Page 46 of The Devil's Secret

With nothing else to say between us, I leave her, hoping like hell she finds it in her heart to forgive me one day when she’s alive enough to do it.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

ENZO

I’ve lefther alone most of the day, wanting her to calm down a bit before she sees my face again. As I pull up to my house, my cell vibrates with an alert coming from her room, the app letting me know there is increased movement.

My pulse quickens as I fire up the app, parking the Bugatti, then running out. As I storm into the house, my eyes on the phone, I see Joelle is just fine. But the guest room, well… The clothes I bought her are everywhere as she grunts with fury, banging on the windows. I’m surprised she hasn’t tried to lift the television—or maybe she has. I should rewind the recording and see for myself.

Just when I think she’s about to throw one of the armchairs into the window, she drops against the wall, lifting her knees, hiding her face, and rocks gently. I can’t hear her cry, but I know she is, and fuck that makes me want to rip out my very own heart.

I run up, two steps at a time, unlock the door and push it open, needing to hold her, to ease her pain. As soon as I’m inside, she captures my gaze, brushing under her eyes, the red streaks within them slamming into my chest.

I did that. Me.

Fuck.

My hand runs through my hair as I tread slowly, every step seeped in cement. Heavy. Burdened. Knowing she won’t want me. She doesn’t want my arms to make her world right. I’m the one who set it on fire.

But I go anyway. I go because she needs me, even when she fights it. Even when she thinks she doesn’t. Because her heart, it knows me, even when her mind forgets. The ghosts of who we were then—they’re still here, trapped in the bodies of who we are now.

If only she’d remember.

“Joelle,” I whisper, extending an arm. “Come here, baby.”

Her shoulders tremble, eyes watering over, those brows pinched so tight as she looks at me. But she doesn’t move, and I don’t give up. I lower to the space beside her, stretching an arm around her back, pulling her closer. Her head falls to my chest as my palm brushes up and down her arm.

We stay that way for a while, her body convulsing, her tears soaking my shirt as she seizes it tight in her fist.

“We’ll probably need to do something about this mess you created.” The words roll out with a faint smile.

She sniffles, her laughter weak. Seeing her this way, it breaks my resolve. I don’t want her locked in this room all alone anymore. If she decides to break every damn thing in my house, so be it. I can always replace that shit, but her—there’s no replacing that.

“How about we go downstairs and get some snacks? I have all the good stuff.”

“Like what?” She lifts away from me, cheeks stained with a shade of pink, wetness clouding over them.

“I’ve got like three different cupcakes.” My eyes dart to her mouth. “Maybe four ice cream flavors. Wait, make that three. I may have finished one last night.”

She squints. “The whole thing?”

“Well, there wasn’t that much left.”

She stares at me with huge, bright eyes, thinning her lips to conceal the laugh bubbling out.

“Fine.” I throw a hand in the air with a chuckle. “There was a shit ton left. What can I say? I’m a sucker for chocolate fudge.”

“Is that so?” She hikes a brow. “So if I smeared some on my body, you’d lick it all off?”

Fuck.

My jaw twitches, a fist curling at my side to stifle the image going to my dick. Yeah, too late on that. My cock jerks.

“Really, baby?”My hand clasps the side of her neck, fingers roughing into her skin, eyes delving into the endless ocean of her gaze. “Don’t do that,” I groan. “I can’t think about your naked body dripping with chocolate ice cream when I’m supposed to be comforting you.”

“You’re doing just fine.” She places a hand on my knee. “This is distracting me, and I kind of needed the distraction.”

“Well then…” I jump to my feet. “I’ll distract the fuck out of you.”

---