AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tears stream over my face, and I nuzzle into his neck, his hold becoming tighter while I break for the final time, letting the little girl I once knew float away.
Maverick doesn’t say anything meaningful, but he whispers in my ear all the same. He doesn’t tell me it will be okay. He doesn’t lie and offer me promises he can’t keep. He just tells me about his life. Every moment of it, right up until now.
The things I knew, the things I didn’t, and the things I never dared ask.
He tells me about his family, about how he became friends with the guys at university. He tells me what they’ve been up to since I left, filling in the blanks that Maisie left behind in the texts she sent me. And when he’s finished, his words quieten as he comes to today, there’s only me left to speak.
I could tell him my regrets, or the things I wish I were brave enough to do going forward. I could tell him that without him, I’ve been drowning and the pain is worse than anything Sebastian has ever inflicted on me. I could even tell him that for just one moment, I wished for it all to be over. That the darkness would claim me forever.
But I don’t.
Instead, when I open my mouth, there’s only one thing I can think of to tell him. It’s the only thing that matters. Those three little words. “I love you.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Maverick
BeforeIcanprocessthe words Beatrice whispers into my chest, the door opens and her mom and dad make an appearance. They’re both changed and showered if her mom’s damp hair is anything to go off, and their faces split happily at the sight of Beatrice awake.
Tugging at the ends of her hair, I brush a kiss over her forehead and lift her up as best as I can, avoiding the bruises that linger on her body under the hospital gown. She winces twice, and each time, it sends a jolt of pain through my body.
With the medication already coursing through her system, there’s little to be done about the rest of the aches and pain she’s experiencing, but it doesn’t make it any easier to accept.
“Hey, Little One,” Lucas says, rushing over to drop a kiss on her forehead. “How are you feeling?”
“Groggy,” she mutters, her voice croaky.
“That’s understandable.” He pulls up two chairs, placing them as close to the bed as possible before they sit down. “I don’t want to rush you, but there’s a couple of officers that would like to speak to you when you’re feeling up for it. They just want to get a statement off you, but if you don’t want to talk to them, I’ll send them away, okay?”
She holds her breath, and I can see the cogs turning in her mind as her eyes flicker to the door. They go blank for a moment, not a single emotion flashing over her green irises, but then she breathes out, exhaling slowly before she speaks. “I want to. I want to get it over with.”
“Okay, baby,” her mom says, patting her thigh with nimble fingers before she lifts from her chair. “I’ll go let them know you’re ready.”
Beatrice nods, her hand finding mine under the covers. She links our fingers, her grip tightening as the seconds drag on. My free hand sweeps over her cheek, pulling her gaze to mine.
“What are you going to tell them?” I ask, trying and failing to read her expression. She shrugs, looking deep into my eyes for a second, and I wonder if she’s trying to read me too. Leaning forward, I press a kiss to the tip of her nose, rubbing circles on her cheek with my thumb. “The ball’s in your court, babe. Whatever happens next, it’s up to you. You lead, I follow.”
She purses her lips, her nose wrinkling as her gaze moves over my face, landing on my lips for a second. Leaning forward, she claims me with the gentlest kiss, her lips lingering longer than probably appropriate with her dad in the room sitting right next to us.
“Everything,” she breathes. “I’m going to tell them everything. All the things I was so ashamed to voice aloud, all the things I was scared to say before. I can’t keep it all inside anymore.”
Pride fills me, and I press a kiss to her nose, my hand curling into her hair.
“I want to.” Heaving in a breath, she closes her eyes. Her face scrunches, and her body tenses for a moment before she exhales. “I want to fight. I never did before because I was so scared of what it would mean for me . . .” She turns to look at her dad. She must ask him something with her expression, for he nods, his eyes glittering with unspoken emotions. “What it would mean for us. But I can’t let him control me like that anymore. I’ve given him so many pieces of me over the years, and I don’t want to do that any longer.”
Beatrice’s dad coughs, though I’m sure it’s only to disguise the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “It’ll be a long, drawn-out process, Little One. His family won’t lie down easily. You’ll have to take it to court and recount the details many times, under the scrutiny of lawyers and a jury. Your peers, his. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
She laughs, though it’s dry and without humor. “Absolutely not . . . but I don’t think it’s something I will ever be ready for. I have to do it now, or I’ll never be able to move on. Ineedto do this, Dad. I’m so scared, and I know it’s not going to be easy. But I want him to get what he deserves, if only so he can never lay his hands on me or anybody else in the future.”
“Okay, Little One.” He smiles, leaning over and grabbing her free hand. “Then we’ll throw everything we have at him, and I promise you, he will never get to do this again. You have my word on that.”
Hearing Beatrice recount every moment of her relationship with Sebastian to the police, not once, or twice, but three times, is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But through it all, she holds her head high. Not once does she falter.
There are so many details I didn’t know, not just from the night that wound up with us here. Letters he’d left her at college, cameras in her dorm. The burn marks on her chest that she’s been so ashamed to tell anyone about—Maisie being the only person to ever get the information out of her.
They take pictures of her body, the bruise dotting her jaw, the marks on her torso as she lifts her shirt. She never lets go of my hand, keeping her hold steady as she answers all their questions.
With each word out of her mouth, my resolve strengthens.
