Page 47 of Sacrifice (Corrupt Empire 2)

“Princess, I… fuck… Avery, I love you.”

She froze. The shock in her face told me she wasn’t prepared for me to say it.

“You… I… Oh.”

She looked away from me, fear flashing across her features. Why the hell was she scared?

“Aiden… I need to tell you something.”

It was my turn to freeze. What the fuck? Why would she be acting like this the moment I tell her I love her? She’d told me I could take my time, but I needed to say it. I had to get it out.

“I don’t want to keep this from you anymore.”

“Keep what? Avery, what’s going on?”

Her eyes met mine.

“I love you so much. I’m so happy you feel the same way, please don’t think I’m not.”

I cupped her face. What was she so afraid of?

“Please, don’t. I know this really is the worst possible time. I’m so sorry, Aiden.”

Now I really was fucking concerned. I pulled away from her. She scrambled back and tucked her legs into her chest.

“Princess…”

She put a hand up.

“I have to get this out. I have to…”

Horror and abject misery crossed her face.

“You’re going to hate me and him.”

Him?

“How do I even explain this? I told myself I’d never reveal this to you, but it’s so unfair of me. Do you remember when I told you not to ask me about my friendship with James?”

The world stopped. My heartbeat pounded in my ears. I knew what she was going to tell me and I didn’t want to hear it. I’d suspected for so long, but now, now I didn’t want my suspicions confirmed at all.

“For two years, James and I… We used to sleep together before I dated Peter.”

My fists clenched. How the fuck could she keep this from me?

“The pressure of our families and everything else got to us. Gert didn’t understand. We only had each other to talk to and talking sometimes wasn’t enough. It just happened and then it kept happening. I don’t know why or what the hell we thought we were doing but it’s how we coped.”

I got up, pacing away. I couldn’t look at her.

“I’m sorry. I know I should’ve told you. I didn’t want you to get angry with me or him. It’s in the past. It stopped six months ago. I promise.”

Three months before we met. She might not want me to be angry, but I was. Pissed off that she’d kept such a vital piece of information about their friendship from me.

“You said there were three. Who were the other two?”

“A stupid drunken night with a boy I met in Jamaica and a boy from school. Both only happened once.”

Did she not understand what that meant? The most significant man in her life had been and was still her best friend.

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