Page 153 of Scandalous Contract

“That’s illegal,” he added.

“I know.”

“You still want me?” he asked.

“I do.”

“If that’s the case, then what makes you think there’s anything you could do to make me not want you?”

I sniffled, not knowing what to say.

“Do youwantto tell me what happened back then?” he asked.

I did. I wanted to tell someone. I wanted to get this burden off my chest. And with Julian, I knew I was in a judgment-free zone. I knew he wouldn’t see me as a monster. So, I nodded.

“Okay,” he said. “Go get changed into your pajamas. I’ll turn the home security back on and get these chairs out of here. Then we can sit on the couch, and you can tell me what happened back then. Okay?”

I nodded. He released me. On shaky legs, I headed to the bedroom to get changed into something more comfortable. I didn’t choose the sexy lingerie I usually wore around him. I put on a pair of cotton PJs.

I went into the bathroom and washed my face, using makeup remover to cleanse my face before applying skin cream and lip balm. I lotioned my hands and then slid on my slippers. By the time I returned to the living room, Julian was seated on the couch.

On the center table was my box of Kleenex, a bottle of water, and a bottle of pain pills. I smiled. He’d thought of everything. Opening up my closet and revealing my skeletons to him would definitely make me cry, needing Kleenex.

And it was a long story, so I’d need water to soothe my throat. And it would leave me feeling drained and with a headache, hence the pain pills. How did he always get it right? He patted the space beside him. I walked over and sat down.

It was time for me to share my secrets with Julian Cattaneo.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

STEFANIE

––––––––

JULIAN DIDN’T RUSHme. He let me tell him the tale of my past at my own pace. And I appreciated that. I began with the whirlwind that was my romance with Archie. How his family had embraced me, making me feel like I belonged, if only for a fleeting moment.

That illusion shattered quickly. Archie changed, becoming controlling, manipulative, and abusive. I had planned to leave him, to reclaim my life, until he begged me to stay, begged me to adopt a child with him.