Page 62 of Ward

“I understand better than you know.” He turns to Grace. “Did you know there are only eighty-seven Grace Whittakers on Instagram? You should really update your privacy settings. I mean, all those pictures of you holding up your Jost Academy acceptance letter are just out there for the world to see.”

I make a mental note to have her set all her social media profiles to private as soon as she returns to campus.

“My address isn’t out there for the world to see,” I say. “How did you find out where I live?”

“That I had to hire out for,” he says. “Cost me a fuck-ton, but thankfully you’ve been quite generous with the funds as of late.”

This little prick is even more twisted than I realized.

“Do you even work at Jost?” Grace asks him.

“Today’s my first official day. I’m supposed to be making sandwiches right now, so I doubt they’ll ask me to come back.” He adopts a look of soberness as transparent as glass. “I’m sorry I had to trick you, Grace, but I knew you’d be more receptive to the truth if it was staring you in the face. It’s nice to finally meet you, cousin.”

Liam knows there’s nothing remotely nice about this exchange. He’s intentionally setting fire to the sole source of happiness in my world, and dancing over the embers. I can tolerate his sadistic whims when they’re aimed solely at me, but Grace doesn’t deserve any of this.

I need to get her away from Liam, and take her somewhere quiet where I can explain everything.

“We’ve indulged in your sick little game long enough,” I say. “Grace and I are leaving.”

“I’m not leaving until you tell me what else you’re hiding,” Grace says.

“There is nothing else.”

“How am I supposed to trust that? You could have other kids, or a secret wife locked in the attic for all I know.”

“Whoever she is, she’s not my mother,” Liam says. “My mom killed herself.”

Grief passes like a shadow over Grace’s face. “I’m sorry.”

This asshole lied to get her to follow him here, and still, she offers him sympathy. She’s the best person I’ve ever met, and I betrayed her.

“No need to apologize,” Liam says. “It’s not like it’s your fault.”

Anger flares inside me as he reaches over to pat her hand. I don’t want him touching so much as a hair on her golden head.

“My father’s the one who should apologize,” he says, turning to me. “He’s the one who raped her.”

Grace sucks in a ragged breath. I scrub a hand down my face as the waves of guilt I’ve been treading close in over my head.

“It’s not true,” she says to Liam. “You’re trying to trick me again.”

My son leans back in his chair, sneering. “Tell her it’s not true, Dad.”

Her gaze pleads with mine for mercy. I don’t want to do this in front of Liam, but I can’t let Grace walk out of here without knowing the truth. It’s the least I owe her for what my silence put her through. I pray that once she’s heard me out, she’ll let me spend the rest of my life making it up to her.

“I did assault Liam’s mother,” I tell her. “But there’s a lot more to the story than that. Carolyn was a former play partner of mine. She wasn’t my submissive. I only knew her a short while before she confided in me that she’d been raped by her previous partner. She asked me to roleplay a consensual non-consent scene. Something I’d never done before, but I agreed to do it.”

“Well, that was stupid,” Liam mumbles.

I kneel beside Grace’s chair, drawing her attention away from Liam. This is between us. She doesn’t say anything, but I can tell she’s listening in earnest.

“I was nineteen,” I continue, “foolish and arrogant. I didn’t want her to know I wasn’t experienced. We talked about it beforehand. She chose a safe word. I role-played as her jilted ex and surprised her in her bedroom.”

Memories from that night come rushing back like bile climbing up my throat. I could lose my breakfast recalling the things I did to Carolyn, things she’d explicitly asked for that led to her being traumatized all over again.

“I tried to hold her afterward,” I say. “She pushed me away and screamed at me to get the fuck out of her apartment. I’d never had a bottom react that way after a scene. I was afraid to leave her, so I stayed in her living room all night, and the next morning, she came out to tell me she’d been so paralyzed with fear and anxiety that she couldn’t bring herself to speak, much less say her safe word.”

Silent tears trail down the sides of Grace’s face. She looks like she’s been through Hell. I’d do anything to take it all back. Move Heaven and Earth to put a smile back on her gorgeous face. The pity in her gaze is almost worse than the betrayal. I wish she’d shout at me, call me a monster, something.

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