Page 598 of The Tempted

“It won’t work. You can’t lie to me. I’ve seen you happy now. I’ve seen you smile and I’ve seen you laugh,” I paused, brushing away the tears that fell from my eyes.

“I sawyou, the man behind the mask and the layers of leather you use as armor. I fell in love with that man. I saw the real Blackie; I saw Dominic Petra.”

“Dominic Petra died a long time ago,” he sneered, grabbing the bottle off the bar and taking a swig. He didn’t even flinch as he chugged the poison. “And the man you think you know is nothing more than a guy who got his kicks off banging a young girl, someone who wasn’t touched, someone he could take advantage of. Your father sheltered you too much. He should’ve brought you around here more, then maybe you wouldn’t dream so much. But you’re young, there’s still time for you to learn…”

“Don’t do that. Don’t cheapen what we are because you’re fucking high.”

He placed the bottle back on the bar and leaned in close pinning me with a cold hard stare.

His eyes were dead.

Just like his soul.

Another crack in my heart.

“What we are is nothing,” he hissed. “You are nothing to me but Jack’s daughter and a virgin pussy I got to play with.”

I didn’t even realize my actions until I felt the sting on the palm of my hand and saw the red handprint on his cheek.

It’s over.

“Again,” he ordered.

“No,” I shouted.

“Again!” he demanded, crooking his finger beckoning me to inflict more pain on him.

I backed away from the bar, shaking my head as tears rolled down my face. He dropped his hands and took a step back himself.

“Get out,” he rasped. “Get out and forget you ever sawme.”

It was all a lie.

I told you so.

I grabbed my keys from the bar before walking out from behind it and started for the door. I had nothing left to give, no fight left inside of me and so I surrendered.

I stopped in front of the door and slowly turned around to meet his gaze.

“I could’ve been your queen. All you had to do was let me,” I whispered through my sobs, before turning back around and walking out the door.

There are two sides in a war and only one winner.

So how come we both lost?

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