Page 78 of In Love with a Ruthless Man

The way she could destroy his defenses without malice—-

Fawn reminded him ofher.

Georgie.

“I don’t have any first love,” he heard himself say harshly.

She asked shakily, “But you might have?”

His lips twisted. “She died before I could find out if I had it in me to love her.”

The scrub fell from her limp fingers. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“I killed her.” The prince’s tone was dispassionate.

And somehow, that hurt even more.

“Prince, you don’t have—-”

“Her name was Georgie.”

So cold. His voice was so cold, and God, it hurt. She hurt.For him.

“She was a childhood friend, and she was the only girl who saw the good in me.”

Fawn’s heart started to crack. The prince was talking like no one else could see him the same way, and it wasn’t true.

“Knowing what my biological parents suffered – knowing that they died to get me out safe, it made me want todogood. And those first years with my foster parents, I tried...I goddamn tried my very best to do what I could to...help.” His lips twisted. “I was an idealistic fool back then. I thought genuinely wanting to make the world a better place was enough. But I was wrong. You can’t help when most people around you are just waiting for you to stumble and prove to them that you’re what they expected.”

The prince inhaled sharply. “But Georgie was...different.She believed in me, she was in love with me, and because of that I was just a little bit nicer.” The prince’s voice became tight. “I thought I was being kind by letting her closer, but instead I ended up endangering her life because of it.”

His eyes met hers.

“They kidnapped Georgie and took turns raping and beating her, all so they could get to me.”

“Oh, prince.” She bit her lip hard, not wanting to cry because she didn’t want the prince to think she pitied him. “It wasn’t your fault—-”

But the prince didn’t seem to hear her. “They were hoping that I’d trade myself for her.”

The emptiness in his voice tore at her, and Fawn raised her eyes to the water raining down on them, hoping it would help her keep the tears back.

“They needed to kill me because of a fucking stupid vendetta against my parents, even though they had been dead for years. It didn’t have anything to do with me at all, and yet – I wasn’t the one who suffered. It was Georgie.”

Fawn could no longer bear it, and she shook her head desperately, whispering, “You don’t have to say anymore. Please, prince—-”

“But we’re just getting to the good part,parthena mou.” His smile was a knife to the heart, because it didn’t feel right, seeing the prince less than his usual cocky self.

I’m sorry, prince.

If only she had asked about something else.

If only she could absorb his pain in her.

If only.

“Georgie was rescued, and when I visited her in the hospital, she implored me not to blame myself for what happened to her.”

And again, his lips curved in a smile that made her heart bleed.

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