All those years ago, she came into my life and taught me everything I needed to know to be a better man. She made me who I am today. She loved my punishing touch, and even though she resisted it in the beginning, she came to love it, crave it. And now she can't live without it, just like I can't live without her.

My soulmate. My happiness, personified.

"I'm happy, too," I tell her calmly, and she grins before turning back to our children.

I close my eyes. There's a glass of my father's scotch in my hands. I only allow myself to drink it on days like this. When everything's perfect.

I lift the glass to my lips and sip the amber liquid, remembering my parents again.

They would be happy to see me here, like this. I hope they are resting in peace now, knowing I'm happy with the right woman, the right life.

I toast to the ceiling, imagining them looking down on me.

"What are you doing, Dad?" Reign asks.

"Remembering someone, son," I tell him with a smile. One day, I'll tell him everything about the sordid history of my life. Today is not that day though. Today is a day for making new memories, beautiful memories that will make me a happy man. "Come on, let's join your mother and sisters."

We all sit down on the carpet in front of the fireplace, reading from the twins' book in funny voices. I'm laughing along with my family, wondering how I got so lucky.

I don't deserve this happy ending. I was a bully, a monster, a dick. And to be honest, I'm still all those things.

My eyes devour Pandora with hunger and lust.

But somehow, I found the woman who wants my cruelty as much as she wants my love. Pandora lives for my punishing touch, craves it as much as she does my warm embrace, the sweet kisses I leave on her lips. They're a sharp contrast to the spankings I still give her, to the sting of my belt against her pale skin. Somehow, I found the woman who wants both sides of me.

The dark, twisted, cruel nature I can never escape.

And the light, kind, softness only she and my children awaken in me.

I thought I was a man when I first met Pandora Oakes.

But the truth is, she made me a man. Her relentless talking back, her bravery, her willingness to turn the pain I give her into something beautiful.

An ache develops in my chest, not because I'm unhappy, but because I have everything I've ever dreamed of.

My heart swells with the love I feel for all of them, mixing with hopes and fears for our future. We'll be okay. We're a family. We can take anything life throws at us. The pain, the pleasure. It doesn't matter. We've been through worse before, and we lived through it.

All that's left is our happily ever after.

THE END

You’ve reached the end of Dexter and Pandora’s story. Next up, I have Pandora’s Wildwood sister, Andie! Pre-order Andie’s story here!

Prefer standalones? Like ugly cry books? Check out my dark romance Pet. You won’t regret it!

What’s next?

Thank you for picking up a copy of A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four! Enjoyed it? Please leave a review - it’s the best way to help authors you love.

Want to keep talking about the world of Elite of Eden Falls Prep? Join us in my reader group Good Girls Love Bad Boys.

Next up, pre-order the story of Pandora’s Wildwood sister, Andie, Boys That Smirk.

Blurb for Boys That Smirk

The release date for this book will be brought forward.

My first mistake was agreeing to the dare.

Tags: Isabella Starling , Betti Rosewood Elite of Eden Falls Prep Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net