.

I squeeze my eyes shut and try to breathe.

After a moment, she adds in a sniffly whimper. “I don’t want to hurt my brother.”

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