Falling into You (Falling Stars 3)

Another kick to the gut.

Richard grunted and slumped to the floor. No longer able to keep himself upright. But he fought it. Fought to climb back to his hands and knees. “You’re not getting away with this.”

Martin’s voice was back in Richard’s ear, whispering his wickedness, “That’s cute, Richard. But we own you, and I’m not just talking about Mylton Records. You have no idea who we are. How far our reach goes. We own this city. This country. The entire fucking world. Go ahead. Go to the cops. See what happens to that cute little wife of yours.”They sat in the back of the cab in front of the hotel where they’d been staying, the first rays of the morning edging the sky in a vapid gray.

It rose like a slow illumination of horrors.

Like they were waking up from a nightmare to forever live in a bad dream.

Lily was curled up against the door as far away from Richard as she could get. No words said since they’d tossed them into the car and warned they’d, “Be in touch.”

Richard’s voice was held so the driver couldn’t hear. “Lily…let’s go to the police. Don’t give a fuck what they say. We need to get you help. Need to get you to the hospital.”

He reached for her like it would give her comfort.

She whimpered and pushed away, but she turned those eyes on him. So much like her sister’s, only they’d faded from the liveliness they’d always exuded. Her voice was haggard. Hushed and hard. “I’m getting out of this car right now, Richard. I’m going inside with my sister, and I’m going to fly home with her this afternoon. Then I’m going to pack up and leave. Start a new life. Leave what happened last night behind.”

She kept looking at him. Something fierce on her quivering jaw. “And you’re not coming with us. You’re leaving right now. You’re going to stay away from her. Far, far away.”

Torment ripped him in two. “Lily. Please.”

“You don’t deserve her, and I won’t let you wreck her, too.”

His spirit screamed in misery because he knew it was true. But he couldn’t…he couldn’t walk away. “Lily. Please let me help you.”

She choked out a disbelieving laugh that was mostly a cry. “Help me? You did this. You. Did. This.”

Guilt wracked his body, every inch writhing in agony, broken bones and a broken soul and shattered belief.

What had he done?

What had he done?

Lily’s voice scratched through the cab, her fingers flexing on the door handle. “If you ever come near her again, I will tell her what you did. I’ll show the texts of how you lured me there. They have pictures, Richard. Pictures of you. Of me. They’ll destroy her, but I’ll make sure she sees them if that’s what it takes to keep you away from her.”

“Lily, oh god. Please. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I swear to you.”

“It doesn’t matter, Richard. It did happen. This is your fault. Your fault. If you really love her, if you care about her, if you regret what happened to me at all—if you have an ounce of a soul—you will walk away and you won’t look back. You won’t mention what you saw last night. Never.”

“Lily.” Richard choked on a sob. Didn’t even care he was sniveling. He had been all night.

Unable to process.

Unable to grasp something so sick.

The pink veil of goodness he’d watched the world with stripped away to reveal the true wickedness that lurked underneath.

How could she fuckin’ ask this of him? To ignore what she’d been through?

“Promise me,” she gritted on a subdued, emphatic shout. “Promise me.”

Richard looked over at her and saw his world go dim.

Just like he deserved.

Guilt and shame cleaved him in half.

Nothing left but the one promise he could give her.

Richard gave her a tight nod. “I promise.”

Without saying anything else, she opened the door, whimpering as she got out, and she hobbled toward the entrance of the glitzy hotel, wearing heels and hugging herself to cover the spot where her dress was ripped.

Or maybe she was just trying to hold herself together.

While Richard splintered apart.

It only took one moment.

One fucking mistake.

One misstep to ruin it all. To start a spiral that you couldn’t stop.

Richard knew his. The one moment he’d told Martin Jennings he would do whatever it took to make it.

Flashes of last night burned through his mind.

The cruelness and atrocities.

Lily. Lily. Lily.

A guttural cry tore from his throat.

He was the one who’d set it in motion.

The one responsible.

He’d done this.

And there was no way of taking it back.It’d been almost six years since Richard had seen Liliana Marin. Six fucking years since he’d watched her climb out of that cab and disappear inside and take his heart with her.

Six years since he’d written that letter to Violet.