Page 113 of Bound Lies

“Protecting me?” I scoff. “From what, Kieran? From Ciara? From sitting on a couch and watching TV in a house with more security than a damn prison? You really think that’s where the danger is coming from?”

He doesn’t answer.

“No,” I continue as I start to pace. “You’re not protecting me. You’re punishing me.”

His jaw clenches. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Oh, really? First the party and now this. What’s next, huh? Are you going to put padlocks on my bedroom door?”

“You’re being paranoid.”

“I’m being treated like a child. A prisoner. Admit it, Kieran. You don’t trust me.”

His eyes snap to mine, sharp and cold, but I refuse to look away.

“Not everything is about you, Riley.”

His words feel like a slap to the face, and I don’t even try to hide the way I flinch.

“No. But when it comes to you, it’s never about me.”

The air between us grows heavy, like a storm waiting to hit, until Kieran exhales sharply.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like knowing he’s watching you? That one wrong move could get you killed?”

I throw my hands up in the air. “I didn’t ask for this! I didn’t ask to be dragged into your war with Sean. You’re the one who offered me a marriage and told me I would be safe with you. And I believed you, like an idiot.”

Kieran strides toward me, only stopping when there is nothing but a few inches between us. His eyes flash as he stares down at me, and I notice his hands shaking at his sides.

“I’m trying to protect you.”

My voice trembles. “You’re trying to control me. Just like my father did.”

Kieran rears back as if I’ve struck him. “Don’t compare me to him.”

“Then stop acting like him! Treat me like a human being and not a liability you have to manage.”

The silence that follows is deafening. My heart is hammering in my chest, and it hurts to take a breath, but it’s clear Kieran is not going to be the one to break it. So, I decide to say the one thing that I know could sever things between us for good.

“I heard what you said to Ronan. That night, after we slept together.”

Kieran goes still, so I continue.

“When I was in the bathroom, I heard you tell him that I meant nothing to you. That anything that happened between us was because it was the only way for you to make this deal tolerable.”

My voice cracks, and Kieran’s face drains of color.

“Riley—”

“Don’t! Don’t insult me by pretending you don’t remember. I know what I heard.”

He swears under his breath and rubs a hand down his face.

“I didn’t mean it.”

I shake my head, my eyes already stinging with tears. “It’s fine, I get it. You were bored, whatever…”

I go to step past him, but he grabs my wrist.