AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I would never think that. Never.” His voice is urgent, demanding my attention and my trust. His blue eyes pierce right into my soul. “Look at me. I know who you are. I know exactly who you are, Madison Merrick, and you could never be weak or pathetic. You’re everything. It’s him who is nothing.”
“I gave him so much…”
“And today, you fought back. You said no. Do you have any idea how proud I am of you?”
I find Chloe hovering behind us now, her own eyes misty as she watches our interaction. I should be self-conscious, knowing we’ve drawn attention from passersby, but I can only focus on him. On how determined he is to care for me, even when I feel unworthy.
This is the man I knew he could be. The man I’d always hoped for. I am myself when I’m with him, not the lost damsel in distress that Elio made me into.
Overcome, I can only fall back into his arms, the place where I feel safest. He places a kiss on my hair, swaying me gently.
And then I see him.
Brandon, standing just behind Chloe, watching us. I pull away slowly, wiping my face, but in the end, it’s not necessary. He stumbles away, disappearing into the shadows of the arcade.
Roman closes his eyes. Sighs. “Now is probably not a good time to tell you that I talked to him this morning. Told him everything.”
I’m too speechless from shock to respond. Chloe shifts from foot to foot.
“Go to him,” I whisper, because I know now what it is to love someone you shouldn’t. I know that, no matter how strong our friendship is, this new connection is stronger, or at least different.
And if it came down to it, I would go after Roman — no matter if I had to walk through storms and ice and fire to get there.
Chloe gives me a soft hug, and then she’s gone.
CHAPTER29
Roman
o o o
Idrape a warm blanket across Madison’s shoulders and kiss her forehead gently before handing her the mug of hot cocoa that Mom made for us before she took Leo to the playground, allowing us some space. Her lids flutter shut, her damp lashes like black crescent moons on her high cheekbones.
She’s still pale and shaking. Nothing I say or do seems to rid her of her fear completely. My stomach is heavy and aching. I wish she would have told me this was happening. I wish she would have let herself be vulnerable with me.
I guess we both have work to do in that department.
The couch sinks as I sit beside her, and she leans into my chest. “Talk to me,” I whisper. “Tell me everything.”
“It’s just like I said that day at the zoo. He used me, and I was so alone that I didn’t even realize it was happening until it was too late.”
“Used you how?”
“He always needed to borrow money, until eventually, he was using my credit card more than I was. I thought I knew him, Roman. I thought I could trust him. He made me feel so special at first.” She sniffles.
I sigh, brushing her hair from her tear-dampened face. “I understand. Believe me, I’ve had plenty of people try to take advantage of my wealth. It took me a long time to realize it was even happening, because they were so good at pretending it didn’t affect them at all. That they only wanted me.”
She blinks at me in surprise. “Is that why you’re so closed off? Are you protecting yourself?”
“It’s one of the many reasons. But that doesn’t matter. I’m working on that. You’re opening me right back up.”
She attempts a smile, taking my hand. Then, her eyes darken again.
“There was more, wasn’t there?” I ask.
She nods, and my heart breaks. “He controlled every aspect of my life. When I tried to leave him, he told me he would tell his cousin, my employer, to fire me, and by that point, I had no money. Roman… I had to steal my own money back from him to get a plane ticket home. I ran out in the middle of the night with the last bit of cash he — I — had. I never thought I could get that desperate, that lost. It was like Milan just chewed me up and spat me out. I stopped knowing who I was, and I didn’t know how to tell anybody. I didn’t know what to do.”
“I’m so sorry. You deserved better than what that asshole did to you. I can take you to a million other cities. You can find yourself in every one of them.” I kiss the back of her hand. “You never need to be afraid like that again. If you ever get lost like that, know that I’ll find you.”
