Page 7 of Her Sweet Surrender
He huffed angrily. “You are not the one who should apologize. I let my guard down and it almost cost you and Hope your lives.”
“It isn’t your fault. None of this is.”
He shook his head, looking down at their daughter protectively. “I never should have trusted a product from my mother’s loins. I knew better than that, but I—”
“You wanted a family. Everyone longs for that connection, Sir.”
“It is a weakness. I failed to protect the person most precious to me because I was blinded by it. There is no excuse.”
Brie squeezed him even tighter. “It is not a weakness, but a strength. I’m grateful that family means everything to you.”
Sir grimaced. “Because of my actions, your life and those of our children continue to be threatened.”
“I refuse to let Lilly have that kind of power over us!”
“And yet, she does—even now,” he replied coldly.
Brie shivered, leaning down to kiss Hope on the top of her head. It was true. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she would always be afraid for Hope.
Sir’s eyes flashed with anger. “It would be much easier to eliminate the threat and be done with her, but even that would not be enough for me.” His voice turned icy when he shared, “I remember what she told Mary when she was at the Tatianna Legacy Center. When I think about her wanting to torture our daughter it makes me want to do unspeakable things to her. IneedLilly to suffer with the same intensity we have.”
The severity of his hate was palpable.
She glanced at Hope. “It’s natural to feel that way as her father, Sir. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
He stared at her, shaking his head slowly. The dangerous glint in his eyes became more ominous when he told her, “I am my mother’s son, and Lilly brings out the worst in me.”
His words chilled her to the bone.
Hope started fussing in his arms.
“You don’t mean that, Sir.”
“But, I do.” He stared at her so intently that it frightened her. “In that way, she and I are very much alike.”
Brie struggled to breathe.
While she understood why he wanted to hurt Lilly, if Sir were to do such a thing, she knew it would fundamentally change him. It would open the floodgates of his inner darkness, a darkness he held barely in check at times, and she feared there would be no coming back.
More than that, she would never be able to look at Sir in the same way again. It would create a rift so deep it would destroy them as a couple.
“Your sister is an inhuman monster, but you are not her,” she insisted. “You are far too strong to let your inner demons control you.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath and waited for his reaction, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.
Brie knew the two of them stood on a dangerous precipice. His instinctual need to protect her might become the driving force that would end up destroying him.
Hope began fussing in his arms again and started to cry.
Sir glanced down at his daughter. “Even my daughter can sense it in me.” He tried to hand Hope back, but Brie refused to take her.
“Hope senses your inner struggle—nothing more.”
He looked unconvinced but stood up and carried Hope to the large window overlooking the ocean. Rocking her in his arms, he murmured, “There, there. No tears, my little angel. Everything will be okay.”
Brie knew Sir would never hurt the people he loved, and she wasn’t afraid of facing his inner demons.
However, she was terrified those dark feelings he kept so tightly bottled would eventually end up ripping him apart. Walking up to them both, Brie put her hand on his back while wrapping an arm around Hope.
