Page 95 of Reckless Promises

Cillian might not like his role, but under the right circumstances, he embodies it. Like I feel him now as he approaches.

The moment he’s in the doorway to the hospital room, his eyes connect with mine. And he pauses only a moment before walking in and slamming the door shut behind him to close everyone else on the other side.

“Hey.” It sounds so small, so fragile. My voice cracking every time I try to speak. “I’m guessing you’ve been updated.”

He drops into the chair beside the bed and takes my hand. His fingers lace through mine, and I didn’t realize I was floating away until his palm grounds me back in place.

“I have.” He nods. “And I’m getting you a new security team.”

“This isn’t Daniel’s fault, and you know it.” I shake my head. “He was right there with me the whole time.”

“You were poisoned, Odette. And none of my men stopped it.”

“How could they have?” I challenge him. “This isn’t medieval times. They aren’t tasting my food before each bite.”

“Maybe they should.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

“This isn’t a joke.” Cillian’s neck tenses.

His entire body is rigid as his fingers tighten their grip on mine.

Turning in the bed so I’m facing him, I graze my thumbs over the back of his hands. “I know it’s not a joke.”

“You could have died.” His voice cracks at the end. Barely. And it’s not rage—it’s fear.

“It’s still not their fault.”

“I know.” He swallows hard. “It’s mine.”

“Cill—”

“What the fuck was I thinking?” He stands up, releasing my hands so he can pace around the room. Drawing circles with every step and burning a path so hot that one match is all it would take to light this room on fire.

“It was just lunch.”

“I’m not talking about lunch.” Cillian rakes his hands through his hair. “I’m talking about everything I’ve done to put you in this position. I’m talking about marrying you.”

His words land like lead in my stomach. I’m choking on my tongue as it swells with every fear realized. Because I didn’t want to care, I didn’t want to love him. But I do.

And he’s standing here telling me he regrets marrying me.

This pressure is too much. I plant my hands on my center and try to settle my still churning stomach. They pumped out the small amount of poison I ingested, but my insides still turn.

“Don’t say that.”

“Why not?” Cillian stops, facing me from the end of the bed. “You didn’t deserve to be in the middle of this. They tried to kill you because of me.”

“And that’s different from when?” I snap back at him, my own anger brewing. “You think no one has ever tried to kill me before? You think they didn’t want to use me and my sister against my father? This is nothing new, Cillian. I’ve been a pawn my entire life.”

“That’s not what you are.”

“Isn’t it?” I narrow my eyes.

He still hasn’t even asked me how I’m doing. He’s too wrapped up in the attack to care that I’m the one who suffered from it.

My palms sweat as I push my stomach harder and try to hold myself in. I’m falling apart, whether he sees it when he looks at me or not. Because I’m so good at burying my emotions that I don’t know if I’m even feeling them half the time.

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