Page 54 of Wrapped in Perfection

She tilts her head. "Then why won't you tell me?"

"I'm debating in my head which course of action to take. Can you trust me?"

She sighs. Humiliation fills her face. "I'm tired of being a stupid girl."

I palm her head. "You are nothing of the sort."

"I am. I trusted Mitch with everything. I never asked questions so he wouldn't get mad. And I don't want to live like that anymore."

"I'm not him."

The statement hangs in the air, and her expression makes my stomach flip.

"You think I'm like him?"

"No! But I don't want to be in the dark about things that concern my life. And if you don't want to tell me something when I ask about it, then you have that in common with him."

It's a slap in the face. But I can't blame her for feeling this way.

She shuts her eyes and quietly says, "I shouldn't be with someone who I can't be on an equal level with."

Panic grips me. "We are."

"Not if you're going to hide things from me."

"Some things a man should be able to do for his woman without disclosing. If it is to take care of you and protect you—"

"I'm not a child," she harshly insists.

"I'm aware of that."

She scrunches her face and looks away.

"Why is it wrong for me to want to fix your problem for you?"

She pins me with her eyes. "That's not the issue we're discussing, Dmitri."

"It feels like it."

She takes a deep breath.

"I'm not a man who's going to sit back and let anyone hurt you. And no one is going to steal from you then hold it over your head to try and manipulate you."

"That's my fault. I gave him control over everything."

"When are you going to see that none of this is your fault? He chose to hurt you and take advantage of your trust. That's on him, not you."

She traces my chest tattoo. "No past, no future. You live by this motto. It's inked on your body for all to see. If anyone should understand why I shouldn't make the same mistakes again, it's you."

"I'm a mistake?" I growl.

She slides her hands around my neck. "No. But keeping me in the dark is what he did. And I allowed it."

"I'm not him," I repeat.

"I know you aren't."

"I don't think you do."

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