Page 49 of Twisted Fate

“Delilah, you can tell me anything. It won’t change the way I feel about you.”

She lifted her watery gaze to mine and studied my face. Sensing the sincerity of my words, she drew in a deep breath and glanced away. Staring straight ahead, she finally opened up. My stomach was in knots from the first sentence.

“The man who fathered Charlie was not a good man. I thought he was at first. That’s why I dated him for over a year.” I didn’t like where this was going, but it was too late to turn back now. She needed to get this off her chest. It was eating her up inside, and if she trusted me enough to reveal this long held secret, then I would accept that burden with honor, even if it ripped my heart from my chest.

“He grew increasingly jealous and possessive to the point where I couldn’t talk to my guy friends without being accused of sleeping with them. I finally ended it after a particularly unsettling incident, but he didn’t take it well. I had to block him everywhere. When the calls and messages finally stopped, I thought that was that.”

She dropped her head back onto the headboard and swallowed thickly as she stared at the ceiling. “A few months later, he showed up at a frat party I was at. I ran into him, and we talked briefly, but he left me alone after that. I had a little too much to drink and stumbled upstairs to find somewhere to lie down.” Her voice held steady, but tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and slid down her cheeks. I wanted to reach up and wipe them away, but I was afraid that if I touched her, she would stop talking—or worse, recoil from me—so I held still as she continued.

“I can’t prove it, but I know he put something in my drink. That’s the only explanation for the shape I was in. I couldn’t move. My limbs felt like they weighed a ton. The last thing I remember is him kissing me and the weight of his body pinning me to the bed.” Her eyes fell closed, and moisture leaked down her face in rivulets as her chin quivered. When she regained her composure, her eyes drifted open before she continued.

“I had no recollection of what happened, but I couldfeelwhat he’d done to me. I went back to my dorm and did the one thing they tell you not to do afterward. I took a shower.” Her eyes flashed like a kaleidoscope of emotions. Anger, regret, shame. “Not that it mattered. I couldn’t go to the police.”

“Why not?” I asked before I could stop myself. It was an insensitive question, but I had to know her reasoning. That monster deserved to be locked behind bars, not roaming freely among us.

“His family…” she replied, her features tightening with fear. “They are rich and powerful, and I knew he’d find a way to get out of it. I didn’t want to be dragged through a trial just for him to walk in the end.”

My chest tightened at the thought of her scared and alone, unable to trust anybody after being violated in such a despicable way. That breath-stealing ache turned into a raging inferno at the thought of him getting away with hurting her.

“When I found out I was pregnant, I was glad I hadn’t told anyone. I’ve kept her paternity a secret this entire time. He’d already taken enough from me; I wouldn’t give him the chance to take her too.”

“Who did this to you?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. Inside I was coming undone, ready to kill the bastard who brutalized her then left her pregnant and scared.

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t go after him now. I won’t,” she proclaimed adamantly. “He can never know about Charlie.” Her body vibrated with nervous energy, and her breathing became erratic. She was on the verge of a panic attack.

“He won’t,” I assured her, gently grasping her shoulders. She flinched at my touch, and I winced, removing my hands. “I would never risk losing Charlie or allowing her to fall into the hands of a monster like that.”

She nodded, slowing her breathing. Once she was calm, she dropped her legs and slowly inched toward me. “I— you can touch me now. I didn’t mean to flinch away from you. I just got stuck back there for a moment.”

“It’s okay,” I said, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her in close. “You don’t have to explain yourself.” I ran my hand over her hair soothingly as I held her. I froze when an unsettling thought occurred to me. I’d restrained her and fucked her in my office. Had she felt helpless, like she couldn’t escape when I tied her hands to my desk?

“Oh, God,” I mumbled and released her.

She blinked up at me confused, her lashes still damp from her tears. “What is it?”

“I’m so sorry, Delilah,” I choked out, a thick ball of guilt clogging my throat.

“What for?”

“I tied you up,” I replied, running my hands through my hair. “When we had sex in my office. I didn’t know,” I swore, my chest aching with the knowledge that I’d restrained a rape victim during sex.

“Vance, it’s okay,” she attempted to assure me, but I thought I was going to be sick.

I shook my head, wishing I could take it back. Her hands on either side of my face stopped the motion. “Really,” she said, staring straight into my eyes. “I liked it. You’re the only person I’ve truly been able to let go with since. No one has sparked desire within me like you have. I trust you. I know you won’t hurt me or do anything I’m not comfortable with.” My shoulders relaxed, and a mischievous grin tipped the corners of her mouth. “You tried so hardnotto touch me, that I knew you’d never abuse the privilege.”

The tension filling the room evaporated, and a relieved laugh left my lips as she dropped her hands to my shoulders. “You’re sure that was okay? I didn’t make you uncomfortable?”

“It was more than okay.”

With that, we climbed beneath the covers, and I held her close. With all the heavy stuff out in the open, every secret revealed, it felt as though there were no more barriers between us. Wrung out from our emotional conversation, I fell asleep quickly, not waking until my alarm went off the next morning.

43

Delilah

Something changedbetween Vance and me that night. It felt like we were finally in this together, not just two separate entities who found comfort in each other’s company. I felt closer to him than I did with anyone else in my life. Perhaps it was because he knew everything including the circumstances surrounding Charlie’s conception. Or maybe it was our shared grief and that we were helping each other heal. Either way, it was freeing to not have to hide that part of me any longer. I suspected he felt the same.

It broke my heart how he shouldered all the blame for Sarah’s death for so long. There was no way he could’ve known what would happen. She had an undiagnosed, potentially fatal condition. I was confident that had he known, he would’ve given himself time to calm down before confronting her that day. No one could blame him for being upset over finding out about the other man. Sure, he could’ve handled it differently, but we all lose our heads a little when the person we love cuts us so deeply. I just hoped he’d be able to make peace with it one day.

---