Page 63 of Ward

It takes everything I have in me not to pull her into my arms, but I want to give her the space to process what she’s just heard.

“You should have told me,” she says.

I rest my hand over hers on her leg. “I didn’t know how.”

“Because you don’t trust me. You expect me to trust you with everything, but you couldn’t tell me about this horrible, traumatic event from your past.”

“I tried.”

She slides her hand out from under mine.

“Not hard enough.” She pushes up from her chair.

My heart gallops after her as she strides out of my office. I can’t let her leave like this, without knowing how sorry I am and how determined I am to make it up to her.

I follow her out of the office, past Jen’s desk, catching up to her before she can step into the elevator.

“Grace, wait.” I reach for her, but she pulls away. “Little one, I—”

“Don’t call me that,” she says through her teeth. The devastation in her gaze is a bullet to the chest. My own eyes burn with the anguish of knowing I did this to her.

She steps into the empty elevator, and I join her, pressing the button for the ground floor. The car begins its descent.

“Grace, I’m sorry you had to find out like this. I should’ve told you sooner. I didn’t want Liam to know about you because he takes pleasure in fucking with people, running them through his mind games.”

“I don’t care about Liam,” she says, hugging herself. “You should’ve trusted me. If you’d told me about him and what happened with his mother at the beginning, I would’ve understood.”

“I know.” I cradle the side of her face. “I do trust you. It’s me I don’t trust. I was afraid of making the same mistake with you.”

I pull her tight against me, weaving my fingers into her hair.

“I’m sorry I lied about my son and hid the truth about his mother, but I have meant every word I said about loving you. You’re my sun. I would wither and die without you. I’m your Dom, but I serve you, too, and I promise I’m going to do whatever it takes to earn back your trust.”

The elevator doors open to the main lobby. She takes a shuddering breath.

“Let me go, Aidan,” she rasps, her voice thick from crying. “I need to get back to campus. Jasmine’s probably freaking out, wondering where I went.”

I don’t want to let her go, but she’s right. She has things in her own life that she needs to do, and she deserves a moment to breathe after what she’s been through.

Reluctantly, I release her and then shadow her out to the lobby.

“Benjamin’s waiting for you out front,” I say. “I’ll walk you.”

“I can walk—”

“Don’t fight me on this, little one.”

She purses her lips, but she doesn’t refuse or remind me not to use her sub name. Even if she did, I’d continue to use it. She’s mine for as long as she’s wearing my collar, though I fear she may decide that she no longer wants it.

I put her in the back of the Porsche and tell Benjamin to take her to campus. When I return to my office, Liam is still there, reclining in my leather chair with his filthy shoes on my desk.

“I think she took that well, all things considered,” he says.

In an instant, the control I’ve been fighting to hold onto all this time slips from my grasp. I slam my hands on the desk.

“Listen to me, you little shit. You and I are done. No more handouts, no more guilt trips over coffee. You’re cut off. I want you out of that apartment by the end of the week.”

He sneers. “That shouldn’t be a problem. I’m working on getting myself into someplace nicer.”

“I couldn’t care less where you stick yourself, just as long as you never come near my house, my office, or my Grace ever again.”

“Is she, though?” Liam rests his elbows on the desk. “Your Grace.”

My fury rattles the bars of its cage. “Get out of my office, Liam. And while you’re at it, get the fuck out of my life.”

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