Page 139 of Brassy Bigwig

“D…” I put my hand on his cheek, trying to comfort him.

“Chloe, I was so scared when you didn’t show up at the restaurant. I knew something awful had happened. I was terrified I wasn’t going to find you in time.”

“But you did, just in the nick of time,” I smile.

“No, I didn’t. He—he had you on that bed. I’ll never forget that sight. Sometimes, when I can’t sleep at night, I lie awake, wishing he was still alive just so I’d have the opportunity to kill him myself.”

I scoot in as close to D as I can get without squishing his wound.

“I know, but we have to be thankful he’s out of our lives forever.”

“Part of me never wants to find out, but there’s another part of me that has to know what he put you through. Did he… touch you?”

How much does D really need to know? I put myself in his shoes. If things were flipped, I would want to know everything, too. I think about the fact that he tried to protect me from Emilia before telling me about her, and look what happened.

Not that this was D’s fault, not by a longshot. Reed was completely unhinged. But we made a promise to one another those first few nights in the hospital to never keep anything from each other ever again.

“No, he didn’t touch me, exactly.”

I look down at my hands and fiddle with the skin around my nails. D hooks a finger under my chin and forces me to look at him again.

“He… made me do things. To myself. While he watched. He told me he enjoyed watching me on camera, but he wanted to see me… in person.”

“Gamo to kerato mu, gamo, théa.” It kills me to watch him cry. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

His head falls into his hands, but I don’t miss the pain and the anger on his face before it’s hidden.

“Gamo tin panagia mu, gamo,” he mumbles under his breath, and I want to know what he’s saying.

“It’s not your fault, D. Look at me.” Guiding his gaze back to mine, my hands cover his cheeks. “I’m fine. And do you want to know why I’m fine?”

“Why?”

“Because you’re here. And I’m here. And after everything that happened, we fought our way back to one another.”

His tongue darts out as he licks his dry lips. Then he takes my face in his hands and pulls me close.

“I would go to hell and back for you, Chloe.”

I nod my head.

“I know you would. All the way to the…” My eyes glisten as I stare at him.

“…bottom of the deep blue sea.”

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