Page 68 of The Lie of Us

He fell silent again. I counted three heartbeats and it felt like an eternity before he spoke again. “You truly believe that? Even after everything, you sincerely believe my heart is pure for me to ever be like him? The devil raised me, darling. Isn't it only proper that I end up following in his footsteps?”

I shook my head at him as I flattened my palms against his cheeks. Kai’s eyelids fluttered shut and I pressed my lips to his forehead. “Hell was never where you belonged, my love. It’s always been right here with me. You’re forging your own path. One that is fueled by the way he raised you, but you’re not following it. You’re breaking the wheel. Your fear of wanting to not be like him is what will prevent you from being a replica of your father.”

“He showed me what I never want to be.”

I pulled back once again to look into his soul. “I know you. I know your heart. It’s made of gold, unlike his, which is black and rotten.”

Kai’s eyelids opened and he stared directly into my soul as he pulled my face down to his. “I hope you’re right,” he whispered against my lips. “You make me want to be the best version of myself. I want to give you the world, Winter. I want to see myself as the person you see when you look at me. I want to be everything you deserve.”

“You’re more than I ever deserved.”

He shook his head as his lips swept across mine. His movements were fluid and smooth as he rolled me onto my back before hovering above me.

“Let me love you.” His lips touched mine again. “Let me love you the way you should be loved.”

Tears pricked my eyes as his words seeped into my soul. “You already do.”

He slowly stripped me bare, kissing and touching every inch of my skin until I was naked beneath him. I watched him as he undressed and settled between my legs. His eyes were on mine, filled with so many conflicting emotions as he slid inside me, filling me to the brim.

A shallow breath escaped me and his mouth was on my neck. His lips were soft and gentle as he trailed them across my jawline.

“In this life—the next life—wherever our souls go… you will always be mine,” he whispered against my skin as he reached inside my heart. “I’ve loved you for an eternity and I’ll love you for an eternity more.”

EPILOGUE

MALAKAI

six months later

Itrailed behind Winter, watching her with an amused look as she slowly walked down the cobblestone streets, staring up at the buildings around us in amazement. There was a chill in the air and she paused while wrapping her coat tighter around her body. She glanced over her shoulder, a smile reaching her eyes.

“This place is seriously so magical,” she said softly as I stepped up beside her. “I feel like I’m in aHarry Pottermovie or something.”

I reached for her waist, pulling her flush against my body. “Honestly,” I said with a smile as I looked down into her eyes. “That’s exactly why I wanted to bring you to Edinburgh. You’ve always been so obsessed withHarry Potter, I figured this was as real as we could get without going to an amusement park or something.”

Pure joy glimmered in her green irises as she wrapped her arms around the back of my neck. “I thought you wanted to go to Scotland to play golf at St. Andrews?”

A soft chuckle rumbled in my chest and I shook my head. “Darling, I’ve already played there before. I wanted to bring you here because I want you to experience the world.”

“I’ve been abroad with my parents before, but never like this.”

I smiled at her. “Exactly my point.”

She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine. “I literally do not deserve you.”

“You let me be the judge of that,” I murmured against her mouth before claiming her lips with my own. She tasted like candy and I wanted to revel in this moment with her—I wanted to revel in every single moment with her. She was the constant in my life and I would never let her go.

We stood in the middle of the street, wrapped up in one another as our tongues danced together. A car blew its horn and Winter jumped in my arms. A nervous laugh slipped from her lips as we pulled back from one another. Grabbing her hand, I broke out into a jog as I pulled her to safety on the sidewalk and threw up an apologetic hand to the driver.

We were both laughing and I stopped as I caught Winter staring at me. There was a mixture of emotions swirling in her bright green eyes.

“I love you like this,” she said softly, still smiling at me. “Happiness looks good on you.”

I shook my head at her as I pulled her along with me to continue down the street. “You look good on me, darling.”

The past six months had changed me in ways I never thought were possible. Completely cutting ties with my father was entirely liberating. I finally felt free from the hold he had always had over me. I still struggled with the dark thoughts that plagued my mind from time to time, but it had gotten easier over the past few months. I found a new therapist, one who dealt specifically with the types of trauma I had, and it helped immensely.

I had missed my chance at the Masters Tournament this year, but I was back on my golf game, thanks to Winter. She was nothing but encouraging. I convinced her to quit her job as a librarian and travel with me. I didn’t want to be without her and she had her own dreams of becoming a published author. I urged her to chase her dreams and she was doing it.

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