Chapter 13
“Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on,” Scott said, standing in the doorway of my guestroom, “or do I have to keep standing outside like a fool?”
I froze, caught between the instinct to run and the guilt twisting in my stomach. He looked hurt- angry, but mostly hurt.
“I…” I started, but my voice gave out.
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, his tone softer now. “Hayley. Did I do something wrong? If I crossed a line, just tell me. But don’t shut me out like this without a word.”
Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them. “No. You didn’t do anything wrong. That’s the problem.”
Scott moved closer but didn’t touch me. “Then why have you been avoiding me? You pulled away so fast, I thought maybe… maybe you regretted everything.”
I shook my head, wiping at my eyes. “No. I didn’t regret it. I was terrified.”
He frowned. “Of what?”
My lips trembled. “Of falling for you. Of being happy again. Because I know what happens next- I lose it. I get punished for it.”
He said nothing, but his eyes didn’t leave mine. He waited.
So I told him.
“I was married to a man who hated me,” I began slowly. “He didn’t start that way, but it changed after… after she came back into his life.”
“His mistress?” Scott asked quietly.
I nodded. “Elisa. His first love. She ruined everything. And Jarren–he didn’t file for divorce because it would shame his family. So instead… he tried to kill me.”
Scott’s entire body stiffened.
I inhaled shakily, tears falling freely now. “Not once. Eleven times.”
He blinked. “What?”
“Eleven,” I whispered. “He tried to drown me in the lake even though he knew I couldn’t swim. Left me outside the mansion in the freezing rain until I passed out from fever. Fed me seafood even though he knew I was allergic. Shoved sleeping pills down my throat. Accused me of cheating and humiliated me in front of his investors, his friends.”
Scott’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “Hayley…”
“He told me I didn’t deserve to live,” I continued, voice trembling. “He said dying was the only way I could be free. And for a while… I believed him.”
Scott closed the distance in two steps and pulled me into his arms. “Stop. Don’t say that. Don’t you ever say that again.”
I buried my face into his chest, sobbing. “I was so scared, Scott. Of trusting someone again. Of being loved. I thought if I let myself care about you… it would all come back.”
His arms tightened around me. “Hayley… I swear to you, I am nothing like him.”
Chapter 12
3/3 50.0%
7:18 pm G DDD
“I know,” I whispered. “But my heart doesn’t.”
Scott gently pulled away and cupped my face. His eyes were blazing. “Tell me his name again. Tell me so I can destroy him. I’ll ruin him, Hayley. I’ll make sure he pays for every single thing he did to you.”
I shook my head. “No… not yet. I just want to move on for now. Please.”
He exhaled, jaw tight. “Fine. But know this–I would go to war for you.”
That undid me.
I leaned in and kissed him.
It was gentle at first. Hesitant. But he met me halfway, his hand sliding to the back of my neck, deepening it, until there was no more room between us–no more fear, only warmth.
He pulled me closer, pressing his forehead against mine. “Thank you,” he whispered. “For trusting me with this. For giving me a chance.”
I looked up at him. “Thank you for catching me when I fell.”
He kissed me again, more urgently now, and I responded without thinking. Months–years–of pain, of longing, poured out in our movements.
When his hands slid over the hem of my shirt, I didn’t stop him. Instead, I raised my arms and let it fall away.
He kissed down my neck, over the old scars on my collarbone, and further to the small mark above my ribs–one I had hidden for years.
He paused there.
‘What’s this from?” he whispered.
‘Cigarette burn,” I said softly. “Jarren, after I spilled wine on his suit.”
Scott stared at the scar like it had personally wronged him. Then he kissed it.
And another one. And another.
Every faded bruise, every jagged reminder of pain–I felt him erase them, one by one.
We made love slowly, wrapped in moonlight and emotion. There was no rush. No shame. Just safety.
After, we laid together in silence, the room warm from our bodies and the weight of what we’d shared.
Scott brushed my hair back and whispered, “You’ll never cry alone again. Not while I’m here.”
