Page 124 of Broken

“How can I not? How can...” His voice trailed off and he took another hit of nicotine.

“I’m trying to think of the saying,” Katrina began. “I believe it’s ‘shame ends when it’s shared in a safe place.’ I’m a safe place for you.”

“Really? Is that why you couldn’t hug my daughter? Because you’re a safe place for me?”

“I’m standing by you, no matter what. And I think you’re right, you absolutely should have your daughter with you. She deserves to get to know you, to see that there’s more to life than servants and hurting people.”

“But you can’t...” He sobbed again, then stood up straight, his eyes holding her captive. “You can’t be with me because of her.”

“I’m just hurting, Ren.”

“And hurt people hurt people.”

Her eyes dropped to the ground, the gravity of his words enveloping her. “I didn’t intentionally set out to hurt you, or her, or anyone.” She looked back up at him then through her tears. “She really is beautiful. She looks so much like you.”

“Stop.”

“And she knows, Ren. She knows that Emmett wasn’t her father. She said her mother told her.”

He inhaled a shaky breath, his arms folded back in, his eyes pained.

“I did her hair.” It was Katrina’s turn to sob. “She asked if I could braid her hair because Emily wouldn’t. And it broke me, Ren. It broke me.”

“Because she isn’t yours.”

“Because she isn’t ours.”

He looked down at the cigarette in his hand, flicking the ashes away. “It’s time for you to go, Trina.”

“Ren—”

“I need to be alone right now.”

“You mean you need to find a fight, and you can’t do that. You can’t. I guarantee Emily’s watching your every move.”

“What I do is my business.”

“When your business is illegal, it can cost you your daughter.”

“Please leave.”

“Ren,” she said as she stepped closer, but he moved away. She stood there silent, her tears dripping down her face.

“Hurts, don’t it?” he fired at her.

“That isn’t fair.”

“You don’t get to talk to me about fair!” he shouted. “You don’t get to tell the man who lost his childhood that way that he isn’t being fair. I needed you. I trusted you.”

“You can still trust me.”

“Like hell I can. Leave.”

“I told you I’m not leaving.”

“Fine. Then I am.” He ground out his cigarette and pushed past her, walking briskly down the trail.

“Ren!”

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