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Bastian places a hand over his heart as if he has one. “I’ve done some fucked-up things in my time, but damn, my brother takes the award for the world’s biggest asshole. And you know what’s worse? It was clear your father was a man who was deeply troubled, grieving the loss of his wife and doing what he could to keep his sanity. This all started when he lost everything to save your mother. If anybody should understand what it feels like to be in such a position, it’s Knight.” He switches his gaze behind me, looking at the door, and smiles the way you would expect a snake to. “Isn’t that right,brother?”
I look behind me, and my heart triple-beats when my gaze lands on Knight standing in the doorframe looking like death.
Although I’m looking at him with a million questions in my eyes, he’s not focusing on me. His gaze, filled with revulsion, is fixed on Bastian with that same soulless look.
“Nobody should have understood what it’s like to fight to save someone you love more than you.” Bastian keeps his gaze riveted to Knight. “Didn’t you give Giselle your left kidney so she could have a few more years of life? It didn’t work, butstill, you did it.”
My God in Heaven.
Knight gave Giselle his kidney!
This news hits me almost harder than anything else and despite the truth I now know, my heart still goes out to him.
I think back to the conversation we had weeks ago about Giselle. Knight mentioned that the failure of her last treatment led to her death.
It was his kidney. He gave her his kidney. But it didn’t work.
I can’t begin to think of what he must have gone through.
But how could Knight go through something so similar to my father and treat him the way he did?
I stare at him and the rest of the puzzle surrounding Knight Grayson completes. I see him for who he is. A man who’s broken and deadly, heartless and desolate, callous and not who I believed him to be.
“This poor man was no different to you, and you took advantage,” Bastian continues. “But it’s so, so typical of you because you’re ruthless, Knight.”
Bastian is … right.
He’s actually right, even if I don’t want him to be.
Knight obviously loved Giselle enough to sacrifice a part of himself. I know if my father could have done that for my mother, he would.
Knight should have understood what my father went through, and if anything he ever said to me was true, then there were several moments over the last few months when he could have come clean and at the very least tell me he was planning to sell Sunset Cove.
But he wanted the empire more than me.
Bastian stands and points to the litter of documents on my desk. “There’s more where that came from, sweetheart. That’s just your copy. I’ll leave you two to talk.”
With that, he walks out, knocking his shoulder into Knight’s as he passes him. I’m sure if circumstances were different, Knight would have bodychecked him into the wall.
Knight finally looks at me, his face reflecting a myriad of emotions. He looks like a person who thought he already lost everything, then discovered there was more to lose.
He steps forward and even comes close enough that I catch that scent of musk, the forest, and him, but I put my hand up and shake my head.
I can’t do this.
I won’t.
It’s too much.
“Aurora…” His voice sounds as rusty as a pipe that hasn’t been used in a hundred years.
“No. Just no.” I shake my head with more vigor, trying to hold back my tears.
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you? I don’t think you are. I think you’re sorry because you were exposed. How could you take such advantage of my father? How could you be so selfish? And Sunset Cove, Knight?” My breath hitches on the wave of emotion that cuts into me when I think of the lengths he went through to screw me over. “Look how much you have. What’s your net worth this week, Knight? What is it today? But you had to tie my father’s hands behind his back to take the one thing my mother left me. Then you made me beg to use her designs. Now I’m being told it’s up for sale. You knew I wouldn’t be okay with that. But congratulations, you got what you wanted, and it wasn’t me.”
“Aurora, please—”
