BROKEN HOPE (Broken Redemption Book 2)

Chapter 6

Emilia

My eyes well up with emotion as memories of what happened assault my senses, bringing back the shame and humiliation I thought I'd already washed away. It's the first thing I did when we got home. I turned the water in the shower as hot as I could take it, to scrub away all evidence of that cabin and my time with Creed.

I never should have let things get that far. After everything he did—the way he left us, and didn't reach out to let me know he was okay or to warn me we were in danger—I should have stood my ground. I should have made it clear I'm not the same woman he left, and I should have demanded his respect. Instead, I let my desperation to be loved, my need to feel wanted, rise above all common sense. And by the time I realized my mistake, it was too late. I let him take yet another piece of me. Let him use me when deep down I knew he'd only leave me again.

Snatching the panties from his hand, I race to the kitchen. Dropping the offending garment into the trash, I pull the bag from the can so I can tie it closed. Determined to rid myself of every last piece of what happened today, I march toward the back door with the bag of trash in hand.

Just as I get there, he reaches for me. Grabbing me by the arm, he spins me around to face him, while in the same breath, he takes the bag of trash from my hand. With my tear-filled eyes locked onto his, he backs me up onto one of the stools at the kitchen island.

"Sit and don't move. I'll take care of this, but when I come back, you and I are going to talk." When I drop my gaze to my hands which wring nervously on my lap, he demands, "Answer me, Emilia. Tell me you understand."

I'm grateful when he accepts a nod and then leaves me. At the sound of the back door closing behind him, a small sob breaks through my lips. What happened between Creed and me is bad enough, but the thought of reliving it in a conversation with Lucas is just too much. Unfortunately, there isn't enough time to come up with an alternative, for within seconds, he is back at my side.

Taking the stool next to me, he spins the seat, so he is facing me. Then, with his muscular arms, he pulls my stool in his direction, until my legs are caught between his. There's no way out. He's leaving me with no choice but to face the consequences of what I've done. It would be humiliating, if not for the concern in his eyes as he scrutinizes my face.

"Tell me. What happened before we got there?"

"He didn't rape me, if that's what you think." The statement comes out more forceful than I intended, driven in part by the way he's looking at me. The conclusion he's come to is dead wrong, and I can't let that go unaddressed.

"If that's true, then why were you so upset when I found you? Matter of fact, why are you so upset now?" He asks with a hard glare that proves he doesn't believe me.

Feeling cornered, I lift my chin in defiance. Then, with rage pulsing through my veins, I inadvertently spew all my self-loathing in his direction. "Because I let him use me and I was ashamed! Because in my desperation to be touched, to feel loved and wanted, I forgot he's one of the reasons I feel so worthless. And I knew it. Deep down I knew he would leave me shattered yet again, but by the time I tried to stop, it was too late." What starts as yelling ends in a whimper, and just as I finish, he pulls me hard against his chest.

"It's never too late to say no, Embree. Never. And if that fucking bastard doesn't know that by now, then maybe it's time someone teaches him the lesson." He growls into my hair, his arms squeezing around me as his racing heart pounds against my ear.

"It wasn't like that, I swear." I sob. God, I need him to believe me, for I cannot bear even the remote possibility there is any truth to his accusation. "I just...I made a mistake." I pull back to look at him, putting as much sincerity into my eyes as I can muster. Reaching for his face, I take a second to soak in the feel of the soft hairs of his beard against my skin. "I swear on my girls, Lucas. He didn't rape me. I just got lost in the moment and didn't see it for the mistake it was until it was too late. I messed up."