Page 118 of A Dark Duet

“No, it is not because of him. I have no feelings for Ethan whatsoever. I’m sorry if you think I felt something because I slept with him.”

“You don’t have to apologize. You don’t owe me an explanation. If I didn’t let you go, you never would have had to go back to dancing and you would have never even met Ethan Carter. That is all on me.

“I know this sounds crazy, but I’m glad you did. I’m achieving my dream on my own. I wanted you part of that journey, but I understand you had your dream and your goals.”

“That is no excuse for hurting you, Briana. I broke my promise to you, and I regret it every single day. The only thing I can do is prove to you that I want you in my life. I know you are battling something deep inside, baby, and I want to be there for you. There is nothing I want more than to own the darkest part of your soul and be present in your nightmares. You never have to fear or shed another tear because I am here fighting for you.”

She snuggles close to me and holds me tight. “I will always feel safe with you. I don’t trust you with my heart, but I do feel safe with you, Jaden. That part is real.”

“I will do anything to be the one you trust with everything. I took you for granted and I hurt you deeply and for that, I am truly sorry. Please let me prove to you how much you mean to me. Can you do that?”

I know she is not ready to tell me who the guys were that hurt her. The ones that raped her. Ethan is using our shared connections to gather the information we need because Briana is not aware, but her mother is getting out of jail, and she will contact Briana for money. Knowing Briana, she will want a relationship with her mother now that she is sober and getting out of jail and will try to help her because that is who Briana is or maybe not, but I know her mom will bring her trouble somehow. I may be angry about Ethan sleeping with Briana, but I cannot blame the man. Briana is gorgeous. There isn’t a man that wouldn’t take the chance of being with her. I’m so proud of her. She made something of herself all on her own and she deserves happiness. Not judgment.

“Okay,” she says and I fall asleep with the hope of having her by my side.

I wake up in the morning with Briana’s silky blonde hair sprawled on my pillow. She is sound asleep, and I have never slept better. Moving my shoulder to test how sore it is, I am surprised that the pain is gone. The woman is a godsend. Whatever she gave me worked like magic.

Looking at her sleeping form, I admire how gorgeous she looks. Her soft, delicate skin, her leg entwined with mine, I’m savoring the moment of having her in my bed.

The sun is bright in the blue sky. The pool reflects the water against the floor-to-ceiling windows. Having her presence in my house makes it feel like a home. When I’m here alone, the only thing surrounding me is my past haunting me in my sleep.

The bad memories taking over my thoughts, reminding me of the depraved things they did to me as a child. How my mother and father would allow junkies to molest me as payment for drugs. The unwanted hands touching my body, the way they would grab me at night, forcing me to strip naked and watch men masturbate as they watched me standing naked. I was just five years old when it started. It lasted until I was twelve and they finally took me away. The school called social services because of the beatings I received, my malnourished body was more visible when entering my teen years and I was going through puberty. It was obvious at that point I was being abused.

I never uttered a word of how they molested me. I was ashamed. It was bad enough I was made fun of at school because of the way I looked and my bedraggled appearance. Then I met Nate and he came from a similar background, and we made a pact. We had a plan to remain friends, but instead, we formed a brotherhood. We were inseparable and we still are. Nate is family and so are the other fighters in my gym. They are the only family we have. Giselle and Briana are the only women in our lives, and we plan on keeping it that way. I just have to prove to Briana that she belongs with me. I’ll do anything to show her that this is home and I can understand that she doesn’t want to tell me the details of her abuse because I’m the same way. We are more alike than I would have thought.

The last of the flowers are placed neatly in my bedroom. I called a florist and they assured me they could have this done before Briana wakes up from her sleep. She must have been exhausted from last night. We stayed talking until three in the morning. I don’t want to wake her because I want her to be surprised when she sees all the flowers.

I bought a bouquet of flowers for every day I wasn’t with her for the past three years. I purchased different kinds in different colors. Basically, I bought all the flowers they had on hand. I didn’t know which ones were her favorite, but I hope to find out so that I can make sure I buy her the ones she likes. It would also give me an idea of what her favorite color is.

I caress her face and place a gentle kiss on her cheek. Her eyes flutter open and she smiles. She stretches her limbs like a cat and gasps when she realizes the bed is full of rose petals. The contrast of red rose petals all over the white linen sheet and the scent of all the beautiful flowers engulfs the room. The sun shining through the glass windows and doors makes the bedroom look magical.

Her hands fly to her mouth in shock. “Oh my god, Jaden!”

I give her my best smile as I sit on the bed holding her between my legs.

“Do you like it?” I say softly.

“Yes! It’s beautiful. Look at all the flowers and the beautiful colors in different shapes and sizes. How did you—”

“You were sound asleep and I wanted you to wake up with a smile. I wanted you to see how the rest of your life with me by your side is going to be. I want to be the man that makes you smile.”

Tears glisten on her lashes and at first, I think I’ve fucked up and made her sad but then I realize they are happy tears.

“A bouquet of flowers for every day we weren’t together for the last three years. One thousand ninety-five bouquets of flowers.”

“No one has ever given me so many flowers before, they’re beautiful. The white lilies are my favorite.”

“The white lilies are your favorite?”

“Yes. My favorite flowers are definitely the lilies. That is why my favorite color is white. The lilies represent the opposite of me,” she says. She sniffs and wipes her face as she gets up from the bed and places one under her nose to smell it. “The lilies represent purity and majesty. They represent virginity and what is pure. I’m not pure because I’m tarnished and damaged. My hope is one day, the lily can restore my departed soul. My apartment is black because that is how I feel inside, black and damaged. The lily reminds me that I still have a chance. A chance to be restored.”

Briana thinks she isn’t pure? Those fucking monsters took that from her and I will make it my mission to kill those bastards. I will buy every goddamn lily if that is what would make her happy. Her happiness is my goal. I want to make her happy.

“Now I know what flowers to buy you. White lilies. And Briana?”

“Yes?”

We are both standing naked inside my bedroom full of flowers and I slide my thumb over the tracks of the tears on her cheeks. “You are very pure and to me, you are not damaged.” I place a soft peck on her cheek and whisper. “You are the purest person I know. The darkness is just a cloud on a rainy day, and I am the sun that is going to bring you light.”

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