Wreck Me - Page 172

I’m going to be even madder than I am. I inhale and exhale in a calming motion, preparing myself.

“The second is, I tell you everything, then you leave until I can come back to you.”

“Which one is more important to you, Abigail? You get one. Choose the first because I’m never honoring the second. Start talking.”

Tears well in her eyes, and they fucking pierce my chest like a million needles, but she nods, the fight in her vanishing.

“It started when I was a child, knowing that my life is not mine. My only purpose is to serve the Family. Duty is paramount, and I’d have to accept whatever was chosen for me. Groomed to be of service. Felix wanted me for his son, Kaden. Why? The only plausible reason is he hates Celine. My parents were on board with the plan. Actually, ever since I was little, all they cared about was my beauty. I had to watch what I ate and how I presented myself.”

No wonder she had an eating disorder. They will all pay.

“But then you came, and something in me flickered alive. I knew I had to keep my distance, but I couldn’t. What started as a small rebellion turned into feelings that I’m sure won’t ever disappear. I knew the risks, and it was worth it until Felix found out.”

“What did they do to you because of me?”

“We all have to go through an initiation. I think they do that when we have a weakness… You were mine. For one weekend, they made me go through mental and physical pain— showing me how they’d kill you…”

She rubs her hands over her arms, and I pull her to me.

“If you keep it inside, it will eat at you. You’re not there. They will never touch you again.”

“I wish you could keep that promise.”

“I will.”

She leans into me, and I wrap my arms around her, wanting to comfort her, embed her to me so she’ll always be safe. The only way someone could take her away from me was by prying her from my dead body. Not before.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, placing a kiss on top of her head and brushing my hand down her back.

“Felix sent a man to your room while you were in class.”

I stiffen, and she says, “Scared? Good. You should be. They even came up with the story that you committed suicide. The Family controls everything.”

“It was not your job to protect me.”

She lifts her head, eyes seeking mine. “What would you have done in my place, huh? I did what I had to do to keep you as far away as possible.”

“By making me believe you chose him.”

“It was the only way.”

I rake a hand through my hair. “So you two?”

“Kaden and I have never been together or romantically involved. Do I love him? Sure, he’s my family, my best friend. All of them are.”

I erupt into laughter, doubling over. Fucking shit, I’m losing it for good.

“I endured it once. I’d endure it a hundred times for you,” she says resolutely.

Cupping the back of her neck, I drag her to me, kissing her forehead. A shiver rocks her body. I caress her cheeks, brushing my nose against hers, trying to comfort her.

“You are one tough woman, princess, but keeping it inside is not how to deal with those demons.”

“They pinned me to a chair for hours, with electroshocks zapping through my body. Yet, they didn’t break me. When you’re a prisoner stripped of everything, it’s up to you to hold on to your sanity. I did. And I planned and survived.”

“What’s the escape plan?”

“I told you that I won’t let you get involved, and now I have to go back to the house.”