Page 70 of Betraying Him
She pulls away from me, blinking up at me with teary eyes. “You don’t really mean that,” she states, and I frown.
“Of course I do,” I say, about to defend her actions, but she’s already shaking her head.
“I ruined your father’s career. I hurt your family, I hurtyou. It’s all my fault.”
“No, baby, it isn’t. Do you think that because I pursued you from the beginning, that because I kept inserting myself into your life and invited you into my home, that it’s my fault?”
Her jaw tightens, and she stays quiet, knowing I’m right but not wanting to admit it.
“See? It’s neither of our faults. The only person to blame is the man who abused you for years and gave you no choice but to do as you were told. You were doing what youhadto do to survive. Not only that, but you were also protectingme. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to find the words to tell you just how sorry I am for everything that’s happened, but I hope you come to terms with the fact it was never your doing. You were just a pawn in his games, much like the rest of us.”
She’s silent for a moment, her gaze never leaving mine as she presumably thinks over everything I just said, and then averts her gaze.
FIFTY
SAVANNAH
I stareat nothing as my mind replays Harley’s words. Sure, my father is at fault for a lot of shit, but the blame is still partly on me. I could have done something,anything, to stop the events that followed.
Today has been an unexpected goddamn avalanche of emotion, but I finally feel free. I finally told him the truth, and he doesn’t seem to hate me for it.
Not like I thought he would.
He’s been so kind, so goddamn understanding that it breaks my heart. How can he be so accepting after everything? I’m honestly surprised he’s still here, since any normal person would have left the second they knew the full story. So much pain must be attached to me, so how does he manage to see past that? And can he teach me how?
“I’m so fucking sorry for what you’ve been through, Sav,” he croaks, my eyelids flutter closed as I take a deep breath, and then I pull away. I stand and move until I’m sitting on the coffee table, a mirror position of how he was sitting earlier.
There’s a frown on his face, and I want to wipe those linesaway, but we need to talk, and I can barely concentrate on what needs to be said whilst sitting here, so touching him is out of the question. This entire conversation has been a long time coming, and it can’t just end at what happened four years ago. There’s still more to the story.
“It didn’t end there, Harley.”
His frown deepens further. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, there’s more to the story. This didn’t just stop when things fell apart between the two of us. This has been going on for years, getting progressively worse, and right now, I don’t see an end in sight.”
He takes a deep breath and wipes his cheeks with the back of his hand, visibly pulling himself together, though he doesn’t hide the fact he was crying. I love how he’s not afraid to show me how he’s feeling, how he doesn’t mind being vulnerable with me. If this was a couple of years ago—or hell, a couple ofweeksago—he would never have dared to show me how he really felt.
“Okay,” he says, more determined than ever. “Tell me what’s been going on and then tell me how I can help.”
I take a shaky breath and tell him my final secrets. “For years, every time I’ve gone home, my father’s gotten worse in the way he treats me. What used to be a backhand is now a kick or punch to the stomach. But it didn’t stop there. I’m sure you heard that he… well, thatwewere looking for ahusbandfor me.” I almost spit out the words, disgusted at the thought of having to marry one of the men my father had picked out. “I didn’t have a choice in it, and I was going along with it as much as I could, only Ineverwould have gone through with it. I’d have sooner died before I let it happen, and honestly? I very nearly did.”
Harley’s body tenses, and he clenches his hands into fists. “What does that mean?”
“Itmeans that the night you found me in the alley wasn’t just a freak thing. My father wanted me to meet with one of my potential…suitorsand get information from him, much like he made me do with your family. Only this time, he was going to use the information to blackmail the familyanduse me as a constant source once I was married. I refused, not wanting anything to do with the entire thing, and for the first time in my life, I stood up to him.”
I stop talking, my breath shaky and my hands trembling in my lap.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I’m saying that he paid a man to assault me in the alleyway to send me a message, and when he finds out that the man is dead, then I’ll be next.”
Harley jumps to his feet and starts pacing, his fingers continuously running through his hair as he mutters to himself under his breath. Finally, his spine snaps straight, and his gaze flashes with mine.
“The folder my mom gave you—and we need to talk aboutthatat some point, by the way—what’s in it?”
“Everything she could find on my father. She broke into my dorm the other day and gave it to me,” I say with an air of disbelief, and he snorts, shaking his head.
“Incriminating?” he asks, not bothering to comment on what happened with his mom.
