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Summoning all my courage, I reveal Andrew’s ultimatum. The air in the room grows thick with tension as I recount the threat he’s been hanging over me all this time.
The look of disbelief on Dion’s face is heart-wrenching. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Then, understanding dawns in his eyes.
“Is that why you rejected me at the engagement party?”
“Yes,” I respond, my voice tinged with sorrow as I watch him connect the dots.
“Has he been hurting you since then?”
I nod silently, but I’m sure my eyes betray the pain I’ve been hiding.
“I just didn’t want to take the chance of him hurting them. I was terrified that he’d see his promise through, and that he’d potentially hurt you, too. And he almost did. I wouldn’t have been able to survive it.”
“Aria,” Dion begins. “Fuck.” He starts pacing around my room.
“I almost told you once,” I admit.
“When?” he asks, his face snapping toward me.
“A few months ago, before Angelica and Evander’s wedding. I had reached out to you. I texted you, but you never replied.”
Dion’s brow furrows. “Is it the day you texted me ‘hey’?”
I nod. His face drops. “What happened?”
Taking a deep breath, I recount the horrifying memory. “We were alone at his house for the first time. He...he tried to come onto me. When I refused, he got aggressive and choked me, then threw me to the floor.”
As the words spill from my lips, Dion’s expression shifts from shock to anger, then to gut-wrenching guilt.
“FUCK!” he shouts.
He sits next to me, on the edge of my bed, his shoulders slumping. He clutches his head, fingers tangling in his hair as if he’s physically trying to grasp onto the gravity of the situation.
“I’m so sorry, Aria,” Dion murmurs. “I didn’t know.”
Tears well in his eyes, and my heart clenches at the sight. “Dion, please.” I reach out to touch his arm. “I didn’t tell you this to make you feel guilty.”
But Dion continues to apologize, his voice cracking with emotion.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Dion,” I say, grabbing his face. “It’s not your fault.”
“I could’ve replied, Aria. I fucked up. You reached out to me, and because of my pride, I left you with him. How can I ever forgive myself?”
“It’s my mistake for keeping the truth from you. I was just so scared. I still am,” I admit.
I wrap my arms around him and straddle his lap. We hold each other tightly for a long while.
His apologies, whispered in my ear, gradually transform into gentle kisses trailing down my throat and along my shoulders.
His lips ignite a fire within me, and I can’t help but respond, my body reacting to his touch.
I tilt my head, offering him better access, emitting the smallest of mewls as he continues to explore my skin. Dion’s groan against my neck gives me goosebumps; he bites me, marking me as his own.
My breath hitches when his lips find the scar along my chest, the reminder of the incident that almost claimed me.
