Page 23 of Pretty Pink Poison
The room seemed to hold its breath as both of our fathers considered it. Then, Rafe said, “She can stay at one of our resorts wherever Bane normally is. I think the university has run its course for Bianca at this point.”
“I don’t want to move. I’d like to finish school and—”
“You’re done with school, Bianca. For God’s sake,” my father cut me off, glaring at me as if I’d caused all this.
“I’m just finishing my thesis and—"
He grabbed me to drag me over to the corner of the room while everyone else acted as if they weren’t listening before he whispered vehemently, “Don’t fucking argue with me. I’ve spoiled you enough into thinking you should even get an education. It’s ridiculous. You’ll discuss accommodations with Bane or I’ll shove you in that closet forever. You’ll be staying where he is until further notice.”
With that, he stomped back over to everyone and announced, “She’s happy to leave whenever Bane’s ready. Bane, pleasediscuss any details with her. She’s excited to be under your watch until further notice.”
My father waved everyone except for us out and no one hesitated to exit. Their whispers echoed down the hall as the doors closed behind them. The weight of their departure made everything feel even more real, more final. Now, it was just the two of us.
“You’ll stay at the Black Diamond starting next week,” Bane started, his voice quiet and cold. “You’ll have access to on-site resources. We’ll be all cordial.”
“Bane, can we—”
“Expecting anything more from this arrangement or from me won’t serve you well,” he continued like he hadn’t heard me. “I don’t intend to accommodate you in any way.”
His words, devoid of any tenderness, were callous at best. I wanted to scream, to run, to escape from the suffocating weight of it all. But I stayed silent, my heart hammering in my chest.
“So you’re done with what we’ve had between us over all these years?” I whispered, knowing it was desperate and a plea.
“Between us?” He shook his head and then rubbed a hand over his mouth before continuing in a dangerous tone. “There’s nothing between us after what you did with my brother, Bianca Zarelli.”
I knew Bane expected some sort of a confession, or maybe even an apology—something I couldn’t give him. The words caught in my throat, choked by shame and guilt and stuck on the last shred of dignity I had left. I lifted my chin, defiant in the face of everything that was happening. “You know I’ll always be yours, Bane. One night shouldn’t change that.”
The chuckle that slipped through his lips was full of disgust. “You have no idea who you belong to or who you want. And it’s not your place to figure it out ever again.”
“It’s our family’s place then?” I crossed my arms, trying to get through to him. “I’m just theirs to pawn off on—”
“On me?” He questioned and his blue eyes were razor sharp as they cut to mine. “Seems I get you for five whole fucking years now.”
“You agreed to it. You know we have something between us, and it could be the same as it was if—"
I sounded so fucking hopeful, so pathetic in my questioning.
“You want it to be the same between us when you fucked my brother?” His words didn’t just land—they detonated. The words snapped through the air and bore down on the fragile relationship we’d had, shattering it into broken, irreparable pieces. Every fragile thread of trust, every scrap of closeness we’d built, shredded into jagged parts I couldn’t pick up. My chest tightened as though someone had pressed a fist into it. I wanted to run, to disappear into myself and swallow the loss whole, but my legs refused.
He stood so close, but he was far, far away now. I could feel the crushing loss of him even while I knew I’d be with a different version of him for five long years.
My chin trembled as I stared up at him, at the man who’d loved me in a mask for all these years and who’d given me a part of himself I knew I’d never get again.
He was hurting, just as I was, but he wouldn’t show it. “Do you even know whose baby it was, Bianca?”
That question broke me. A tear slipped free, hot and uncontrollable, and I gasped for air like the world itself had turned against me. And maybe it broke him too, because for a moment he sighed and let his forehead fall to mine as he brushed a finger over my cheek, a gesture so tender and so out of place for him. He whispered in a soft voice, “You okay, baby girl?”
“What?” I frowned, trying to make sense of the whirlwind inside me.
“You miscarried, and I didn’t even know.” The muscle in his jaw flexed like he’d never forgive himself for missing it or me for letting him miss it. “You didn’t put it in your diary, and you didn’t tell me a damn thing. Your window has been locked for weeks,” he said, his voice thick with something I couldn’t decipher.
“Bane,” I whispered, my voice cracking under the pressure. “What would I have said?”
He searched my eyes like he wanted more from me, like he was waiting for me to give him more. “You could have said something. Anything at all.”
“I couldn’t.” I shook my head and my curls whipped over my face furiously. “I can’t be forgiven for what I’ve done.”
I was taking ownership, and I knew it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. His body tensed as he looked away. “I should have been there that night.”
