AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her eyes snapped to mine, and she shook her head. “I do feel safe with you. Having a traumatic event manifest itself in your nightmares does not make you dangerous. If you could have just talked with me and told me about them, I never would’ve asked you to stay in the bed with me.”
“What kind of husband doesn’t hold his wife after she’s lost their child? Don’t you see how you’re getting the short end of the stick here? The arrangement was a mistake, and I’m sorry.”
“It’s no longer ‘the arrangement’ to me. It’s more. I love you, Leo. I wish I’d told you before. But now I’m asking you not to give up on us. Please.”
There was a voice in the back of my head which said I could do this. Could become the man she deserved and love her too. But it wasn’t loud enough to drown out the doubts.
“I’m sorry. I need to go.”
ChapterForty-Eight
ADDISON
For the second time in two weeks, the sound of the door clicking behind Leo’s departure left me in tears. I’d put it all on the line, and lost.
Yet there was no doubt he was conflicted about it. Hell, why else did he keep stalking me, feeding me, and why had he come over tonight? Blowing out a breath, I realized it would take more than simply seducing him.
But over the rest of the weekend there were no red camera lights, no stocked refrigerators, and no text messages. When I went into the office on Monday, he still wasn’t there.
By Wednesday evening, I was at my wit’s end. This couldn’t be over. As I was contemplating my options, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, I was surprised to see both Dominic and Gabriel standing there. “Come in. What’s going on? Is Leo okay?”
“That’s what we want to talk to you about. When is the last time you talked to him?” Nic asked.
“On Friday night. Why?”
Gabriel and Dominic’s serious expressions left me worried.
Nic explained, “He’s gone off grid. Left me a message about needing some time, and no one has heard from him since.”
“I realize this is an intrusive question, but did you break up with him Friday?” Gabe queried.
“No. He broke up with me.” For the second time.
Both brothers shared a confused look.
My heart broke to know he was struggling and wouldn’t let in anyone who loved him. “You’re really worried about him, aren’t you?”
Gabe wouldn’t meet my gaze while Nic nodded. “He’s seemed off ever since he returned from Germany, but I thought it was just the stress of the job or jet lag.”
I wasn’t sure of the line between breaking confidence and sharing important information about his mental health. I decided I’d rather have Leo mad at me than risk his well-being. “When he returned from Europe, he had a nightmare. When I tried to wake him up, he…reacted.”
Gabe’s expression turned grim. “Reacted how?”
“He tried to choke me. I mean not me, but the person he thought was attacking him in his nightmare. Afterward, he freaked out about how he could’ve harmed me and how I deserved better. He wouldn’t talk to me about the nightmare except to confirm he’s had them for awhile.”
Gabe cursed softly. “Since he returned from Iraq.”
Nic gave him a curious look? “You knew?”
He sighed heavily. “Not definitively, but I guessed something might be happening when we stayed at Mom’s, and I heard him in his sleep. I didn’t want to bring it up because I knew it would embarrass him.”
“Wait, you said the nightmare happened when he returned from Europe, but he saw you again on Friday?”
“Yeah, he came over and tried to break up with me—for the second time, actually. I put it all on the line, but he left me anyway. And I haven’t heard from him since. He’s not even monitoring the cameras.” I indicated the one pointed toward us in the hallway.
“You don’t have any idea where he is?” There was a tinge of desperation in Gabe’s voice.
“No, I don’t have a clue— Wait—” I ran down the hall to the kitchen where I’d left my phone. Both brothers followed me.
