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Now, she was not going to stand for it.
Now, because she knew him so much better, because she loved him so much more, she wouldn’t let him suffer the pain alone. Even knowing that he was more likely to reject any offer of comfort, Mary couldn’t take it. It was impossible for her to do nothing, not when her instincts warned Mary of how every second of silence that passed made Rathe feel...alone. And unloved.
Deciding to take matters in her own hands, she closed her eyes for a moment, praying for the strength to love the duke the way he deserved to be loved.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she did was to press the button for the glass partition in the limousine to slowly slide down, creating a semblance of privacy for them.
Afterwards, she scooted to his side. “Rathe?”
His head turned towards her immediately, and she swallowed at the look on his face. This wasnother Rathe. This was the Duke of Flanders, and his gaze made Mary feel like she had to apologize for having even the temerity to say his name.
“What is it?”
She swallowed convulsively. Mary usually found his British accent sexy, but not right now. Not when it felt like each syllable dripped with disdain. Even so, she forced herself to continue, stumbling all over the words as she asked, “D-do you want to talk about what happened?”
His shoulders lifted in a dismissive shrug. “There’s nothing to discuss.”
Frustration weighed down on her. “Rathe...”
Without looking at her, Rathe said under his breath, “I just need...time.” Saying the words almost made him want to laugh.Time.What a bloody irony. Time was in fact the opponent here, time the reason why he and Mary would never be.
If only he and Mary had been born at the same time, none of this would mean a thing. But no, sixteen long bloody years separated them. Such a bloody longtime, the kind that could have made him Mary’s own blasted father if fate had been so cruel.
Even now, Rathe’s mind reeled at what he had discovered, a part of him unable to reconcile the truth with what he had erroneously believed all his life. Waslustreally the only thing that made Warren choose Alyssa? If so, didn’t that mean his fatherwasa pedophile? If so, didn’t that make what he had with Mary so bloody wrong as well?
His mother had already sacrificed so much just by choosing to be a wife to Warren and a mother to Rathe. Wouldn’t his relationship with Mary make Alyssa a subject of rumors once more?
“Rathe, please look at me.” Mary’s voice was a faint whisper. She sounded like she was begging for his attention, and it wasn’t right. Hadn’t he promised himself he wouldn’t make Mary cry again?
He forced himself to look at her, and the unshed tears glistening in her eyes made him feel violent. If someone could guarantee to Rathe that taking another life would give him the power to change his destiny with Mary, he would probably find someone to murder in a heartbeat. At that moment, he just wanted to unleash the rage inside him, wanted to smash the hell out of something because he was tired of wanting someone forbidden to him.
“I’m sorry.” The words were torn out of him.
Mary shook her head wildly. Somehow, she felt like his apology made everything worse, madeherpresence in his life something to regret. “D-don’t be.”
A harsh laugh escaped him. “You’re too nice for me.”
“I’m n-not.”
“Yes, you are.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Do you know how bloody foolish I was tonight?”
He turned to her, and the look of self-disgust on his handsome face made Mary’s heart ache.
“I went to my parents’ place, hoping they’d weave for me a goddamn fairy tale – anything to prove that the bloody contract isn’t only something an arsehole could do. But you saw what happened. He couldn’t explain why he had Mother sign those papers.”
His jaw clenched. “He couldn’t say anything because the damn truth is, he really was an arsehole—-”
Unable to bear the torment etched on Rathe’s face, she took hold of his hand, saying urgently, “We c-can’t be sure—-”
“He didn’t say anything!”Rathe was close to shouting. “And do you know what that means? Do you? My entire childhood, people treated my mother like trash and she never made a fuss. I always thought it was because they were taking the high road, but it’s not. It was because it’s true. My father is an arsehole who seduced my mom when she was too young to know what’s right—-” His voice fell.
A second later, Rathe took hold of her by the shoulders, his grip so tight it made her cry out. “Just like you are now. Just like you’re too young to know—-”
“No.” She finally saw where this was heading, and she shook her head wildly. “NO.” She wrenched out of his hold so she could straddle him and cup his face. If she wasn’t feeling too anxious, she would have laughed at the surprise that flitted in Rathe’s eyes at her sudden actions. It really wasn’t like her to be this assertive, but what else could she do when he was about to tell her that what they had was wrong?
“L-look at me,” she demanded. When he did, she asked fiercely, “Do I lookstupidto you?”
He frowned. “No. Of course not, but—-”
