Page 38 of Sin and Deception

As panic threatened to consume me, I pleaded once more for them to let me go.

"Talk," Theo demanded, his arms crossed over his chest. He and Xander stood side by side like twin interrogators, their matching expressions of fury and frustration only heightening my fear.

"What exactly do you want to know?" I asked, tugging at the ties binding my wrists in a futile effort to escape.

"Tell us about the night you left," Xander demanded through gritted teeth.

"What's the point?" I replied. "It was years ago. I can barely even remember it anymore."

But as soon as the words left my mouth, I could taste the lie on my lips. They knew it, too. My memory was sharp and detailed, and there was no way I could forget that night or the reasons I had left. My heart sank as I realized I could no longer escape the truth. Tied up and at their mercy, I would have to face the consequences of my actions from that fateful night years ago.

“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath, a knot tightening inmy stomach. “I don’t know what happened. I woke up in a strange house, alone in California. My mother and sisters were nowhere to be found. All I knew was that I couldn’t endure another situation like the one with Andraius.”

I peered up at them, determination radiating from me as I recalled how I felt when I regained consciousness in that bedroom. I had never been more scared in my life.

The memories flooded back, and a wave of fear and panic washed over me again. Even after two years, the terror still lingered within me, a constant reminder of what had occurred.

“I wasn’t ever going to let someone rape me again. And if anyone tried, I would kill them just as I’d killed Andraius. Or I would die trying.”

My words hung heavy in the air between us.

I had no idea what their intention was. I couldn’t read their hard expressions. They’d fucked me already. Maybe now it was time to kill me. They certainly looked angry enough to do so.

But they’d told me they loved me before I drifted off. Had I dreamed that? Had all our love turned to hate because I blew up our lives? Had I damaged our relationship beyond repair?

I wouldn’t trust me again if I were in their shoes.

I had no clue what they wanted, and I knew nothing about what they had endured over the past few years. All I knew was that I’d hurt them in a way that seemed beyond anything we could come back from.

Perhaps they still planned to kill me. They certainlylooked angry enough to do so. Whatever the outcome, I’d give them the truth; it was the least I owed them.

“When did you find out Solon had taken you?” Theo's voice was sharp and accusatory.

I raised an eyebrow, impressed by their deduction. It wasn't exactly a secret if anyone was paying attention.

"I didn't take long to figure it out,” I admitted. “Every time I tried to escape, a member of the Solon security team caught me. But they never hurt me, which made me suspect that Solon was behind it. Later, I learned that Devani had ordered them not to harm me, or she would have killed them herself.”

Silence enveloped us as they processed my words. I could see the storm brewing in their eyes as they pieced together the mystery of my disappearance.

“And when did you find out you were pregnant, Nerine?” Xander's tone was filled with anger and hurt.

Theo's piercing gray eyes drilled into mine, his expression as sharp and deadly as ever. I couldn't help but gasp in surprise; I should have anticipated this question.”

My gaze flicked to the open door, noticing that most of my belongings were missing. It made it clear they knew the hidden nook where I stored my memories.

I redirected my attention to them. Their frosty expressions were disconcerting, prompting me to want to turn my gaze away. Shame and regret surged within me like a wildfire of emotion, igniting and intensifying in my heart.

Every moment away from them weighed heavily on my heart, especially when I thought about all the milestones Ihad missed with our twin boys. It wasn't the same without Xander and Theo by my side, and it broke my heart.

Living without them felt like having a massive hole inside me that no one else could fill. Now, confronted with their anger and disappointment, I realized the extent of the pain I had caused them by leaving.

There was no justification for my actions, and I couldn't comfort their suffering. All I could do was apologize and hope for their forgiveness.

“Two weeks after I arrived at that house, Devani came to see me. She told me I was pregnant and said I couldn’t go back until after I gave birth and things were safe. Of course, I didn’t believe her, but she showed me lab results from when I was in Boston. I’m not sure how she managed to get the tests done, but Devani has her ways, and the results confirmed that I was pregnant.”

Tears streamed down my face like hot, heavy raindrops, and I desperately longed to wipe them away. But my hands were bound tightly, rendering me helpless as I stared into their faces, hoping they could see the regret in my eyes through the blur of tears.

"Do you finally understand?" I pleaded. "I didn't go with them willingly. I was pregnant, and that's why they took me. Solon took my mother and my sisters, too."

---