I walk to her slowly until I’m only a couple of feet away. Her head is forced back as she looks up at me.
“Don’t thank me, Jules. That shit should have never happened, and I’m sorry my asshole brother thought he had a right to do what he did.”
She nods and bows her head, her thick hair falling over her shoulders, hiding her face. I reach out and gently grip her chin to bring her head back up.
“You’ll be safe here with me,” I let her know. She needs to understand that just because I flipped my shit years ago, doesn’t mean it will happen again. I’d sooner rip off my arms than do anything to harm her. “I swear, Jules. You have nothing to fear from me.”
Her small smile is watery, and it rips a hole in my heart, but when she whispers, “I know,” and looks like she really believes it, it mends back solid.
Fuck if this woman doesn’t wreak havoc on my emotions.
“Would you like something to eat or drink?”
She shakes her head. “No, thank you.”
She looks tired and her whole body sags, like a thousand-ton weight rests on her shoulders. My anger toward Theo strengthens.
I grab her bag off the couch and gesture toward the hallway. “You’ll be in the room I keep for Aria when she’s over. You look exhausted. Why don’t you rest for a while?”
She nods, then follows me down the hallway to the small room that has a twin bed covered in a bright purple bedspread. I drop her bag on the end and turn around. Jules is at the side of the bed, gently running her fingers along the blanket, a soft smile playing on her lips, making her look even more beautiful.
“This is the second bed I’ve slept in that belongs to Aria.”
I don’t know why that knowledge pleases me, but it does. I assumed she slept in Theo’s bed from the beginning. Anytime that thought crossed my mind over the last few weeks, barely restrained anger coursed through my body.
“She won’t mind,” I inform her.
“I know. She’s such a sweet girl.”
I walk over, then before I can think better of it, I bend and place a kiss on the top of her head. She stiffens slightly, but doesn’t try to pull away.
Stepping back, I look down at her.
“Get some sleep. I’m gonna go make a phone call to my parents.”
She nods, but then bites her lip in worry. “Do you… do you think they’ll hate me?”
I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, needing to touch her, even if just briefly.
“I don’t plan to tell them the details yet. I just want to warn them in case Theo stops by. And no, they won’t hate you. They’ll be shocked and angry and hurt on your behalf, but they won’t hate you.”
Her head dips in acknowledgement, hopeful relief flashing in her eyes. “Okay.”
I leave her behind and walk out to the living room, the rage in my blood once again heating now that I’m not in her presence. My feet pound the floor as I make my way out of the back door and into the backyard. The green grass flattens beneath my purposeful strides. I don’t stop until I’m behind the small wooden shed in the far corner of my property. It’s there that I stand, tilt my head back, and roar to the blue sky. My fist flies forward and lands hard against the structure, splintering it enough to leave shards of wood embedded in my knuckles when I pull it back. The stinging in my hand only amplifies my need to run my fist through Theo’s jaw. With another bellow, I repeat the move over and over again, until my hand is a bloody mess and there’s a hole the size of a soccer ball in the wall.
It does nothing to wash away my anger, but at least now I can think past the blinding rage.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Jules
I JERK UP IN BED when a loud banging wakes me. I blink quickly, confused when I don’t immediately recognize my surroundings. I look down at the purple blanket covering me then glance over the room. Memories flood in when I remember this is Aria’s room, and I’m at Luca’s house because he came and got me from Theo’s.
I rub my tired eyes, trying to wipe away the sandpapery feeling from just waking up. I must have slept later than I intended, because the sun is already setting.
Another loud bang and a muffled yell have me jumping from the bed. I fly into the hallway, just as I see Luca, wearing a navy-blue shirt, jeans, and wet hair, opening the front door. I brace myself when Theo stalks into the house.
“Where in the fuck is she?” he growls, getting into Luca’s face.
“Where’s Aria?” Luca counters, not backing down as he looks over Theo’s shoulder toward his car.
“With Mom and Dad. Why in the fuck are you so goddamn interested in Aria all the time? She’s my fucking daughter, not yours, Luca. Now, tell me where the fuck Jules is!” he finishes on a roar.
The words have barely left his mouth before Luca slams his fist against Theo’s jaw. I squeak out a cry. It’s as if all Luca was waiting for was to make sure Aria wouldn’t see what he planned to do. Theo stumbles back and hits the wall by the door. Luca steps forward and delivers another brutal punch to his cheek. Blood trickles from the corner of Theo’s mouth. Using the back of his hand, he wipes it away, then looks down at the bloody streak. My hand shakes as I bring it up to cover my mouth.
Theo’s eyes flicker to me, and so much hate reflects in them that I stumble back a step.
Luca steps in front of him, blocking his view of me.
“You don’t get to fucking look at her anymore,” Luca snarls.
“She’s my goddamn wife. I can do whatever the fuck I want,” Theo retaliates.
“Including raping her?” The question comes out on a guttural growl.
Theo doesn’t say anything for a moment, but I can hear both men’s heavy breathing.
“I wasn’t going to fucking rape her,” he grates out.
“You should have stopped the minute she told you to.”
“Fuck you, Luca. You don’t know what happened. You weren’t there.”
When Theo tries to step around Luca, he pushes him back with a hand on his chest. He thumps back against the wall.
“I didn’t need to be there to know she’s fucking scared out of her mind to be near you.”
From the tense way Luca’s holding his body and the hostility in his tone, I know he’s barely refraining from hurting Theo even more. I hate violence and try to avoid it at all costs. As much as I don’t want to face Theo, I know I need to, to get him to leave. I walk further into the living room, purposely putting myself in Theo’s line of sight. His eyes move to me, and a whole slew of emotions pass over his face.
“Please leave, Theo,” I say, putting some strength in my tone.
“I’m not leaving here without you,” he says harshly.
“She’s not going anywhere with you.”
Theo’s eyes slide from mine back to his twin’s. His laugh is vicious as he regards Luca with contempt.
“You’ve wanted this all along, haven’t you? You’ve just been waiting on the perfect time to snatch her from me, just like you did all those years ago. Because you want her all for yourself.”
I suck in a sharp breath. Luca reaches out, grabs Theo by the collar of his shirt, and yanks him forward. He tries to hide it, but I can see the pain those words cause. I have no idea what feelings Luca holds for me or what prompted him to take me all those years ago, but I know he holds an insurmountable amount of guilt over it. I saw it in his eyes when I opened to door the day he came to check on me.
“You’re a motherfucking bastard, Theo, for trying to turn this shit around on me. Do I want her? Fuck yes, I do. But I damn sure wouldn’t lay a hand on her.”
“But you fucking did,” Theo roars.
“Not the way you did.”
Something sinister enters Theo’s eyes. They flip to me then back to Luca. “But you fucking did,” he repeats, his tone low and holding a sick sense of satisfaction.
Shock slams into me, and a pain so sharp it sucks away all the breath in my lungs has tears rushing to my eyes. I reach out to the wall beside me, fearing my legs will give out at any minute.