Page 162 of Arianna

Raising my head and hardening what’s left of my heart, I stare into his eyes.

“Betrayal hurts most when it comes from the person you trust most.” He says robotically, heartless even. So unlike the man I came to trust.

Just what he wanted.

Sebastian Kenton broke my heart.

No, it was broken long before he came along… he killed it.

He left me bleeding in the cold right before Christmas.

Fuck, a knife to my eye would hurt less.

And they called me heartless, an ice princess.

They haven’t seen anything yet.

* * *

BASTIAN

“Betrayal hurts most when it comes from the person you trust most.”

My brave girl stands in the rain, soaking wet with droplets of water running down her beautiful face. She always looks stunning, but now? With tears in her eyes and fury in her heart, she looks like a goddess. My Goddess. The flash of the cameras and the voices of the media outlets and paparazzi fade into the background as I stare at my future falling apart right in front of me. The pulse of rage pounds my temples along with the noise inside my head, screaming for me to stop this insanity. To wrap my hands around her and keep her safe inside. She deserves better.

Fuck, does she deserve everything her fucking bitch of a father failed to give her. More than I can give her. She deserves to live life to the fullest and make her own decisions. She should be able to do normal things most take for granted, without fear of being harassed by the paparazzi or called ugly names by people that know nothing about her or us.

I want her to have all of it.

All she hopes my daughter has in life.

She deserves it, too, and being tied down to me so young without really knowing what it feels like to be your own person and fall in love with the life of her choosing.

To find herself and fight for what she wants.

My heart broke last night when I heard her talk to my daughter. It broke all the other times when she showed me the real her.

My beautiful girl was once cold-as-fuck— that will never change, but her heart is pure, and when she gave it to me, I felt like the luckiest bastard in this fucked up world.

I felt like I could bring the world to its knees for her, and fuck, in my way, I’m doing it now. She can’t fly above the clouds with my world holding her back. With the sins of her father still present between us. “You son of a bitch. How can you be this heartless? This is cruel to her!” She yells at me as more tears fall. Her bangs stick to her face. “This is more than just me and you and our fucked-up past! She was in the middle. That baby… she loves me and I love her. How could you!”

This is killing me.

My heart is bleeding for her.

Bleeding for the little girl that won’t have her best friend once this day ends.

I lied to her when I made it seem as if my daughter will forger her. Ellaiza won’t forget. I’ll make sure she never does.

Goddammit.

Let her choose her path.

Let her fly and find her way back home.

More clicks and questions come from all around us, but I shut them out.

Just me and my girl.

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