Page 129 of Downfall

He gets up moving to sit beside me. I shift with the memory of what Darius tried suddenly fresh on my mind.

“We don’t trust each other.” Roman says. “It’s to be expected. But I need you to believe that I’m not trying to screw you over. You’re free to leave whenever you want. I won’t force you to stay. But I want you here, not just for Lara’s sake but for mine too.”

“What?” I half whisper as my heart seems to do some sort of flip.

He takes my hand and despite myself, my body still reacts to it, to him touching me. To his skin against mine.

“I know what Paris did. I know how he hurt you.” He says gently.

I gulp, looking away.

“I know I fucked up too.” He adds. “I know what I did the other day was reprehensible but I was just so angry. And that doesn’t excuse it. Nothing excuses it. I just wish I’d known, I wished you’d come to me, I wished you told me about Lara.”

I shut my eyes fighting the wave of emotion that’s once more threatening to overwhelm me. “You told me to get an abortion. How could I now admit that I didn’t, and worse, to admit that my father’s been using our child as a weapon to make me do whatever he wants.”

“I never said that.” He growls before taking a deep breath as if he’s trying to calm himself as well. “I never said that Rose. I’d never have reacted like that either.”

I can feel it, my tears threatening to spill over again.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” I reply.

“You don’t have to say anything.” He states. “It’s not about words, it’s about us learning to trust each other again, about us rebuilding what we had but this time ensuring no one can fuck it up.”

“You, you want us to be together?” I half whisper.

He gives me a half smile. “Don’t you?”

Yes. In so many ways I still do. Because no matter how much we’ve hurt each other I still love this man more than anything else.

But he’s right.

We can’t just start again and expect everything to work out.

“I need time.” I murmur.

He squeezes my hand. “We both do. We’ve both done awful things. Have hurt each other. We’re not the same as we were six years ago, so much has changed but I want to make us work.”

I nod, staring at where his skin is touching mine. At where our fingers are now intwined. “What about my father? What about Darius?”

He draws himself up. “I’m sorting them.”

“Darius is just as bad as he is.”

“I know.” Roman says and his eyes flash like he knows what he’s done. But I guess he must. Sofia must have told him.

“He tried to blackmail me. To force me into some sort of relationship.” I mutter as my cheeks heat with shame.

“I know. Sofia said. And I made him pay for that.”

My eyes widen. “How?”

He grins. “Let’s just say our Governor has had a hard lesson on what it means to touch what isn’t his.”

I bite my lip. Whatever he did I hope it works. And I hope to god it hurt him too.

“I’m going to bring them down Rose. Bring the whole system down. Darius will no longer be Governor and your father, if he survives, he’ll be locked away for a very long time.”

“You mean that?” I can’t keep the hope from my voice as I speak the words.

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