Page 54 of Ruin

No.

Fuck no.

I took the steps to stand in front of him and cupped the side of his neck. “All that shit can wait. Take a moment for yourself.”

He glared. “I don’t need a moment. I have waited for this day for a long time. I need to move on from it.”

“No,” I stated.

His hands hit my gut, and he pushed at me. “You do not get to tell me what to do,” he snarled.

“Cowboy, get Mimi to her room. If you two need anythin’, I’ll be a couple of doors down to the left. Ryo, set up a meetin’ in a few hours,” I ordered while holding Taro’s scowl. Cowboy guided Mimi down the hall and away from this shit.

I knew Taro was hurting. Even though he hated the man, he was hurting, and he needed time to deal with it.

“Ryo, if you move, I will fire you.” Taro stepped to the side of me. “You came here for Mimi. Be there for her. I do not need your assistance.”

I clenched my jaw. “I came here for Mimi, but now I’m also here for you. Don’t push me away, Taro. I get it. I know you’re hurtin’—”

He snorted. “You know nothing.”

“I fuckin’ do,” I snapped. His jaw clenched, nostrils flaring. We’d talked and goddamn talked a lot recently, getting to know one another. Even when he refused to admit he was hurting, I knew differently. It still did because he had a heart. He cared. He was a good person. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be making the changes within the family as he had. I took a breath. “Taro,” I whispered, tugging him into my arms.

His hands gripped at my tee, yet he remained stiff, even with his forehead pressed to my chest.

“Come with me,” I told him. I took his hand in mine and nodded to Ryo, who returned it before he went the other way. I led Taro back to his room. He didn’t say a word, and when I glanced at him, he stared down at our clasped hands.

I closed the door in the room, and Taro walked off towards the balcony, pulling the door open with harsh movements. He stomped over to the railing and gripped the wrought iron as I stepped out after him. His head dropped, chin near his chest, and I witnessed his shoulders shifting up and down quickly with his fast breaths.

“Taro,” I uttered, resting my hands to his waist.

“I hated him,” he said softly.

“I know.”

“I hated him with every fibre of me.”

I shifted closer, moulding my front to his back. “I know.”

“He was a cruel man. A horrid, vile piece of shit.”

I hummed under my breath; he needed to get this out.

“I wished I had killed him years ago.” He sucked in a ragged breath. “I hated him.”

“Babe,” I said gently, tucking his hair behind his ear and kissing his neck.

“Fuck,” he groaned, the word full of pain. “I hated him, so why do I care?”

Sliding my arms around his waist, I told him, “Because you’re a better man than he ever was.”

I quickly moved to his side when he bent over, the pain too much. His forehead hit his hands on the railing. A strangled noise caught in his throat. I cupped the back of his neck, letting him know I wasn’t going anywhere. His body shook, but he was silent through the tears he allowed to fall.

Clenching my jaw, I rubbed at my stinging eyes. I hated seeing him in pain. Hated he was going through this over a man who didn’t deserve his anguish. All I could do was be there for him. Like I knew he would for me.

The connection between us grew every second, minute, hour, and day. It all drew me to one conclusion: I wanted to keep him.

Even after a few days of having him as mine, I didn’t want to see a day without him.

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