Page 99 of King of Ruin

She searched his face, hoping—praying—that he would see she wasn't lying.

"I promise you..." she continued, her eyes never leaving his. "He's not my lover. I'm not having an affair with someone else."

Elise wasn't ready for the truth to come out. The last thing she wanted was to make things complicated between Xavier and her parents. Until she knew how everything would unfold, she couldn't risk pulling the people she cared about into a situation that might hurt them all.

Her birth parents had made it painfully clear they wanted nothing to do with her. And now, although Logan had welcomed her into his life, a small part of her still feared that one day he might decide that she wasn't worth the complications she brought.

She couldn't bear the thought of history repeating itself.

Kevin and Grace had given her everything she had longed for—a home, a family, unconditional love. She never wanted to do anything that might bring them pain or make them question whether accepting her had been the right decision.

What if telling Xavier the truth dragged them into a mess they never asked for?

What if Kevin and Grace thought she had never truly let go of her past? What if they believed she still clung to the family that had abandoned her instead of fully embracing the one that had chosen her?

The mere possibility twisted painfully inside her chest.

People had left her before.

She had learned, from a young age, that love could disappear without warning.

Perhaps that was why she found it so difficult to believe anyone would stay forever.

Maybe one day Xavier would decide she wasn't worth the trouble and walk away.

Maybe Logan would, too.

Those possibilities frightened her, but they were ones she had quietly prepared herself to face.

What she wasn't prepared for was disappointing Kevin and Grace. She couldn't bear to see hurt or regret in the eyes of the two people who had loved her as their own when no one else had.

Xavier looked at her for a long moment, his dark eyes searching her face as though he were giving her one last chance to tell him the truth. When none came, something inside him seemed to harden. The anger simmering beneath his composed exterior settled into a cold disappointment that somehow hurt even more to look at.

A humorless laugh escaped him as he shook his head.

"Fine."

It was the only word he said.

He turned without another glance, his movements sharp and decisive, then strode out of the secluded corner with long, purposeful steps. Elise instinctively watched him go, her eyes following the familiar broad shoulders until he disappeared beyond the curve of the yacht and was swallowed by the lights, the music, and the crowd.

Silence settled around her.

For several seconds, she remained exactly where she was, unable to move.

Chapter 11

Only after she was certain he wasn't coming back did she slowly release the breath she'd been holding. It left her in a long, weary exhale as she closed her eyes, the tension that had kept every muscle in her body rigid finally beginning to ease. She lifted a trembling hand to her chest, trying to calm the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat, but the ache lingering there refused to fade.

She hadn't wanted this.

The last thing she had ever wanted was for things to become so complicated between Xavier and her. Yet the more she tried to protect everyone, the more everything seemed to unravel beyond her control.

After another quiet moment, Elise opened her eyes and forced herself to compose the expression on her face. She smoothed the wrinkles from her dress, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and drew one final steadying breath before making her way back toward the party.

With every step she climbed up the gangway, the sounds of the celebration grew louder. Laughter drifted through the warm night air, glasses clinked together, and conversations flowed effortlessly among the guests, completely unaware of the confrontation that had taken place only moments earlier.

She had barely stepped onto the deck when Benjamin noticed her.