Chapter Sixty-Nine

Ghost

I wanted my hands on her.

I wanted my palm on her throat so I could feel that pulse point that settled me like no other goddamn thing in this world could, but I didn't touch her.

SEAL still, I said what I had to. "This house is yours. The money in the bank account is yours. There's a trust with your name on it. All of it free and clear."

The frown hit her face before my last sentences. "Why?"

"No strings. You owe me nothing."

"I do not understand." Her arms crossed. "Why are you saying this?"

I fucking said the words. "I'm giving you an out."

Her voice pitched to a shade of panic. "Because of what I said about you not sharing your thoughts?"

"No." Because of all of it. "Tell me to leave, and this will be the last time you see me."

With a sharp inhale, she turned away from me. Water hit her back, and she dipped her head. Then her voice came too damn quiet. "Did you marry those other women? I do not mean legally."

"Turn around," I ordered.

"Did you keep them like you kept me?"

"Safiya—"

She cut me off. "I asked November. He said to ask you, but for eight years, I thought one thing, then everything happened, and now I do not know what to think. I do not even know you. You never said you had brothers. I told you about my anne . I told you about the father I never knew, about my life. But you never once told me that you have brothers. You did not even tell me that the code word you gave me was for Ares."

That fucking prick . Yesterday's glitch in the security feeds wasn't a goddamn glitch at all. "Turn around, Safiya."

She didn't turn.

She inhaled.

Then she fucking let loose like a torrent. "He came here. Ares came right through the gate, and he knocked on the door. He said you did not know he was coming. But he had that business card. It said Paragon . It had a number I saw on your cell phone. The night you took me to the cabin, while you left me in the car, I spied on your phone. I am not proud of that, but I saw the same number. You had called it. Called Ares. And he was with you when you came for me. But I do not understand why you never told me about him or how your first name is his last name. You never told me about anything. You did not even tell me why you rejected me. And I was foolish enough to think that was the worst hurt I could feel from you, except I was wrong."

I took the direct hit I deserved, but she wasn't finished.

"You would not even tell me who owned that yacht as you dressed me in her clothes, putting them on my naked body. Then you handed me my ruined dress as if it were an offense that could not be left on board, like it was worse than garbage, and the hurt grew. Which only made me keep asking about those women like it was some kind of compulsion when I do not even want to know about them. Not truly, because it hurts." She drew in a shaky breath, then let out the rest.

"But I cannot stop myself from asking any more than I can quiet the distrust or tell myself that I believe you because I do not know if I do. Same as I do not know how many of those women think they are married to you, or if you kept them like I used to keep sheep. Or why it even matters because I cannot change any of it, but it does. It matters, and it's crushing me. It's been crushing me since I heard you praise that woman and call her an angel. But my soul did not truly break until you said you were giving me an out, like that is what you want. Except I do not want an out from you. I never did. And you are right, you did not lie to me about what we were to each other. Which was nothing. But every time you visited, every gift, every glance—I turned them all into something."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in tight.

She flinched hard, and her breath hitched.

"Shh, shh. I got you."

"I am hurt." Her voice broke. "But I do not want an out. I do not want you to leave me forever."

"I hear you, beautiful." Loud and clear. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Do not make me false promises."

"I never have, and I never will." But I knew what I needed to do now.