AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shake my head furiously. “Violence is violence, Drix. There are no grey areas, it’s black and white. You lost control and almost killed a man. You hurt people at the behest of others.”
“So you’re telling me that if your ex, Martin, had hurt Toby the way he hurt you, that you wouldn’t have tried to protect him?”
“I did protect him. I left before he could,” I counter angrily.
“You did,” he agrees, “But that’s not what I meant. If Martin had hurt Toby, can you honestly say that you wouldn’t have acted with violence to protect him?”
“Of course I would’ve, hurting someone in self-defence, and seeking out someone to hurt because they’ve wronged you or someone else are two different things. It’s not right, Drix,” I reply, doubling over as the truth of who Drix is hits me like a sucker punch to my stomach.
“Lia, please…” he begs, stepping towards me.
I hold my hand up, shaking my head as I rise. “No, don’t come near me. You’re not who I thought you were.”
“I’m still that man you love, Lia,” he pleads.
“God, I’ve done it again haven’t I? I fell for your lies, just like I fell for Martin’s.” I let out a broken laugh, tears streaming down my face now.
“I’m nothing like him. I would never, ever hurt you or Toby. I love you both, so fucking much. I’ve never lied about that. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I wanted to. It’s been cutting me up inside.”
“You made me love you, Drix. You made Toby love you. I trusted you.”
“I’m sorry I’ve hurt you. Fuck, I’d do anything to make this right…” He swallows hard, stepping closer.
“I ran from violence, Drix. You knew that, and yet you let me believe that you were different.”
“I am different. Fuck, Lia. Who I am with you and Toby, that’s the man I want to be, who I am. I can be that man with you by my side.”
“I can’t… You lied to me. What else have you lied to me about?” I ask, seeing him flinch, knowing there’s more.
He drags in a deep breath. “Your mum’s recipe books–”
“What about them?” I cut in.
“I know who stole your car. He’s a thief, a troublemaker, a problem for the founding families,” he explains. “Carl sent me to… speak with him.”
“Speak with him?” I spit out.
“Carl and Robert were concerned he’d try to steal from the wedding guests. They sent me to warn him not to make trouble. When I got to his place, he had your car in pieces. He’d stolen it, pulled it apart for parts to sell on. Your things were there. I knew if I told you the truth about how I’d come across them, I’d have to tell you the truth about me. So I kept the recipe books at my flat above the gym whilst I figured out what to do. When you told me what they meant to you, I made up the story about finding them at the consignment shop.”
“Another lie. How many more are there?”
“That day I came home from checking the security cameras at the hotel…”
“You didn’t fall off a ladder did you?”
He shakes his head. “No, I–”
“I don’t think I want to know. Christ, who are you?” I ask, cutting him off.
“Ben called me from the bar, needing my help,” he continues, ignoring my question. “He was in trouble, and Dalton and I went to help.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“That night you took Toby to Bandits and I stepped outside to get his clothes, there was a guy who Ben was chucking out of the bar because he was trying to force himself on a woman. He was threatening Ben, so I stepped in. He pulled a knife. I dealt with him, sent him on his way. Only he came back with some men…” His voice trails off as I stare at him.
“So you dealt with them too?”
“We did.”
