Page 77 of Kneel with the King
That pisses me off enough to laugh again, bitter and bright. “You made it impossible. You keep asking me to trust you, but I can’t.”
His jaw tics. “You want me to say it? Fine. I should’ve told you. I should’ve come to you before the papers were filed. I was scared you’d run. Again.”
I look at him. Really look. And for the first time, I don’t just see the man who broke me, I see the man whoknowshe broke me. But the thing is, I can’t tell if he has any remorse other than saying he regrets it.
“We can’t come back from this,” I say, voice firm. “You know that, right? It’s like the ultimate betrayal. So, congratulations.” I dip down into a faux bow. “You got what you wanted. You swooped in and you’ll be taking my firm and the rest of my clients. I lost Walter who I’ve been trying to acquire for…” I let out a hysterical laugh. “Two years.”
“Asher—”
“No. You won, okay? We’ll keep playing charades for the sake of the acquisition, but after that, I don’t want to speak to you ever again.”
“Asher—”
“Stop,” I beg, something in my voice breaking. “I’m just—it’s too much. This is all too much for me.”
He cocks his head, studying me, and a fire of emotions flickers through me.
I hope he can see them on my face.
The devastation. The betrayal. The sheerlossof what I thought I wanted, of who I thought I was. He may be out, but no one aside from Maddox knows I’ve ever been with a man. The idea of adding that on top of everything is… unthinkable right now.
I open my mouth to say something else—something final, maybe—but King opens his mouth like he’s going to apologize. Or explain. Or—God forbid—comfortme.
Instead, he says, “If it makes you feel better… I was never just after the firm.”
I blink. “What?”
“I wanted you,” he says simply, like that changes anything. “I’ve always wanted you.”
And just like that, somethingsnaps. “Jesus Christ.” I laugh, sharp and bitter. “You think thathelps?”
He frowns. “I thought?—”
“You thought what? That this was some kind of second chance love story? That you could fuck me over and I’d fall into your arms anyway because you wanted me?”
He doesn’t answer. “You don’t get it,” I say, voice rising. “You never got it. You think wanting me is enough? You think possessing me in the bedroom makes up for destroying everything I’ve worked for?” I shake my head, breathing hard now. “You didn’t just steal my firm. You took the one fucking thing I built for myself. The one thing I thought I could control in a sea of unknowns. My life went up in flames andworkwas the only consolation for me. Don’t you get it?” I ask, a single sob tearing through me.
There’s a silence that stretches between us like a crack on a frozen lake.
“None of this is real to you, but it is for me. Not the work, not the trust, not you and me. It was just another fucking moveon your board. Even the—whatever the fuck happened last night that we’re both still too proud to admit we remember.”
He opens his mouth, but I cut him off, stepping forward and shoving his chest—hard. He stumbles back, but he doesn’t say anything else. He just watches me warily.
“Asher—”
“No.” My voice cracks, fury and heartbreak blending into something volatile. “Stop pretending you know me. Stop pretending this was ever about more than your ego.”
“Last night wasn’t just about sex,” he says, voice lower now. “And you know that.”
“Do I?” I demand. “Because from where I’m standing, all you’ve ever done is take what you want and leave the mess behind. You wanted to prove you could beat me? Fine. You did. Pop the champagne. Celebrate your little victory. But don’t you dare pretend this is about anything other than power. You used me. Youplayedme.”
He exhales sharply, and for the first time, he looks less like the controlled puppet master and more like someone who’s bleeding just as much as I am.
“It wasn’t a game to me,” he says quietly. “On the first day, I said it was, and I was lying.”
“Then you should’ve played it differently,” I spit back.
The silence that follows is unbearable.
