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“How did you escape him?” It seems like he had a strong hold over her, so I’m curious as to how she got away, survived, and became the strong woman she is today.
“I almost died from an overdose.” I internally cringe at her words, as they pull up memories from my own past. “I was alone when I woke up. No one knew where I was. The staff said I was dumped outside the hospital, and they didn’t see who left me there. I was alone when they... when they gave me the news of my... when they…” She hesitates. The distant look in her eyes tells me she's not talking about overdosing. Something else happened back then.
“What news, Tara?”
“I can’t.” Tears stream down her face. “I’m not ready for that yet. I... Please understand,” she sobs.
Fuck, I pushed her too far.
My thumb gently rubs circles over the back of her hand. “Of course I understand. We can stop if you want.”
“I just... I’ve got to get this out. Until I saw him again today, I’ve never been able to remember what happened that night before I woke up in the hospital. But I do now. Seeing him must have jolted all the memories back that my brain wanted to hide from me.
“We went to a party, and when we got home, he accused me of flirting with his friends and being a whore. It... He’d accused me of that before.” She pauses, her body tensing with each word out of her mouth. “He... he forced me to my knees and shoved himself down my throat. Then he fed me the drugs. It felt different compared to every other time. I couldn’t move, or even keep my eyes open. All I remember is him pushing himself inside me and then the darkness taking over.”
Fuck, she’s been through hell.My mind quickly drifts to how I’d kill any fucker who did anything like this to my little sister, Rae. She’s only twelve right now, but one day she’ll be interested in dating, and my big brother protective mode will be fully engaged. I wish Tara could’ve had someone like that in her life, but she didn’t. She was all alone, suffering without anyone even knowing.
“He fled after that, and I haven’t seen him until today.” So basically, he took it too far and ran.
How can something as terrible as almost dying have been Tara’s saving grace? If that hadn’t happened, she’d probably still be in the same situation, or worse.
“You said your parents wanted you to marry him—did they know what he did to you?”
She shakes her head. “No, they didn’t.”
“What do they think happened between you two?”
“That Zayan and I broke up, and I couldn’t handle it so I was taking drugs to numb the pain. To this day, they think he’s the perfect man. They wanted me to marry him, so his rich family could help with the restaurant, which is partly why I agreed to marry Marnix. To make it impossible to marry Zayan. For a year, at least. It’s not a permanent fix, but it at least got me out of that situation for now.”
“Do your parents know you married Nix?”
“Not yet…”
“Tara, do your friends know about what you’ve been through?”
More tears fall, rolling down her neck, soaking into her shirt. “No. I know Lya wouldn’t judge me, but I’ve felt embarrassed… How could I have been so stupid? How could I just let someone do that to me, without even fighting for myself?”
This is shredding me apart. “Tara, it’s not your fault. He’s a manipulative predator. You shouldn’t be embarrassed. You fucking survived—you’re strong, resilient, and a motherfucking survivor. I’ve met a lot of scary people in my life, but you are the scariest. Not everyone can take what they’ve been through and use it to conquer the world, and that makes you terrifying.”
“You don’t think I’m defective and stupid?”
“Hell no. You’re a fucking warrior.”
A small smile paints her face. “Thank you.”
“You should tell Lya sometime. It’s easy to see she loves you. You’ll feel better having someone else on your side. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
She squeezes my hand. “Rushton Bergman, are you on my side?”
Forever.
“Fuck yes. Zayan won’t hurt you ever again.” If it comes to murder, it won’t be the first time I’ve shed blood. But it’ll be the first time I do it willingly.
Tara stands, letting our hands fall apart, before sitting her little body on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. I know we’re having a serious conversation, but I can’t control my cock right now with her perfect ass rubbing against it. It’s thickening by the second, trying to ruin the tender moment between us. Fuck, Tara. I’m supposed to be protecting you, not getting hard for you.
Our faces are inches apart, and the warmth of her breath sends goosebumps down my arms. I’m tempted to devour her mouth, but I just don’t know what she’s thinking right now. It’s not the time to be doing that. She’s vulnerable and emotionally raw, and I’m not going to take advantage of that. She deserves better. She deserves the fucking world. I don’t even realize I’m doing it, but my hand comes up and wipes her tears away with my thumb.
“What about you?” she asks.
