Billionaire's Second Chance At Love

Chapter Ninety-Nine

Ronin stood outside the club, his breath shaky. He felt sick—so damn sick.

He knew Eric hated him. He had accepted the fact—had convinced himself that they would never be the same. But this... what he did to Willow... how could Eric even live with something like that? Did his hands not shake when he made Willow bleed? Did his heart not rip out of his chest, seeing her in so much pain? How? How could someone do that to their own family? He failed to understand. He simply couldn't wrap his head around it.

He looked up at the sky and felt just as dark and barren from the inside. It just... nothing made sense. His chest felt packed with a kind of emotion that threatened to make his bones crack. His head ached, his temples burned, and his shoulders felt depleted.

"This is a nightmare," he mumbled to himself, running a hand through his hair and barely suppressing the need to scream. Unshed tears burned his eyes as he tried to think of ways to reveal everything to his parents. They would be so heartbroken. Just the thought of their reactions skyrocketed another pain through his heart.

A hand on his arm pulled him out of his depressing thoughts and reminded him—once again—that he wasn't alone. He turned to face the woman who felt like the only thing anchoring him to sanity these days. His tautened shoulders dropped, and his arms worked on their own accord when he found them moving around her, pulling her close in an embrace that he seemed to need more than anything in that anguished hour.

He let his eyes fall shut and tried to get his thoughts centered.

The calm she brought to his heart—his life—helped somewhat, but the pain still lingered in the back of his mind. He knew he could close his eyes to the circumstances for all he wanted, but the reality would still be there, waiting for him to deal with it.

"I'm sorry. I know you never expected any of this to happen," she said to him quietly, holding him back and nestling her face into the crook of his neck. She kissed him on his jaw, and he savored the warm feeling that sparked at the contact.

He tightened his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. "I don't know what to think anymore. I mean, I knew we had our differences and were about to be those brothers who would never see each other eye to eye, but this... this incident with Willow... it's just too much—too unbelievable—even for him. I still can't believe it."

"I understand." She did. It couldn't be easier to simply accept what happened.

Ronin pulled away, tucking a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "I need to talk to Mom and Dad."

"I know," she nodded. "And you should, as soon as possible."

"They need to know the truth."

"They do. They deserve to know what happened to Willow."

But knowing what he should do didn't make it any easier. His eyes burned once again, and eventually, tears glistened in his eyes. "Why did he do this? I can't bring myself to understand what state of mind could have led him to do something so outrageous, to hurt his own..."

Carmen's heart broke at the sight of him breaking down. She cupped his face and squeezed the tears out of his eyes. "You shouldn't be so quick to jump to a conclusion, Ronin. We don't know the whole story yet."

Her words gave him pause, and Ronin couldn't help but turn stiff again. He held her hands and brought them down, eyes staring into her own, brows furrowed deeply. "Are you taking his side?" He looked offended. "Even if he had a reason, he didn't have the right to hurt her. He almost killed her. You saw her right? How could you—"

"No," she shook her head, not losing her calm. "That's not what I'm saying. Whatever happened to Willow shouldn't have happened. The person who did this to her needs to pay. I want that. I really do."

"Then why would you say something like that? Why are you defending him?"

"I'm just saying that James can't be trusted. He could have twisted the truth. He seemed absolutely capable of painting the blame on others as long as he got to save himself. He might even be playing with our heads for all we know," she really wanted him to trust her on this. She didn't want him to have any regrets later.

Ronin had always been hot-headed. It was one of his flaws that he made up his mind without evaluating all the aspects. But Carmen couldn't do that. It was her curse to think of every scenario there was to think of.

She hoped he wouldn't take her wrong. She hoped he would know she meant well.

"I guess what I'm really trying to say is that we need to keep an open mind. Not saying Eric is innocent, but he might have a different story to tell, and unless we hear his side, we can't rush to blame him." She slid her hands from his and linked their fingers once again, squeezing them gently. "I'm not asking you to forgive him. But as a brother, you should give him the benefit of the doubt."

Ronin sighed heavily, the weight of the situation pressing on him. He released her hands and ran his fingers through his hair, clearly frustrated with the situation. "I don't know if I can do that, Carmen. What he did to Willow is unforgivable. And...and even if he didn't do it, he must have known about it. I refuse to believe that he didn't. And I can't just turn a blind eye to that. And neither should you. It's not fair."

Carmen nodded understandingly, her gaze filled with empathy. "I'm not asking you to forget or forgive easily, Ronin. Just consider that there might be more to the story. If Eric is truly at fault, he should face the consequences. But let's make sure we have the complete picture before passing judgment." She sighed, searching for his gaze. "Look. I don't know what you think, but I don't trust James. And that means I don't trust anything that comes out of his mouth. Maybe he's telling the truth—it's very much possible. But it wouldn't hurt to confirm that, would it? You wouldn't want to punish your brother for something he didn't do."

Ronin looked into her eyes, grappling with conflicting emotions. Deep down, he knew she had a point. Eric was his brother—they grew up together, and knew each other better than anyone—and he did deserve a fair chance to be heard, but the truth was that Ronin was terrified of the confrontation Carmen was suggesting for Eric and him to have. He was terrified that Eric would turn out to be the monster James had accused him of. He was terrified to face the truth. If not for himself, then for his parents, for their family.

He sighed, walking away from her. He needed a moment to clear his head. He needed to think.

He shook his head. "Fine. We'll talk to him. But if it turns out that he really is responsible..." he turned around to face her, his eyes glowing with hurt, anger, and the pain of betrayal. "...I'm gonna kill that bastard with my bare hands."

A/N: Do you agree with Carmen? Or are you team Ronin?