Chapter 202

Her mother opened her eyes wider. "Kylie!"

The little girl’s scream tore through the apartment. She tried to pull her hand away.

"Dad, please!"

He didn’t let go. "You stupid brat."

Kylie sobbed.

"How can you be so dumb at five?"

Her father stared down at her. "I’ve seen children your age who are twice as smart."

Kylie shook her head. "I can be better."

"If your useless mother forgot her duties, were you blind?"

Kylie’s tears fell faster.

"Couldn’t you do it yourself?"

"I tried."

"You always say that." He tightened his grip. "You’re always looking for an excuse."

Kylie sobbed harder.

Her mother tried to push herself up. "Leave my daughter alone."

Her father didn’t even look at her.

"You’re stupid," he told Kylie. "You’re not disciplined."

Kylie stared at him through tears.

"You play around too much." He leaned closer. "You think everything is a game."

She shook her head. "No."

"Yes, you dumb brat." His voice was venomous. "You have an insane love for attention even at this age."

Kylie didn’t understand the words. She only understood that he hated something about her.

Something she couldn’t see, and couldn’t fix.

"You might as well start fighting for male gaze in the next three years, and become a whore."

Her little shoulders shook. "I’ll do better."

"You’d better." Her father finally released her wrist with a shove.

Kylie immediately stumbled backward.

She fell against the edge of the stairs.

Her mother reached for her.

Kylie crawled toward her. "Mummy."

Her mother pulled her close as much as she could. Kylie buried her face against her mother’s chest.

Her father stood over them.

Kylie squeezed her eyes shut. His words became tangled together in her little mind.

Her father pointed toward her mother. "Clean up this mess."

Kylie flinched.

Her mother’s expression changed. "You cruel bastard."

Her father looked at her.

Her mother held Kylie tighter. Kylie was shaking so badly her teeth were chattering.

She didn’t understand why her father hated her. But those words became a constant reminder until he finally left the house.

.......

Kylie blinked.

The bedroom returned.

She realized tears had slipped down her cheeks. She wiped them quickly.

Christian hadn’t moved. He was staring at her. "You were five."

Kylie gave a tiny nod.

"He said those things to you when you were five?"

She nodded again. "He kept saying them." Her voice was barely audible. "Almost every day. He wasn’t always around but he made sure to remind me."

She swallowed.

Christian looked away for a moment.

His jaw worked. When he looked back at her, there was anger in his eyes. Not at her. At someone who wasn’t in the room.

Kylie shrugged. "Now, he’s living his best life "

Christian stepped closer. "Kylie."

She looked up.

"You were a child."

He went on. "You were not supposed to know how to manage your mother’s illness. You were not supposed to know how to make yourself disciplined enough to satisfy an adult who had already decided you weren’t good enough."

Her lips trembled, but her eyes remained cold.

Christian reached for her hand.

She reluctantly let him take it.

"He made me feel like everything I liked about myself was proof that I wasn’t serious."

Her voice cracked. "I liked parties. I liked dressing up. I liked talking. I liked people."

She gave a weak laugh. "I still do."

"I thought if I became quieter, maybe..."

She stopped.

Christian waited.

"Maybe people would take me seriously."

He squeezed her hand. "And did they?"

Kylie scoffed. "Sometimes."

"And the rest of the time?"

She shrugged. "They see what they want to see."

Christian nodded. "And what do you want them to see?"

Kylie stared at him. Her brows furrowed softly. "I don’t know."

"Yes, you do." He urged her gently.

She looked away.

Christian waited.

Finally, she whispered. "I want them to know I’m not stupid. Yet I never make an effort to want to prove it. I’d rather let things be."

His expression softened. "You know you’re not."

"I know that here." She touched her temple. "But sometimes..." She pressed a hand against her chest. "Sometimes I don’t feel it here."

Christian’s thumb moved slowly across her knuckles. He remained patient. "That’s different."

She looked at him.

"What?"

"Knowing something and believing it."

Kylie swallowed.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I understand why Westbridge hurt you now."

She nodded.

"It wasn’t just the university."

"No."

"It felt like proof."

Her eyes filled again. "Proof that maybe he was right."

Christian’s hand tightened around hers. "He wasn’t."

Her smile disappeared.

"It proves that one school had limited spaces." He leaned closer. "It doesn’t tell me whether you’re intelligent."

He paused. "It doesn’t tell me whether you’ll become a good lawyer." He took another brief pause. "It doesn’t tell me whether you’ll succeed."

Kylie looked at him.

"It only tells me that you weren’t admitted this time."

Her eyes watered. She sniffed, and looked around the room. Anywhere, but him. "That sounds so simple when you say it."

"Sometimes simple things are hard to believe."

She looked down at their hands.

Christian lifted her chin gently with his fingers.

"And for the record..." He held her gaze with patience. "I don’t think you’re stupid."

"No offense to the gorgeous and smart event planners out there, but...." She gave a watery laugh. "....You thought I wanted to be an event planner."

"That was before I knew you wanted to argue with criminals."

She laughed again. "That’s not helping."

"It wasn’t supposed to."

She rolled her eyes.

Christian smiled warmly. Then his expression became serious again. "I was surprised because I didn’t know this side of you."

Kylie looked at him.

"I thought I knew you."

Kylie gaze finally softened completely. "You know the loud parts."

"I like the loud parts." He chuckled.

She smiled faintly. "But there are other parts."

"There are." He returned her smile. "I want to know those too."