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“Exactly,” she says, her eyes wild and teary. “Exactly,” she repeats again, as she waves the letter from Teagan in the air. “How about you tell me what you did to that girl, Elio?”
Rocco steps forward, no doubt trying to calm her down. “Jade, this is—”
Jade holds up her hand to cut him off. “Don’t,” she tells him. “Don’t find a way to twist this into something it’s not. Don’t tell me this isn’t my business and don’t defend him.” Her voice shakes as she continues. “You’ve seen how fragile that girl is, Roc. You’ve seen what’s happened. What I want to know is what he did to push her over the edge.”
“You know the reason I married her, Jade,” I say as I move toward the kitchen. I need a fucking drink.
“Let me get this straight,” she snarls. “That woman, who has been raped and abused by the men who were meant to be family, has to pay for what her father did to you?”
Blood rushes to my ears. “Raped?” I whisper. What the fuck?
Jade’s lip curls in disgust. “She was raped and beaten, Elio. Kelvin and I found her. We wanted to help her, but she ran. I don’t know where she ended up, but then you found her. She hates me because she thinks I set this entire fucking thing up. Tell me,” Jade screams, “when did it become okay for you to abuse your wife?”
Dario shakes his head and steps out of the room.
“Mia Cara,” Rocco says softly.
Jade’s had enough. “I had respect for you, Elio. After what went down with Ade, I had respect for you because you stepped up and became a man I could admire.” She shakes her head. “Now, you disgust me. You broke a woman for revenge. I sure hope it was fucking worth it.” She whirls on her husband. “The fact that you let this happen makes it even worse. You knew what happened to me, Roc. You’ve seen me break, and you thought it was okay to let it happen to someone else?”
“We didn’t know what happened to Teagan,” Rocco says as he reaches for his wife. “You think if we did, we’d let this happen?”
She steps out of his arms. “I can’t stand to look at either of you right now. He’s been married to her for two months now. How the fuck did he not know what’s happened? Hmm? Tell me, Rocco, how did he not know what happened to her?”
I rub a hand down my face. I never pushed her to tell me. I wanted to punish her for her father’s actions. I kept her at arm’s length so that I didn’t have to deal with the fact I was falling for her. Instead, I pushed her to a place I never wanted her to be in.
“I fucked up,” I say hoarsely. My voice is thick with emotion.
Jade nods. “You did, and I don’t think there’s a way back from this.”
I won’t believe that. I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that she gets whatever help she needs, and I’ll be right by her side. I’m not letting her go through this alone. I’m going to show her that I’m not the man who mistreated her. Not anymore.
“I’m staying here,” she tells me. “I don’t trust you around her. She’s too vulnerable right now. I’m not arguing about this. I’m staying.”
“So am I,” Dario says as he re-enters the room. “I read the letter,” he tells me. “So did Jade. She feels alone. She feels as though she doesn’t have anyone. She shouldn’t feel that way. She’s your wife, Elio.” He shakes his head. “I think you should call Portia.”
“I agree,” Jade says. “Portia is her best friend. She’ll want to be here.”
“Not tonight,” I say, feeling the weight of what’s happened deeply. Never have I felt so fucking low, so ashamed of my actions, as I do now.
I’m not a man who admits to his mistakes. I don’t feel remorse for the things I do. I’ve hurt people in the most severe ways, and none of them have affected me. Until Teagan. Jade is right. Teagan’s my wife; she should have never felt this way.
“Elio,” the doc calls. I walk quickly toward the bedroom. Seeing her so still and small, lying on the bed, has my heart clenching. “You managed to catch her just in time. Had she been left for much longer, she wouldn’t be here. I have stitched her up, and she’s got antibiotics and fluids, just as a precaution. She’s also under-weight. The main thing right now is to get her the help she needs. I have a few contacts I could reach out to.”
I nod. “Do it. Whatever you think is best.”
He gives me a small smile and a nod. “You found her in time. Take solace in that. With the right help, and over time, she may overcome this.”
I just hope he’s right.
“I’ll be back tomorrow to check on her. Let her sleep. She needs the rest. It’ll help her body recover from the trauma.”
“Thanks, Doc,” I reply as I move toward the bed. I hate that she’s so lifeless. So damn still. Her skin is still grayish and her lips blue. I reach for the blankets and pull them up around her body tighter, letting the warmth surround her.
I kick off my shoes and take off my jacket. I’m not leaving her alone. I climb onto the bed beside her and wrap my arms around her gently, my fingers at her neck. The feel of her pulse against my fingertips is a soothing feeling, and I release a harsh breath. She’s alive.
I don’t think I’ll ever stop looking for a pulse, not anytime soon at least.
“I’m so sorry,la mia bellissima moglie,” I whisper against her ear.“Ti ho dells. Mi dispiace. Non succederà mai più,”I promise her. (I failed you. I’m so sorry. It’ll never happen again)
