Page 32 of Betrayal (Corrupt Empire 1)

“What happened wasn’t meaningless,” I said. “You can’t just pretend nothing is going on when it suits you.”

He didn’t turn around, but his back stiffened.

“Can’t I? You seemed to be doing it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I shouldn’t have believed the fucking scared girl act you pulled on me yesterday.”

I froze, my limbs locking up. It hadn’t been an act at all. I was still half terrified I’d see my dad again. And still entirely grateful to the man in front of me for comforting me when I needed it.

“I told you the truth. Do you seriously think I’d make shit like that up? I’m not a fucking masochist, Aiden. I didn’t want to have hallucinations of my own father which by the way is entirely your fault that I even saw him die in the first place.”

He turned to me very slowly. Grey eyes full of unrepressed violence. That gaze rendered me completely unable to say another word.

“Your father fucking deserved it. In fact, I wish I’d fucking made it worse for him. So don’t you start with who’s to blame here. If anyone is responsible, it’s him and the rest of your sick fucking family.”

What the hell had they done to him to make him hate us so much? Did my ‘sick family’ as he’d called it include me?

Did he hate me?

The thought of it made my heart stop. I didn’t want Aiden to hate me. I wanted him to know me. To see me without the Daniels name attached. Just me. Avery.

“What did they do to you?” I whispered. “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to understand.”

All my need to challenge him fled. Having all his anger directed at me hurt. It fucking hurt. My chest felt tight and my gut twisted.

“Do you…?”

“Do I what?”

I flinched at his tone. All the coldness I’d seen him display the first time we’d met was back.

“Do you hate me?” My voice was so small and timid, so unlike me in every way.

“Why would you ask me that?”

“Because you act like you do sometimes. Like right now. And yet last night… I know you didn’t hate me then.”

My heart thudded in my ears. The way he looked at me chilled me to the bone. I couldn’t take it. I was still all kinds of fucked up after yesterday. This argument wasn’t helping anyone, least of all me.

“I don’t…” His expression didn’t soften, but he looked away from me. “You piss me off, but I don’t hate you.”

It was all I needed to hear. I closed the distance between us before he could stop me and wrapped my arms around his back.

“I’m sorry.”

He put the glass down on the counter and held me, his hand tangling in my hair as he pressed my head into his chest. Tension radiated from his body, but he hadn’t pushed me away. I could only take that as a positive sign. And fuck did I need him to hold me. The fucking idiot I was needed Aiden like air.

“For what?”

“For making you angry.”

“I’m not… angry with you. Frustrated would be more accurate.”

“I’m sorry for that too.”

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