Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“I went out with her because I had to,” I say. “Those dates meant nothing to me, and the entire time I was with her, all I could think about was coming home to you.”
“You told me I was nothing to you,” Ella whispers.
“I know.” I reach for her hand and tangle my fingers with hers, desperate to feel her warmth. “I lied to you because I was angry, and I wasn’t thinking straight. I’ll never forgive myself for that, Ella. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry for all of it. I put you through so much, and you stayed with me. You never let me push you away. You’re the only woman I want, and I can’t let you go. Even if you hate me. I’ll find a way to make you care again.”
“I want to believe that.” She lowers her lashes. “You have no idea how much I want to believe it. But how can I be sure you aren’t planning a wedding to Lavinia like she says?”
“Because she made the entire scheme up,” I growl. “She stole my mother’s ring from her room and told the media exactly where we’d be. I had no idea what she was doing until she blurted it out herself. Believe me when I tell you I hold no affection for any of your so-called family. While Lavinia was desperately trying to win herself a title, your stepmother was carrying on an affair with my father.”
Ella cringes, and I can tell this isn’t the first time she’s been embarrassed by their behavior.
“But you hid me from your family,” she argues. “You could have told them, and you didn’t. Were you ashamed of me?”
“Ashamed of you?” My voice hollows out. “No, gudinne. I could never be ashamed of you.”
“Then why?” she persists. “Why hide me?”
“You know exactly why.” I hang my head. “I was only supposed to have you for two months. That was it.”
Her face softens. “Do you have real feelings for me?”
To answer her question, I bring her hand to my heart. “I’m in love with you, Ella.” The words are faint and vulnerable but not any less meaningful. “I won’t ever let you go. You have to know that.”
“I don’t want you to.” Tears spill over her eyelids as she offers me the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. “I’m in love with you too, Thorsen. So much.”
Leaning into her, I grab her face and kiss the hell out of her until we’re both breathless. When she kisses me back, I feel whole again, and I’m tempted to climb into her bed and fuck hospital rules by fucking her. But not like this. She needs to rest, and we still have something important to discuss. I pull away, reluctantly, and Ella looks up at me with a dazed expression.
“Your turn.” I brush her hair back from her face. “Tell me what happened today, gudinne. No more lies.”
She expels a shaky breath and sinks into her pillow as she stares up at the ceiling. “Lavinia found me at the sanctuary while I was waiting for Olivia. I’d fallen asleep, and when I woke up, she was there. Things got ugly. She’d doused me in lighter fluid, intent on finishing the job. We fought, and she poured the elixir down my throat, thinking it was poison.”
An edgy, twitchy feeling takes over me as my vision clouds. What Ella just described is too gruesome to comprehend. And right now, the beast in me is rattling his cage, demanding I let him out. His thoughts are loud, punctuated by violent images of torture and murder. I want them all to pay, and I won’t have peace until they do. It’s only when Ella reaches out to touch me that I realize I still haven’t spoken.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”
“You couldn’t have known.” She shrugs. “I’ve made excuses for them for so many years. But there’s nothing else to say. She’s psychotic.”
“Why did you lie to the doctor?” I ask.
“I didn’t want the police involved,” she says. “I hurt her too, and I was afraid she’d twist everything up to make it all my fault. At the time, I was pretty sure she was engaged to you, and I didn’t know what would happen if I had told the truth.”
“Do you really think I would allow you to be punished for something like that?” I can’t hide the hurt in my voice.
“I didn’t know what to think,” she answers softly. “All I knew is what she told me and what I’d seen in the article. You never brought it up with me, so the only conclusion I could make was that it must be true.”
“It’s my job to protect you,” I tell her. “And I can’t do that if we both have secrets. You’ll only ever have my honesty from now on, and I want the same from you.”