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Except… he’s not.
“How dare you show uphere?” I hiss. “This is a hard enough day as it is without you following me!” I snap, anger, sadness, and longing warring for dominance inside me. I feel dizzy and sick, like I’m going to puke then pass out.
Wolfe’s brows meet his hairline as he stares at me in shock. His black hair is shorter than it was before and styled artfully. His black framed glasses are nowhere to be seen. His pink, full lips are there, just begging for mine. His perfect, angular features are harsh in the bright, fluorescent light. His face is covered in a small amount of black stubble, and there are noticeable dark circles beneath his eyes.
Yet—he’s more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.
His eyes…Just like that first time I saw him in the elevator, they pierce through my soul. So blue, they look clear, like the ocean. I should have known. This whole time, I should have known.
You did knowa little voice whispers.You knew. You just didn’t want to admit it.
My eyes burn as the words sink in. Did I know?
“Excuse me, Rohan,” Wolfe says, smiling kindly at the other man who I now see is a doctor. I grimace in embarrassment.
“Of course, Mr. Nash. I’ll catch up with you later.” He smiles at Wolfe, giving him a knowing look, but I’m too confused, toopanickedto pay attention to it. Wolfe’s smile drops from his face as he notices what I’m sure is a very sickly-looking Rayvn.
He nods once, grabs my hand and tugs me through the halls. I’m too shocked to stop him. Too confused to speak as I blindly follow him, just like always. He drags me outside and to a bench sitting beneath a tree out front. He drops down and pulls me with him before turning to face me. We stare at each other for countless weighted minutes. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest, I’m surprised he can’t hear it. There are so many things I want to say, but I have no idea where to start.
I want to tell him I love him, that I’m sorry for not listening. I want to tell him that he’s amazing and brave, and strong and that I know what he did for his mom. That he’s braver than I could ever hope to be. I want to thank him for all that he did for me and the girls with Sutton. I want to tell him I’m mad and hurt and I don’t know how to forgive him, but I want to try.
Instead, I saynothing.
“I miss you,” he chokes out, his face showing far more vulnerability than I’d ever expect to see from my Devil.
Not mine.I chastise.Yes, he is.
I stare blankly at him as I tuck my trembling hands under my thighs.
“Did you get my texts?” he asks. My brows furrow, and I shake my head once.
He texted me? Shit.
“I blocked your number,” I murmur. His brows lift and a small smirk crawls up his face. It causes a sharp pain to lance through my aching heart. “Wh-what did you say?” My voice comes out a thick rasp. “In the texts?”
There are so many other things I need to ask, to know. But for some reason, this feels more important.
He shrugs as his cheeks turn pink and suddenly, I want to unblock his number and read all of his thoughts.
“A lot.” Sighing, he runs a hand through his hair, making black locks fall over his forehead. My hand twitches with the need to brush them away from his beautiful eyes. “Rayvn, I need to tell you the rest of my story. You need to understand.”
I shake my head, not needing him to go through what I’m sure is a very painful story. “I know about your mom,” I whisper. His brows crease together. “The woman you opened this place for. The doctors told us.”
He grunts and looks away, falling into silence once more. I worry he won’t speak, but when he finally does, his words cause my eyes to burn. “Kat wasn't my mom. I told you my parents were druggies who abandoned me. Kat is the woman who took me in. She saved me, raised me and cared for me like I was her own. She was the only person who ever cared about me.” He looks back at me, his blue eyes glazed over with a sheen of tears. “Until you.”
My broken man.
Tears slide down my cheeks as my already shattered heart finds a way to fracture even more. Testing the waters, he slowly raises his hand, waiting to see if I’ll pull away. When I don’t, he brushes his thumb across my cheek, capturing my tears. His eyes stay locked on mine as he brings the finger to his mouth and sucks my tears away. My core clenches. I should feel ashamed of that right now, but I can’t find it in me to care.
“Tell me everything terrible thing you did, and let me love you anyway,”he whispers. My breath catches, recognizing the quote. After the first five times he quoted Poe, I started to research and read his work, trying to figure out what Wolfe’s fascination with the man was. I never figured it out.
“Years of love have been forgotten in the hatred of a minute.”My heart rate picks up as he leans forward, reciting another famous quote.
He leans his forehead against mine as his hands land on my thighs. He squeezes firmly and I gasp. “Sometimes I’m terrified of my heart;of its constant hunger for whatever it wants. The way it stops and starts.”
“What are you doing?” I choke out, my eyes blurring with emotion.
“Reciting all the texts I sent you since the day you left me,” he breathes. “The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls.”
