Page 142 of Through the Water

“As long as you do your part, it won’t come to that,” he warned, rising to his feet.

“You mean, as long as I lie. We both know Killian didn’t rape me—”

“Shut up, Ariana.” His face darkened as he rounded the desk, the vein in his forehead pulsing. He came to a stop in front of my chair, forcing me to look up. “You’re going to stand in front of the press and do as you’re told. Refuse me again, and I’ll kill him myself. Understood?”

I nodded and released a sharp breath, suddenly feeling a little claustrophobic. It wouldn’t have mattered if Killian was in a different country altogether, there was something in the way Tristan spoke that made me believe he’d do exactly what he said.

Tears blurred my eyes. I quickly brushed them away with the back of my hand before speaking. “I’ll do it.”

“Good,” Tristan responded with a look of resolute calmness as he reached down to stroke my damp cheek.

“This is for our future, little dove. You’re my baby girl, and it’s my job to take care of you. Now, prove your loyalty to me out there, and Brad won’t be allowed in the house unsupervised until the wedding.

“In the meantime, he’ll be forced to work on proving himself worthy of you. I’ll make it abundantly clear I won’t agree to marriage until I’m convinced he can give you the life you deserve—I’m talking trips around the world to places you’ve only dreamed about. Let me keep you safe.”

The words I’d longed to hear since I was a child barreled past my ribs and lodged in my heart, slicing it to ribbons. He was handing me everything I’d ever wanted, freedom and a life without atonement.

All that stood in my way was Killian.

Mama had warned me to run years ago, but I’d stayed like an obedient dog, convinced I could earn my independence. Even now, I found myself devouring his platitudes like any starved and abused animal would, wanting to believe this time would be different.

“Love is sacrifice, little dove,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “And yours will be rewarded.”

I pulled away from the fantasy in my mind with a distracted nod. Love was sacrifice, just not in the way he believed. It was a willingness to throw yourself on the sword to save another.

Just like Killian had wanted to do for me.

Just like I was trying to do now.

Love with stipulations wasn’t love. It was an acknowledgment between opposing parties, a list of conditions one side was expected to satisfy for the other.

There was a soft knock at the door, and I glanced up to see that it was time. Tristan had just taken my hand when I was struck by a sudden thought.

A stipulation of my own.

“Wait,” I whispered, taking a step back.

“Sweetheart, are you okay? Do you need some water?” His concern almost sounded genuine.

I held the speech up with trembling fingers. “Tell me how you did it.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” I said, my voice strangled. “You want me to lie for you, the least you can do is give me the truth about my accident. How did you control the car, Tristan?”

“Just give us a minute,” he called out to the person on the other side of the door before approaching me with his arms crossed over his chest. “I have no idea what you’re—”

“Bullshit,” I hissed, ignoring the beads of sweat clinging to the nape of my neck. “The first time the lights flashed, I thought something had crossed in front of the convertible. Then the radio began changing stations, and the volume got louder. When I punched the brakes, the car accelerated. So, tell me the truth—and remember, your sacrifice will be rewarded.”

I watched as the color drained from his face, confirming my hunch that my recurring nightmares had been fractured memories from the night of the crash.

Tristan’s strength had always come from his ability to strip a person of everything they loved. But in doing so, he’d created a monster. One who would become his greatest horror, because I no longer had anything left to lose.

“And if I refuse?” He loomed over me with a grin, cracking his knuckles in a silent reminder of what he was capable of doing.

“I’d advise you against making such a hasty decision,” I stated, repeating the same words he’d used with me. “Considering I’ve already agreed to tell the press exactly what you want.”

His lips pulled back in a snarl, the muscles and veins in his neck straining against the skin as he spat, “Are you threatening me, little dove?”

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