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“She was trying to protect me from you,” I say.
This shuts him up for a moment.
“You pushed me,” he growls.
“I know,” I reply. I won’t take my eyes off him, even if that would be the easier thing to do. “And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I fucking hurt you, Luca.”
His nostrils flare. “What about Jill? She never wanted to harm you either, but you—”
“I was blinded by my own pain,” I interject. “But when you brought my memories back, little by little, I started realizing the bigger picture.”
His hands turn to fists, and I can see it’s taking everything in him not to attack me right now. “Is that why you tried to shoot her in the woods just now?”
“I thought it was, but …” I sigh. “I wasn’t mad at her. I was mad at you for trying to steal the only thing I ever cared about.”
His lip twitches. “Jasmine.”
I nod.
Silence falls, and for a moment, it’s peace amidst the violence in both our hearts.
“Did you ever stop to ask what she wanted?” Luca quips.
He’s never cared for Jasmine before, but I’m sure Jill’s worries about her have seeped into his bones.
“I should’ve done it sooner,” I say. “And I know that now. I’ve caused a lot of pain.”
Luca’s nostrils flare again, but his face relaxes a little. “Damn right you have.”
“But so have you,” I retort.
His eyes flash with rage, but he doesn’t respond.
Instead, he strolls through the room and gazes out the window.
“I had to pick up the pieces you left when you vanished,” he says, glancing at me over his shoulder. “Me, responsible for the entire fucking De Vos empire. Can you fucking imagine?”
“I know you hated the idea.”
“I didn’t want any of this,” he says. “But I took over. I did what I had to do.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” I say.
“Why do you keep saying sorry?” he quips.
“Because I am.”
“Why do you even care?”
“Because you’re my fucking brother,” I reply. “And I fucking want that back.”
His eyes twitch and widen in a split second.
Then he looks away again.
“Don’t you think you burned that bridge long ago?”
“Blood is blood. We will always be brothers,” I say. “There’s a reason you came to look for me. Why you helped me bring those memories back.”
