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I suck in a sharp breath. Luca reaches out, grabs Theo by the collar of his shirt, and yanks him forward. He tries to hide it, but I can see the pain those words cause. I have no idea what feelings Luca holds for me or what prompted him to take me all those years ago, but I know he holds an insurmountable amount of guilt over it. I saw it in his eyes when I opened to door the day he came to check on me.
“You’re a motherfucking bastard, Theo, for trying to turn this shit around on me. Do I want her? Fuck yes, I do. But I damn sure wouldn’t lay a hand on her.”
“But you fucking did,” Theo roars.
“Not the way you did.”
Something sinister enters Theo’s eyes. They flip to me then back to Luca. “But you fucking did,” he repeats, his tone low and holding a sick sense of satisfaction.
Shock slams into me, and a pain so sharp it sucks away all the breath in my lungs has tears rushing to my eyes. I reach out to the wall beside me, fearing my legs will give out at any minute.
My eyes slice to Luca to see the hand still gripping Theo’s shirt collar shake. His face is ghost white. He releases Theo and takes a step back, his eyes never leaving the man in front of him. Disbelief and agony cross his face.
“You’re fucking lying.” Utter devastation laces Luca’s tone.
Theo straightens his shirt, then lifts his lip in a sneer. “Am I? You think you’re better than me? But guess what? You’re worse. I had her years ago because she wanted me, not you. You can’t say the fucking same. The only time you had her was when you took what wasn’t yours to have. At least she wanted me to fuck her at one point in her life. She’s never wanted that from you.”
A burning sensation starts in my lower stomach. The more Theo talks, the hotter it gets and the higher it travels up my chest until it feels like my torso is engulfed in flames.
What he’s saying can’t be true. I would have remembered being so gruesomely violated. Bile rises in my throat when something flashes in my head. A remembered pain. A feeling of something being stolen from me.
Tearing clothes.
Being held down.
Unbearable pain.
Terrifying fear.
And utter despair.
My eyes move back to Luca, whose chest is rising and falling as he inhales and exhales heavily. His body is taut and his hands clench and unclench at his sides, and I know the internal struggle he must be fighting.
“Come on, Jules, we’re going home,” Theo barks.
I open my mouth to speak, but Luca beats me to it.
“No,” he snarls. His eyes pin Theo in place when he makes a move toward me. “She’s not going anywhere with you. I’ll call Mom and Dad to come get her and she can stay with them.”
“The fuck you say. She’s coming—”
“Leave, Theo.” Gathering my courage, I walk further into the room until I’m only a few feet away from both men. “I’m not going home with you.”
His scowl transforms his face from handsome into something scary. Hatred. Pure and absolute. The look sends shivers racing down my spine. I have to force my legs to stay in place instead of moving back to get away from him.
He doesn’t say anything. Just gives Luca a look of contempt before turning and slamming through the door. His departure is resounding, leaving behind a sorrowful quietness.
Luca’s still facing forward, looking at the closed door, the muscle in his jaw working hard. All I can do is stand there and stare at him. I’m left not knowing what to say or do or feel.
He clears his throat, but when he talks, it comes out gravelly. “I’m gonna go call Mom and have her pick you up.”
Before he takes two steps, I reach out and grab his arm. He flinches then looks down at my hand, so I release him.
“Don’t,” I plead quietly.
His eyes snap to mine, brow furrowing. “Why?”
“Because I want to stay here.”
