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“Aaron, let him go please,” Elle’s sweet voice calls me out. “Aaron, he’s not worth it.”
“Listen to your whore,” Stephan mumbles, his gaze drifting to the floor cowardly. The thought of him touching her, tarnishing her, makes me go nuts. I punch him again in his face, his blood spraying onto my fist. Fuck. My suit is ruined.
I don’t notice Elle’s voice howling, I’m only focused on Stephan. He tries to punch me back, but I intercept his fist, scratching his hand like the microbe that he is. He screams in pain and falls onto his knees.
“What’s all this?” An older woman dressed in black narrows her eyes at me. “I’m calling security, you bloody asshole,” she screams before grabbing Elle’s arm fiercely. I immediately tense. “Elle, keep your boyfriend on a leash! See what he’s doing to a gentleman like Stephan? I don’t recognize my own daughter.”Her mother.
Why isn’t Elle saying anything? She keeps staring at the floor, like a bullied person accepting her fate. Screw it. I don’t think twice. I twist Stephan’s hand before making him stand up, and my eyes gun at Elle’s mother. “Tell her what you did to my girlfriend! Tell her what a bastard you are.” I tighten my grip on Stephan as he keeps howling in pain.What a pussy, I’m sure he’s faking it.
“This man ruined your daughter. He treated her like a slave, forcing her and abused her.” Elle shakes her head telling me to stop, a mask of fear on her face, but I can’t. I’m breaking my promise, but I can’t let people keep disrespecting her. “Stephan is an abuser. He was in the library trying to force himself on her.” I push him on the ground. Stephan swallows, searching all around him fearfully. His mask is finally revealed.
Elle’s mother scrutinizes me for the truth. I take a step closer to her to let her see me in the light. I know my eyes have reddened of anger, my gaze black, every muscle in my body is tensing.
She takes a step away from me before staring at Stephan on the floor, who is trying to defend himself with another lie. “It’s not true. I was helping her and wishing her all the best when she kissed me and wanted to—”
“Shut up,” Elle’s mother drops before turning to face her daughter, her mouth hanging open, her lips shaking. “Elle. Is what Aaron is saying the truth?”
Elle’s tears are falling on her cheeks as she nods a yes.What did I do?I didn’t think about the pain I would cause her, enraged by my own anger. I’ve never seen Elle so broken. She’s crying, her whole body shaking. I’ve never witnessed my Elle so afraid and vulnerable.
“Yes, Mother. You never believed me.” Elle’s tears don’t stop, and my whole heart is breaking, knowing I caused her deep pain.
“Elle, I’m—” I reach to hug her, but she pushes me away. Fuck.
“You humiliated me.”No, I saved you.
She storms away from us, escaping her own nightmare. It wasn’t my truth to tell. I forced her and betrayed her trust. I fucked up badly, but I’d do it all over again. I won’t allow her past to destroy her. I failed my brother, but I won’t fail her, even if she hates me. That’s why I don’t run after her. I know she needs to be alone right now. For that, we’re the same.
I look over Stephan’s blood on my hand. I could have beat him to death. I didn’t care about the consequences. I’m just like André. And I don’t even regret it. Elle’s mother’s face is like a ghost, staring nowhere. She’s going into shock from the truth. After all, she pushed her daughter into the arms ofanothermonster.
“Don’t worry about security. I’ll take care of this,” she says mechanically before returning to the gala. She keeps murmuring the same sentence, “I never believed her.”
I glance at the bastard on the floor one more time, my eyes promising him he’ll go to jail, and that on my life he’ll never touch her ever again.
Thomas walks over to me, he had witnessed the whole scene. “That was quite a show.” I remain silent. I know he won’t judge me for it, nor ask further questions. The security guards arrive, eying me. They take Stephan under their shoulders and tell me I can stay if I clean up myself.
“The press will not know about your fight,” Thomas assures me.
“Do you think I care about the press?” I give a sign to the security guards informing them I’m leaving, I have no desire to stay. Thomas follows me, probably happy to escape the gala. “I fucked up. Elle will not forgive me.”
“That won’t be easy, but I would have done the same. Sometimes the truth needs to get out, no matter how hard it is to hear it.” Thomas, a freaking Yoda like usual.
“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret what I did.” I shake my head as we walk toward the exit. “But I shouldn’t have stolen the truth from her. She wasn’t ready. I broke her trust.”
“You’re a good man, Aaron. Don’t punish yourself. Elle will forgive you.”
“You don’t know her like I do.”
“No, but I know you. I’ve seen how you are with her, how both of you look at each other. You’re alike.” I feel sometimes that Thomas can read in me as well as he can read a race.
“She’s a better person than me.”
“Probably.” He laughs.Bastard.“Now, go do right by her the same way you take the checkered flag.”
I can’t help but smile. He gets me. “Your words are like music to my ears.”
“No, really. I’m proud of you, Aaron.” I look fixedly at Thomas muddled by his wording. We are used to joking around, communication and shitloads of emotions aren’t our forte. “Not just as a racer, but as a person.”
“Glad you think so, because I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for a good twenty years. I’m not planning on retiring anytime soon.” I smirk before my stomach turns into a knot. Racing will always be in my life. But what about Elle? “Anyway, I need to go. Thank you, Thomas.”
