Page 38 of Imperfect Saint
She couldn’t help it. This was her big brother. He was her brother, her best friend, and the one person she’d always told everything. Except for this. He looked shocked and horrified and she tried to get the words out, to explain, but only sobs escaped her throat. Deep, heaving sobs that wrecked her and sent her to her knees as she lost what little strength she’d managed to glean from Hunter’s presence.
Colin scowled and turned on the two men still trading punches, “Stop! Stop it right now or I’ll have you arrested.”
Hunter whirled around and opened his mouth to say something but Joshua didn’t give him the chance. He kicked him in the back of the kneecap. Hunter groaned as his leg gave and he went to the ground. Joshua kicked him in the back, making him sprawl face first on the floor and it took too long for Millie to realize what was happening.
Colin thought Hunter was the one that had hurt her. He thought Joshua was defending her. He didn’t know. He didn’t understand. He couldn’t because she hadn’t ever told him the truth.
“NO!” She screamed as tears blurred her vision and she crawled as fast she could across the floor to get to Hunter “No. Colin. No. It’s Joshua. He did this. Stop him. Stophim!”
“What?” Colin looked from her, where she’d thrown herself over Hunter’s splayed body, to his best friend who was standing over them, beaten, bloody, and bruised. Joshua pulled his leg back like he was going to kick Hunter again even though Millie was in the way. She threw her hands up to block him, knowing it was a useless defense, but before Joshua could swing, Reed was there, shoving him backwards and cursing a mad streak.
“You motherfucker, I warned you. I told you if you ever laid a finger on her again that I would fucking murder you and feed you to the hogs. I’m going to fucking kill you, you stupid, entitled, narcissistic bastard.”
Millie gaped up at Reed as he pushed Joshua back until he hit the wall. The things he was saying, they filtered through her mind until she came to the only rational conclusion. Reed knew. She didn’t know how he knew. She didn’t know how long he’d been privy to the intimate details of her relationship with Joshua, but he knew… and from the look on Colin’s face, he’d never told her brother.
“Wh-what… what’s going on?” Colin asked again, looking shell-shocked as he glanced between them all.
Hunter sat up slowly, clutching his side where he’d been kicked and punched repeatedly. He pulled Millie into his arms and she let the tears fall as he held her close. She hadn’t wanted this. This was what she’d been trying to avoid. She’d kept all of it a secret for so long but it was all out in the open now.
They knew. They all knew. And it changed everything and nothing all at the same time.
Hunter gently cupped the side of her face that wasn’t swollen and met her gaze.
She nodded and let him help her up as she turned to face her brother.
“It was Joshua.” She told him, chin trembling as she fought back more tears, “He did this.”
“What? No.” Colin shook his head and tears leaked down her cheeks at his refusal to accept the words.
“You don’t believe me?” She wiped at her eyes, ignoring the pain that came with touching her face, “Think about it, Colin. Think about how many times I told you I ran into a cabinet door or fell down a flight of stairs. Think about all the times I called off lunch dates or dinners because I wasn’t feeling up to going out. Think about all the bruises that you chalked up to me being clumsy when youknowthat I’m not clumsy.” She shrugged in defeat as her brother stared blankly at her, “I’m not clumsy, Col. I just have really bad taste in men.” She reached out and pulled Hunter closer, “At least I used to.”
Hunter held her at his side. Solid. Stable. Safe. Dependable. And she wanted to collapse against him more than anything but she knew that she couldn’t. Not yet. Because this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
“I didn’t leave Joshua because he cheated on me. I left him because he abused me emotionally, financially, psychologically and, when he was in the mood to hit something, physically. He’s an abusive monster, Col. I’m sorry. I know this must be a shock to you. I know he’s your friend but he’s not, not really. He wants me at his side so Dad will put us in charge of the company and bypass you. He’s a jealous, spiteful, monster.”
“She’s lying.” Joshua hissed but Reed slammed him into the wall again and put his elbow against his chest to hold him there.
“Not another word or I’ll pick up where he left off.” Reed warned and then glanced back over his shoulder to where his fiancé stood with Millie and Hunter. “I’m so sorry, baby. I should’ve told you but…”
“It wasn’t his secret to tell.” Millie gave him a small nod of thanks.
Colin swiped a hand over his face, “Why didn’tyoutell me?”
“I couldn’t.” She wiped at another stray tear, “I couldn’t tell anyone. I was so ashamed. I’m so embarrassed. All that time, all those years, I let him hurt me and I let him tell me it was my fault and I thought…”
“You thought I’d blame you too?” Colin’s voice cracked and she saw tears of regret fill her brother’s eyes too.
Colin stared at her and she stared back. They both had tears dripping down their cheeks. She wanted to go to him. She wanted to hug him and tell him all the things that she’d kept hidden from him. She wanted to yell at him for not seeing the truth for himself sooner. And she knew he was fighting the same battle. He wanted to hug her and yell at her and she wasn’t sure that she could take any more yelling right now or any more confessions.
“Hey.” Hunter broke in as if he’d read her mind, “Why don’t we go upstairs and I’ll help you get cleaned up and once everyone settles down, we can talk this through rationally.”
“No. I want to know…” Colin started but Millie shook her head.
“He’s right. I need… I just… I want…”
“It’s okay.” Reed spoke up from across the room, sending his fiancé a look not to try to stop her. “Go. I’ll take care of this.” He flipped his gaze to Hunter. “You take care of her.”
“Always.”
