Page 94 of Ruthless Prince
He narrowed his eyes. “But you don’t actually remember getting sick in the first place, doyou?”
“No,” Iwhispered.
“A few minutes ago, you were adamant that you couldn’t have done anything to my sister that night, because you so clearly remembered being sick earlier that day. Now you don’t remember it at all. So your story has already changed.” He scoffed. “And you wonder why I don’t believe a word out of yourmouth.”
“It didn’t change. I just…” I trailed off and shook my head. “I was always told I got sick the day after the dance, so I believed it. Then it turned into a memory. Don’t you getthat?”
He stood up. “Yeah. I guess I get it. But like I said before, it doesn’t change anything. Even though you don’t remember hurting Chloe and leaving her alone like that, you still chose to do it in the first place. That makes you a fuckingmonster.”
“I… I’m sorry,” I said in a ragged voice. “I don’t know what else tosay.”
“There’s nothing you can say to take back what you did or make it better.” Logan’s nostrils flared again, and he tilted his head to the left. “You wanna know something else? Something really fuckedup.”
I wiped my face with one shaky hand. “What?”
“When I first heard about the contract our fathers made for us, I was actually happy. I wanted to be with you. I wanted it to be real.” He practically spat the words as he leaned his face closer to mine. “We could’ve had a good life together. I could’ve protected you from all the bullshit that comes from thesearrangements.”
“You still can,” I whispered miserably. “You don’t have to keep me here like this. You don’t have to hurt me. Please… forgiveme.”
He pulled back, lips twisting into a sneer. “If you think I’ll ever forgive you for what you did, you’re even crazier thanme.”
Fresh tears slid down my cheeks as raw emotion flooded me. “Please, Logan. I’m so sorry. I honestly don’t know why I did it, but I’ll do anything to make it up toyou.”
“You can’t. I already told you that. The closest you can get is this,” he said, motioning to the four walls of the dungeon. “That means keeping your fucking mouth shut and being a good little slave tome.”
The thought of being trapped down here and beaten in the cage every day for the rest of my life made my stomach roil. At the same time, my lungs emptied and refused to fill. “Why am I the only one being punished?” I managed to chokeout.
“Because I thought your father was the one who helped you, and I figured it would be punishment enough when he had to give you up to me. But don’t worry. Now that I know it was your mother, I’ll find a way to punish hertoo.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I sucked in a breath and wiped my cheeks, shoulders quaking with repressed sobs. “The men who showed up in that van to help me… they left Chloe lying there too. It wasn’t justme.”
“I know. If I ever find out exactly who those bastards are, they’ll come to regret it almost as much as you will when I’m done with you.” He roughly tilted my chin up so that I was forced to look into his stony eyes. “You’re the worst one, you know. Your mother and those men helped conceal your crime, but in the end, you’re the one who did it. You’re the one who deserves to pay the highest price. Aren’tyou?”
My chin quivered. I looked down at the floor again, clasping my hands in front of me. “Yes,” Imumbled.
It felt as if a large chunk of my soul had slipped away. I still hated Logan’s guts for everything he’d done to me, but his motive wasn’t completely unfathomable anymore. After all, I tried to kill hissister.
If someone hadn’t found her on the street in time, she might’ve actually died that night, and that would make me a full-blown murderer. Being an attempted murderer was just as bad,though.
It might’ve been a singular moment of madness that drove my heinous actions, but that was all it took for a person to step over to the dark side once and for all. What I’d done was irrevocable.Unforgivable.
Even if some genius scientist invented a time machine which allowed me to go back and stop the past version of me from doing such a terrible thing, it still wouldn’t change the fact that I’d done it in the first place. Deep down, I’d always know what I was capable of. I’d always know what my intentions were thatnight.
“So you finally understand.” Logan’s voice was gruff with hatred. “You deserve whatever punishment youget.”
I nodded, eyes remaining on the floor. “Yes,” I whispered. “I deserveit.”
18
Logan
My lips tightenedinto a flat line as I watched Willow cower by the wall. Both hands were crossed protectively over her chest as tears slid down her cheeks in shinyrivulets.
I didn’t feel any sympathy toward her. All I felt was pure, unadulterated rage. I imagined myself picking her up and putting my hands around her throat, shaking her and slamming her against the wall like a rag doll until she screamed and howled with agony, begging for me to endit.
I had to admit it was a shock to discover that she was completely unaware of her actions five years ago, but it didn’t change anything for me in the end. It almost did, though. When I heard her mother lying to her on the phone, essentially confirming that she had no idea what happened back then, I felt something akin to guilt or remorse. Just aflash.
It didn’t feel right hurting someone who had no idea why it was happening. It was like kicking a tiny puppy for chewing on a shoe. It didn’t know why it was being punished. All it knew was that it was in pain because someone bigger and stronger had decided to hurt it. That was exactly what I was doing to Willow, and it knotted my guts withregret.
