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Chapter 43
Mia
“Dread remorse when you are tempted to err, Miss Eyre; remorse is the poison of life.” Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
Carterwalksintotheroom, warily watching me from the corner of his blackened eye. He doesn’t come any closer, taking a seat at the breakfast table as far as the room will allow from Raegan and me as he can. I watch as Raegan gives him a menacing glare, one that would induce fear in even that motherfucker,Thanosif he was here.
A smirk crosses my lips at the memory of last night.
Carter found me sitting alone in the family room with just a few lit candles for company. After all the shit that went down with Theo and finding Mateo wrapped around June in the bottom of the closet, I was tired of crying—tired of feeling endless pain for these guys who seem to keep crushing me.
At first, like the idiot I am, I thought he wrapped me in his arms to console me. He held me tightly against his chest, and I breathed in his familiar scent. The sweet smell of lime, eucalyptus, and bergamot warmed me and I let the tension escape my body. It wasn’t until his grasp turned painful on the back of my neck and he tried to force me to my knees that it kicked in that something was wrong.
“What the fuck are you doing, Carter? Release me; that hurts.”
A chuckle escaped his lips and his other hand dug into my shoulder, pushing with force until my legs started to buckle and I ended up on my knees before him. “That’s better now, isn’t it, Amelia? Right where you belong, on your knees, about to take my cock in that dirty, lying mouth of yours.”
I shove against his stomach and pull against his hold, ripping strands of hair out of my head. I try to punch him in the nuts, but he shifts his body just out of my reach. “Naw, blondie, you don’t get to hurt the family jewels. This will go a lot easier if you remember your place, Amelia.”
“My place! I’ll fucking murder you, Carter Pemberton, and dance on your entrails. You think this is some sick fucking game?” I swing my fists out, connecting with his shins and thighs. Each hit of my fist making him grunt, but it’s ineffective in getting him to release me. “Why are you doing this, Carter?”
“You lied to me, blondie. All these fucking months, you lied through those pretty pink lips. You could have told me who you were at any time; I would have forgiven you. Instead, you let me trust you and fall for you. I would have followed you blindly to the ends of the world, Amelia. But the whole time, you were playing me, playing us. This was all a game to you. A way to hurt us.”
A lone tear meets the edges of his lashes before he angrily swipes it away. “I almost died for you, Amelia, not once but twice. I would have put my life on the line to protect you. You played with my heart, made me want you, and made me trust you. All so you could hurt me in the end. Are you satisfied now?”
“No, Carter, it wasn’t a game. I never wanted you to get hurt the way you did. I never asked you to sacrifice yourself. I care about you.” I stop fighting and stare up at him from my knees. His face is filled with devastating sadness, but I can also see anger in his eyes. He’s angry, and I know that he has a right to be. I did lie. I was playing them all in the beginning, but can’t he see that all changed? Can’t he see with my actions since he was brought to me for protection that I have done everything possible to show him that I care about him?
A grunt leaves his lips, and then he releases me, a disgusted look plain to see on his face. His strange eyes meet mine, looking more gray than blue in the dim lighting. The corner of his mouth lifts, and I know whatever will come out of his mouth will be cruel.
“I don’t believe you, Amelia. You are nothing but a fake conniving little whore that always wanted to play with the rich kids. I guess you found your way in after all. The thing is, you’re not like Finn. You’re not really one of us. You will always be that dirty, pathetic girl from the wrong side of town. Just prettier.”
I stumble to my feet, my body shaking at his words. How can he be so cruel? Three days ago, he was lying next to me and holding me tenderly, telling me he wished it was just us two. Has finding out that I am Amelia Hamilton really changed us that much? I know he’s hurt and feeling betrayed, but I’m not going to stay here and let him hurt me. Those days are over; no one hurts a Stratford.
“See, here’s the thing, Carter Pemberton. I’m not that little girl anymore, crying and begging at your feet. You’re right, asshole. I did find my way in, and you know what, Carter? It’s fucking glorious knowing I have more money and power than you do. Than all four of you do. But I don’t want to fight with you, Carter. I genuinely care about you and them. I know what I did by withholding the truth hurt you, and I’m sorry. I can’t take that back now even though I wish I could.”
His tattoos seem to glow in the candlelight, giving him a soft appearance, but I know it’s a mirage; there is nothing soft about this Carter Pemberton. This version of him standing before me is not the boy who held me just a few days ago. This is the Carter from my nightmares. The one I met when I first came back to Casbury. It would seem just the knowledge that I was Amelia Hamilton has made him revert to the cruel guy who used to torture me for no reason.
“You want to make it up to me, blondie? How about you get on your knees and suck my hard dick like the dirty trash you are. I’ve heard it said you can take the trash out of the dump, but never out of the whore, and you my beauty, suck dick like a twenty-dollar whore, looking for her next fix.” He pulls on his belt, dragging the one side free from the buckle and unbuttoning his jeans.
I’m standing here in fucking shock at his words. Is that really how he feels about me? Has he been playing me? Was none of it real? How could his feelings change so dramatically? “I have no intention of falling at your feet, Carter, nor am I going to blow you. You can go fuck yourself.” I turn to walk away from him, but before I can take more than a step or two, his arm is wrapping around my chest like a steel band, dragging me back with force until I slam into his hard body.
“Oh no, you don’t get to walk away from me, blondie. You know how I like to hear you scream my name. What do you say, for old time’s sake, you scream it nice and loud before I choke you with my dick?”
I sink my sharp nails into his tattooed forearms, and they break the skin. His little grunt of pain brings me satisfaction. I use my left foot to stomp hard down on his instep, forcing him to slightly release his hold and take a step backward while I’m still in his grip.
“Fuck Mia, that hurts!”
He snakes his hand up my chest and grabs my left breast, squeezing hard until I let out a scream of pain. I’m writhing in his hold, trying to hit him anywhere I can as he pulls me off my feet. I use the soles of my feet to stomp his thighs over and over.
“Stop being a little bitch and blow me. It’s the least you can do after lying to me for months, Amelia!”
“Fuck you, Carter. I’ll bite your dick off if you wave it anywhere near my face.” I screech back at him. Finally, kicking him hard enough that he loosens his grip and puts me back down on my feet.
Just then, a blur of dark curly hair flies across the room, launching herself at Carter and attacking like a spider monkey on his back. Raegan’s weight and surprise attack tackles him to the ground. He has no choice but to release his grip on me to brace himself from falling face forward into the hardwood floor. They struggle with each other, Raegan attacking like a vicious lioness, biting and scratching him everywhere she can reach. Carter manages to throw her off for a moment, and as he turns around. Isabella is just suddenly there with a left hook to his eye. She strikes him so hard that his head slams back against Raegan, and he screams in pain.
“You demented cockroach! How fucking dare you touch her. I warned you, Carter Pemberton.” Raegan slams her fist hard into his dick, and Carter falls to his knees. He curls into the fetal position, groaning and breathing hard.
“Don’t you ever manhandle my sister again, you scum.” Isabella kicks him in the shoulder with her dainty bare foot. Her face filled with rage, and her hair spilling from her ponytail.
