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His eyes shift to the box.
“You didn’t need to return the dress. I ruined it, and I wanted to replace it. That’s all,” he says.
“I don’t need anything from you.”
“I know...” he says in a softer voice and a trace of remorse in his tone.
“I’m sure there are women who can benefit from your attention. And your gifts. And whatever else you have to offer,” I say, throwing a casual glance at his suit pants, designer shoes, and slim-fit dress shirt, molded smoothly to his arms, chest, and shoulders.
He also casts a glance at me, his focus shifting to my hands.
“There are no women,” he says in a low voice, flicking his eyes up again.
His blue-gray gaze sinks into me.
“Do you expect me to believe you?” I ask.
He shrugs.
“It’s the truth. Would you rather hear a lie?”
“Whatever,” I say, flicking my hand. “It’s none of my business,” I say, moving toward the door.
He takes a step and blocks my exit.
“We’re not doing that again,” I say, arching an eyebrow at him.
“All I want is a chance to talk,” he says as if he hasn’t heard me.
I bring my hand to his chest.
His eyes stay locked with mine as I finger his chest.
“I don’t think I want to hear you talking, Jaden. You had your chance a year ago. You blew it. We wouldn’t be here had you not abandoned me. And for what? To make it on your own? You did? Was I holding you back?” I huff. “Please… Give me a break.”
He locks his jaw.
“I––”
I shoot my hand up.
“I don’t want to hear it again. You had your reasons. Fine. You left. It broke me. No problem. I glued myself back together, but don’t ask me to listen to you now. Nothing can make me feel better, no matter how legitimate your reasons are.”
His eyes slice through me.
“What are you afraid of?”
I chuckle.
“Me? Afraid? I’m not afraid of anything, baby. Why would I be afraid? What could possibly scare me? I lost everything that mattered to me a long time ago. I lived an empty life until I met you. I liked you. And trusted you. You were good to me in your twisted, dark way, but you couldn’t help it, could you? You took everything I’d given you and smashed it. Turned it into nothing. You warned me so many times, yet I didn’t want to listen to you. I couldn’t believe you’d do that to me. More so because you knew my pain. You knew how vulnerable I was. It was your pain too, and strangely, I found comfort in that thought. Somehow, I hoped that our fucked up past could give us a better future. But I was wrong. So fucking wrong.”
The silver-gray of his eyes glistens with emotion.
A sad smile tilts his lips.
I stop him again as he tries to say something.
“You want to know the truth, Jaden? I’ll give you the truth. You still have that power over me. I don’t know why, but you do. You are my home in ways I can’t explain. But you are not a safe home. And you must know that. There’s a different part of me that is so eager to live. A different kind of woman. She’s softer and tender and gets crushed easily. She’s the girl I resented so much I had to push into hiding. I thought she’d eventually go away. She didn’t. And she’s trusting you. She came back to me again. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s been a while since I looked like her. She’s beautiful and courageous and wants to live a full life, but see… This world is not for her. She’d get crushed by the people’s coldness and hurtful words and eventually die a slow, lonely death. As much as she likes you and responds to you, you can’t protect her.”
