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“You’ve got some serious balls,” Matteo says from the foyer, looking in and watching.
“I know my behavior was heinous, but I was buying time until Elio came. I’m the one who told him to come.”
What?I glance up at Elio, wondering what he’s talking about. Why would Henry call Elio for help if Henry was part of the plan to kill me?
I turn to Elio, confusion warring with anger. "What are you talking about? He called you?"
Elio’s jaw tightens. “Yes, but his help doesn’t matter since it’s his fault you were nearly killed. Jesus, Lana… they whipped you.”
I wince as the memory of the belt hitting my flesh flashes in my mind. I shake my head, unwilling to believe Henry reached out to Elio for help. Henry is a cop. He wouldn’t ever ask Elio for help. It would be beneath him.
"If that's true, why didn't you just shoot Peter when you arrived? Why play along with their sick game?"
“God, I wanted to. But I didn’t think I could kill all three before one of them could kill you.”
I suppose he has a point.
Henry’s eyes never leave mine. "Please, just give me five minutes. That's all I'm asking. Then I’ll be gone forever."
I’m about to say no, but Piper is looking at me, nodding. She wants me to hear him out. Maybe having been knocked out means I’ve missed something. Plus, I wouldn’t mind the opportunity to give Henry a piece of my mind.
“Fine. You have five minutes. Any longer than that, and you’re at the hands of my brother.”
Elio sneers but puts his gun down.
“Let’s give them a minute,” Piper says, ushering Elio out of the room.
“Why are you on his side?” Elio gripes.
“It will be fine,” she says, giving me a nod again as they leave, although I doubt Elio has gone far.
Henry strides toward me, and I tense, my body instinctively recoiling at his presence. The memory of his hands on me, his cruel words in that basement, floods back with nauseating clarity. I struggle to keep my composure, to maintain the icy façade that has protected me for so long.
Henry's eyes meet mine, filled with a sorrow that I refuse to acknowledge.
"Lana. I’m so sorry. I should have done more, acted faster. The thought of what you went through… it haunts me."
His words spark a fire within me. "Sorry? You tormented me just like the others, Henry. You touched me, threatened me. How dare you stand there and claim remorse."
Henry flinches as if I've struck him, but he doesn't back down. "I know how it seemed?—”
“It’s how it was.”
He nods. "What you saw… it wasn't real. It was a desperate attempt to gain their trust so I could save you."
I scoff, crossing my arms protectively over my chest. “I don’t believe you.”
"I had to make them believe I was on their side. If I had shown any hesitation, any sign that I was there to help you, they would have killed us both on the spot. I needed time until Elio and his men arrived."
His words give me pause, a flicker of doubt creeping into my mind. Could it be true? Could everything I thought I knew about that night be wrong? Or is my stupid heart hoping it’s so, wishing that Henry was the man I fell for, not the monster I saw in that dirty, cold basement?
“If what you're saying is true, why didn't you bring the police?”
Henry's expression darkens, and he runs a hand through his hair in frustration. "Because the police are corrupt, Lana. I called for backup, and they refused to come. They said…" He pauses, swallowing hard. "They said to let Peter have you, that it would be doing them a favor to clean up the streets."
I know how the police see my family, but hearing it like that makes me feel small. Like I’m nothing.
Henry takes a tentative step closer, his eyes filled with a desperation that makes my heart ache despite myself. "I know you probably can't forgive me for what happened that night, but I need you to know…" He takes a deep breath, his voice barelyabove a whisper. "I need you to know that I love you. With every fiber of my being."
