Page 50 of The Price of Revenge

“Are you okay?” I asked a few moments later.

She shook her head then looked up, sniffing. She brushed away some spilled tears with a shaky hand. “I’m not. But I will be.”

I swallowed a knot, daring myself to ask the question that had been lingering since I first spotted the bruises. “Did Eli do this to you?”

The tears shimmered again in her eyes, and she looked away. “He got really drunk the night we saw you out. And he was just…upset. I don’t know why. But he came to the condo where I’ve been staying, and we fought.”

Her words landed like icicles down the back. “Did he hurt you anywhere else?”

A shaky sigh escaped her, and she gripped my waist as if she might float away if she didn’t. “Just my arms. From how hard he grabbed me and—” Her voice cut out again. “It could have been a lot worse.” She lifted her chin, emotion swimming in her green gaze. “I’m just glad I was able to get out that night.”

All the alarms were going off now, anger swirling alongside the need to solve this. Immediately. My hand drifted to the side of her face. I swiped my thumb over her cheek to catch a stray tear. “Where are you staying?”

“A hotel.” She offered a flimsy smile. “I’m fine.”

I nodded, searching her face for more. She didn’t seem fine at all, but I had no idea what my role was anymore. As much as I wanted to scoop her into my arms and carry her off into the sunset, I knew that wasn’t the answer. There was too much at stake here. This was unbearably complicated. And that didn’t even take into account all this lingering resentment and anger I had toward her.

But none of that mattered when she looked like this.

Her light was dimming, and that scared the fuck out of me.

“You promise me you’ll let me know if you need anything?” I asked softly, searching out her gaze. We’d started the inevitable drift closer. Having her in my arms felt like coming home, and I was ready to stay here forever.

“I don’t deserve that,” she said, more tears spilling out.

“You heard what I said,” I repeated, cinching my arm around her waist. “Promise me, Cora.”

She nodded, her bottom lip trembling. “Okay.”

“And don’t act hard when you really need help,” I warned her, brushing my lips over the top of her head. The sweet clementine fragrance there wrenched at my heart. “Because I’ll find out.”

I almost couldn’t believe I was saying these words. Yet again, my resolve to keep both physical and emotional distance from Cora had completely crumbled. Not only had I eradicated every inch of distance between us, if I wasn’t careful, I was going to insist she come stay with me.

Tread carefully, Axel.

Cora laughed feebly, burying her face in my chest once more. She squeezed her arms around me. “Thank you, Axel. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“You’re welcome.” I pressed another soft kiss to the top of her head. Cora just needed tenderness. The exact thing that nobody in her life was willing to extend to her.

We hugged for what felt like an eternity. I was in no hurry to end it. Cora and I had always spent so much time hugging—for our health, we’d always joked.

“This is not how I expected the building planning to go,” she murmured against my chest. I couldn’t tell if ten minutes had passed or an hour. Time was fluid in her embrace.

“I think we got a lot accomplished today,” I cracked.

“Yeah. Thanks for the hug.” She propped her chin on my chest and smiled up at me. It seemed like some color had returned to her cheeks. The hug really had been for her health. She’d needed it more than I could have imagined.

“You want me to drop you off at your hotel?” I asked, checking my watch. “I’ll give you a ride. I have to get back to the office for a meeting.”

“I’d love that.”

I released her awkwardly, only because my arms did not want to break the seal. Nothing made sense right now. Reality vaulted beneath me, and I couldn’t find anything to hold onto. Something big had shifted—I just couldn’t figure out what it meant for either of us.

I called for my driver as we headed for the elevator. Cora drew deep breaths and smoothed the front of her dress, the top of her head. Once I got confirmation that Harry would be arriving within five minutes, I pocketed the phone.

“Have you seen him since that night?” I asked.

Cora shook her head. “I’m not speaking to him right now. I can’t. I’m just so disgusted.”

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