Page 103 of When Hearts Awaken

“Let it out, minx. You’ve been holding it in for far too long. I’m here. I’ll never leave you.” I press kisses to her hair as she lets out her anguish, each cry a knife into my heart.

Sometime later—it could be minutes or hours, for time ceases to matter—I walk her back to her hotel room. Her fingers are clammy in my hand, my mind still in a daze, swirling with what she told me. Everything makes sense now—why she hates rich men in business suits, why she despises fake charm and smiles, why she wears loose outfits and hides herself behind dark makeup.

Then there’s her reaction to Ian the first day we met.

Fuck. My uncle.

I think back to my conversation with Elias and how Ian is part of The Association. How he was in New York City all those years ago when he swore to me he never came back to the States then.

Hotel Renegade. The hotel logo on the napkin.

It can’t be. There’s no way.Unease slithers inside me, joining the inferno of anger, grief, and turmoil.Charles, there were God knows how many hotels and lounges in the city, and this was years ago. Ian probably forgot he made a quick US trip. You travel a lot too; you don’t remember everything, right?

I cling onto my sanity, my mind desperate to believe Ian’s appearance in the city had nothing to do with what happened to Taylor.

My pulse pounds in my ears as I usher Taylor into the elevator. She’s quiet, her eyes bloodshot, her pale skin splotchy.

She’s still the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.

But the question in the back of my mind won’t leave me alone.Where was she assaulted?I force myself to stay silent, because this isn’t the time to ask. Instead, I wrap my arm around her shoulder, giving her my strength and support. She leans on me and heaves out a laborious sigh.

Soon, we arrive on her floor, and I walk her to her room.

Before she told me what happened, my heart nearly burst with joy at her text messages from yesterday.

She missed me.

She kissed me in front of everyone. She took off her mask in the proverbial daylight for me.

And now, as I watch her shrivel into her frame, her eyes taking on a faraway look like she’s trapped in her past, I finally understand every outburst from her in the past and why she behaved the way she did.

No wonder she’s terrified of men, sex, and love. And yet, she still took a fucking leap with me.

Chaos bombards my mind—violence, awe, fury, admiration—I can’t process it all.

I can’t think.

Her door unlocks, and I step into the room with her. I sweep her into my arms and she lets out a gasp of surprise as I carry her to the bed, chucking off her shoes along the way. She looks exhausted, weary to her bones.

I tuck her into bed before wiping her face with a wet towel from the bathroom.

Leaning down, I kiss her forehead and whisper, “I’m proud of you, Taylor. For being you. For being here. For fighting each day. Thank you for giving me the honor of holding your pain with you.”

Her lips tremble and a stray tear slips out. I kiss it away, the scything ache deepening inside me. “Go to sleep. Don’t think. You’re a survivor, okay? You’re the badass ballerina we all know, and you’re not alone. Not anymore.”

“Th-Thank you,” she whispers, her gaze intent on mine, brimming with thoughts I couldn’t decipher. The seconds stretch on as she stares intently at me like she’s searching for something. I fight to maintain my composure, to not blow up in front of her because fuck, the fury is quickly taking over my body.

A sad smile appears on her lips, then she closes her eyes. “Good night, Charles. Thanks for flying out here to watch my last performance.”

She is shutting down. It’s not enough—I can’t heal her. My words are meaningless to her. She doesn’t believe me.

My chest is weighed down by an anvil, but I straighten up, my airway closing on me.

I need to get out of here—she doesn’t need to see the violence in my blood right now.

“Good night,” I murmur before exiting her room and closing the door quietly behind me.

My thoughts are in disarray as I beeline to the hotel bar on the first floor. I don’t notice the crowds or the noises. Everything is a blur and I’m drowning underwater.

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