Page 36 of Overdosed

I took a deep breath. “What else did he do, baby?”

“He’s always used me for his benefit. I was nothing more than just a pawn in his wicked games. He—” She paused, and I knew I wouldn’t like what I was going to hear. “He’s arranged a relationship for me already in the past.”

“You mean before your relationship with Ledford?” I was confused about how someone could be so twisted.

“Yes. I was sixteen and not aware it was arranged either. I feel so stupid. I let my father trick me twice.” She looked away, avoiding my gaze again—shame written all over her face. “I felt so broken when I learned about that contract with the Ledfords. And even though Theo knew about how my father treated me, he still agreed to his stupid games. I was always just a contract, a pawn in someone’s game, Shane.”

I clenched my teeth. Angerstirred within me. I brought my lips to her forehead, kissing it tenderly. “Don’t torture yourself, Melanie. It’s not your fault, and most definitely, you aren’t stupid for trusting your parent. Or wanting to trust him, no matter the monster he is. And your ex…” I paused to put a filter on the words springing to my lips. “Was a fucking loser not to see the amazing woman he had.”

I tried to comfort the broken woman whose life I was supposed to destroy—burn to ashes. How ironic was that? I could feel my heart breaking in two, listening to what Melanie had to endure. She led a seemingly perfect, luxurious life, while behind closed doors, all she had were lies, pain, and even more lies. She lived as a captive in a carefully crafted facade of abuse and deceit called her life. I knew this was not a justification at all, but agreeing to my father’s plan, I wasn’t aware of how her life looked. I was driven by revenge. It was all I knew. Retribution. Vengeance. But the more I got to know her, the more she taught me life wasn’t always black and white. The more I got to know her, the more I knew my job was to protect her. It was now my job to make sure whoever tried to harm her failed, and I knew I would stop at nothing, go against anything and anyone, break any rule and burn the whole world to the ground to keep her safe. I was ready to go against my own father and his empire if I had to.

“They were both plain dumb not to see your worth, Melanie,” I said, and she chuckled softly.

She smiled through her watery eyes, but she didn’t look like someone who had just had a massive weight lifted off her shoulders. She looked like someone still keeping a nasty secret that was eating her alive from the inside. I brushed her hair behind her ear, scanning her face with my fingers.

“There’s more, am I right?” I asked, hoping my intuition led me astray this time.

“My ex-boyfriend,” she started, her voice breaking. “I mean my former ex-boyfriend, David…” She took a deep breath, struggling to speak, her gaze dropping to the ground.

She didn’t have to continue for me to figure out the possible scenario. She had it written all over her face. I inhaled heavily, clenching my jaw. “Please tell me that’s not what I think it is?” I hissed, hoping I wasn’t right, hoping to hear her object.

“That’s exactly what you think,” she whispered, still looking down, and I shook my head, my blood boiling. “He… drugged me and took advantage of me. I don’t even remember that night, but I knew it happened because…” She paused, and I was fighting my towering rage, clenching my fists. “I was a virgin… before.”

“He’s a dead man,” I stated, meaning every word.

Knowing everything Melanie had experienced tore my heart out, filling it with unearthly fury. I swallowed hard, barely keeping my composure. I wasn’t sure if my growing anger outweighed the pain I felt after hearing what that son of a bitch had done to Melanie or the other way around. But I was sure that if this fucking asshole was anywhere around me now, I would’ve killed him with my bare hands.

“Did you report it to the police?” I asked, my voice dark.

Melanie refused to look me in the eyes. “No. I didn’t.”

“What?” I couldn’t hide my frustration. “What the hell, Melanie? Why not?”

She was silent. She wiped the tear dripping from her cheek away, and I took a heavy breath. I was fucking mad at myself that I couldn’t keep my emotions in check.

I took her chin with my fingers and gently tilted her head back, and our gazes locked. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to scare you.”

“You don’t scare me, Shane,” she muttered. “I’m just ashamed of being so weak. My father…” She paused again, escaping my gaze. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. I don’t know why I told you my darkest secret no one knows about.”

“No,” I opposed, tilting her chin gently so that she looked me in the eyes again. “I’m glad you told me. It means you trust me, Melanie.”

“Can I trust you, though?” she whispered, slightly furrowing her dark brows.

“Yes,” I stated with no hesitation.

She let out a heavy breath, directing her gaze to the ocean. It felt like she was ashamed to look at me for some reason. I couldn’t grasp why, though. None of what had happened was her fault. And she was wrong if she believed she was weak. She was one of the strongest people I knew. She endured all this pain and went through hell with no one by her side, and it didn’t break her. She was standing there right in front of me, fighting her own battle like the true warrior she was. Many would give up, but not her.

Melanie might have seemed fragile like a rose, but sure as hell, she was fierce like its thorns.

“Your father took care of it, I take it?” I carried on, fooling myself by assuming Dedrick would do the right thing for once.

“No,” she said dryly before looking back into my eyes. Her long black eyelashes wet, tears streaming down her face. “It was my father who forbade me to speak of this.”

That son of a bitch.

I took a deep breath, clenching my jaw hard. My anger built up as Melanie’s words echoed in my mind, burning me inside out. I didn’t want Melanie to see the fury in me. I didn’t want to scare her, but it took every bit of my willpower to keep the anger bottled up. I felt like I was screaming deep within, but no sound would force its way from my mouth. The rage was growing inside of me, unleashing my demons. Demons driven by revenge—craving my own kind ofjustice.

“I’ve heard enough,” I hissed, plotting the way I’d teach these motherfuckers a lesson in my head. “Give me his full name.”

“David’s?” She frowned. “No, Shane. I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret doing later.” She shook her head, giving me a perturbed look.

Regret? I would fucking put a bullet between his eyes without batting an eye.

“Melanie, please. You know that if you don’t tell me, I’m gonna find out on my own,” I said, and her eyes darted between mine, bewildered.

“David Leighton,” she breathed out.

I nodded before kissing her forehead softly as I held her in my arms.

David Leighton, I’m coming for you.

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