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I watched him intently, and I realized he looked terrible. Like he hadn't slept in weeks. There were dark bruises under his eyes, and his skin was pale and sallow. I wondered what was wrong with him. Was he sick?
Why the fuck did I care if he was sick? He could die for all I cared. As a matter of fact, if he had the rarest blood type in the world and I had the only blood that could save him, I wouldn't.
No. We wouldn’t.
But why did he look like this? Was that why he'd sent me away? Because he was ill? Something was wrong with him.
No, bitch. He sent you away because he's the devil and it's what the devil does. He makes you question everything. He makes you want. He makes you pray. He makes you wish.
He took a menacing step toward me, and for the first time with him, I knew real fear. Actual terror. Gavin must have been terrified as well because he pushed away from the counter.
"Atticus," he warned.
Atticus glowered at him. "Considering everything you know about me, do you think for a moment I could hurt her?"
The same shame that fell over Gavin's face cut me deeply too.I knew Atticus wasn't going to hurt me.At least not physically.
Atticus put his hands on my shoulders. "You're angry. And you can do whatever you want to me. I'll supplicate myself in front of you if that's what it takes. I'll get on my fucking knees and give you the whip to flay me alive because the last two months without you have been the worst I have ever felt in my life. If you beating the shit out of me is what it takes for you to listen to me for two goddamn minutes and realize that the only thing I care about is your safety, I'll do it."
"I don't want anything from you. I want you to forget and wipe me from your memory banks. I want you to walk through your life as if you've never heard of Becks Incorporated. Because that’s what I also wish for myself. That I had never seen you on that balcony."
He shook his head in denial as his hands clutched my hips tightly.“That’s a lie.”
"I want you erased from my memory, Atticus. I want you gone."
He bowed his head. "I wish I could give you what you want, but it's too late. You cannot be rid of me, and you know it."
"Atticus, this isn't what I want."
When he lifted his head and his gaze met mine, his eyes were shining. An emotion I didn't know I still held cracked its way out of the numbness like a tiny chick trying to peep its way out. "Tell me what you need, Gwen. I'll give it to you. Whatever it is."
My voice hitched. "I-I don't need anything from you. What have I ever done to you? Why do you hate me so much?"
"I don't hate you, Gwen. All I've ever wanted to do was take care of you and keep you safe from the moment I saw you. I deserve everything you're saying. But the one thing I cannot give you is letting you walk out that door."
"Watch me." I stalked back to the foyer to find Gavin with his hoard of henchmen. Every last one of them turned in my direction, nodded, and then picked spots to stare around the wall. I turned back to Atticus. "What the fuck is this?"
"If you insist on leaving, you're doing it with a chaperone."
A hysterical laugh bubbled up. "Bullshit."
"No. Fact."
"Are you insane? I can't have these men…" I turned to face them. "Sorry, I'm sure you're all very good at your jobs, follow me around."
The one on the end with the warm dark skin smirked. But still, his gaze didn't dare skitter toward mine.
“Sure you can.”
"Atticus, I have to go to work. Get my check up. Get a hair appointment. I need to live."
"You’ll do all of that with an escort."
"I’m not your fiancé anymore. You can’t bully me into compliance."
He frowned and his gaze locked on mine. "Think of it as safety. I've known exactly where you were from the moment you left me. I might have had to let you go, but that doesn’t mean my heart did the same."
Now he was talking in riddles. "Left you?" My voice was going shrill. I needed to dial it back before I said something I couldn't take back. “Why are you doing this?"
