I straighten my back as the tears begin to dissolve on my skin.
If I can’t stop my parents from using us … I’ll stop them from picking her.
Even if it costs me my heart and soul.
Liam
* * *
Present
* * *
No wonder she was always so closed off, so kept together all the time.
Her parents basically forced her into the role.
Shaped her into a mold they could use for their desires.
An heir to the business, a perfect princess without a single need.
A girl now desperate for some fun, some excitement … freedom.
For love.
And it cripples me.
Physically.
I groan and rub my hand over my face.
No fucking wonder she shut herself off all these years ago. She’s not only been protecting Jill from me but from her own damn parents too.
“You’re mad at me, aren’t you,” she says after a while.
I lower my hand. “No,” I say. “I’m mad you didn’t tell me sooner, but I’m not mad at you.”
She swallows, visibly shaken.
I shake my head and try to push back the laughter, but it’s hard.
“What’s so funny?” she asks.
“All this time, I thought you were mad at me for taking your virginity.”
Her eyes widen, and her cheeks turn red. “N-No, no, that’s not … I wasn’t …” She clears her throat, clutching her own dress like it’s difficult to say.
“Tell me if I hurt you,” I say, my hand forming a fist. “Because goddammit if I did, you have to tell me.”
She blushes hard. “You didn’t, and that’s exactly the point. It should have hurt. It should have been bad. It should have been everything but … fuck.” She buries her face in her hands. “I loved every second of it, and I hate myself over it.”
Now I understand. “That’s why you ran.”
More tears form in her eyes, and it tears me apart. “How could I face you, let alone myself?”
She’s quiet for a moment.
After a sigh, I start the car again and continue driving.