A Deceptive Beauty

Chapter Eighteen

Belle watched the pain in his eyes remain even after he finished the story. There were tears shimmering in her own eyes so she couldn't even imagine the turmoil inside of him, even if he wasn't crying at the moment.

"The next day was my birthday. And only Mary was around to help me out," Kaiden finished, looking away and falling silent.

Belle stayed silent as well, absorbing his story.

Then, she realized a few things. Genevieve's connection to roses must've been the reason why he had acted so defensively when she had found the rose a few weeks ago, particularly when she had kept asking him about the roses. Had she knew about the story behind it, she wouldn't have asked.

That made her start thinking about the cruelty of what Genevieve did, which made Belle scowl slightly. What she did was very heartless. Based on what Kaiden had said, she knew of his love but still used him anyway. In Belle's eyes, that was worse than anything Luther had done, which was saying something.

The horribleness of it all got to her. His heart was smashed into pieces on the same day his parents died. She knew how losing a parent felt, but losing both? Absolutely incomprehensible. That sorrow returned as the tears started to slide down her cheeks.

Belle didn't even notice Kaiden move closer to her until he was there, kneeling down and cupping her face with his big, warm hands. In response, she froze and her eyes widened.

"I hope you're not crying for me," he murmured softly to her, looking into her eyes. His thumb brushed against her cheek, wiping away the tears. "I don't deserve tears from a woman like you."

Belle's heart beat a little faster, making her temporarily forget about what she had been crying about. She was sure that she was flushed.

Those beautiful emerald eyes peered into her like she was made of glass. And his nearness and touch added to the way her pulse was racing. His hands were so gentle against her face it made her glad that she was already sitting down because her knees would've given out had she been standing.

"Why not? Nobody deserves that," Belle blurted out, uncomfortable with how she was feeling at the moment. Who knew that such a close proximity would make her that nervous.

Kaiden released her. She was unsure if she liked that or not. His warmth left her and now she felt a little cold.

"Nobody deserves that," he agreed. "But you shouldn't cry over me," he said. Then he looked a little puzzled as if he didn't know why he had said that.

"I can't control my tears, especially with something like this," Belle replied softly and honestly. "Because I know how it feels to lose a parent."

As soon as she said that, he jerked his head towards her with surprise in his eyes. Belle ignored the surprise and went on, saying, "Although, I still have Papa. And I've never had someone break my heart, so I don't truly know the extent of how you feel."

Kaiden's eyes were still filled with surprise. "Your mother?" Belle understood his silent question. "But didn't you mention how your mother acted with nature..." Kaiden seemed to realize that she hadn't said anything about her livelihood.

Now it was her turn to look away, as she tried to blink away the tears that threatened to return. "She was swept away by the ocean when I was ten." Her fingers subconsciously went to necklace, making them both look at it.

"This was the last thing she gave me," she looked sadly at the crack in the gem. Kaiden swore. Belle figured it must've reminded him what Kai had done to the necklace.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, looking remorseful about the necklace.

"It's not your fault. But it's still intact so it's fine," Belle comforted both Kaiden and herself. After all, Kai had been the one to do so after she had stood up to him the second time.