Page 54 of Tainted Obsession 1

“I loved him,” she admits, her voice shaking. “I was going to marry him. I thought he was a good man.”

She squeezes her eyes shut, as though she’s trying to trap her tears and prevent them from spilling over.

A sense of powerlessness I’ve never known before hollows out my chest. Her distress shreds me like nothing else.

He did this to her. He betrayed this sweet, trusting angel. She looks shattered: my broken little butterfly.

“How could I be so stupid?” she asks on a strained whisper, her eyes still closed.

Anger tightens my jaw, but I manage to force out through gritted teeth, “You’re not stupid. He lied to you. He never deserved you.”

“It doesn’t feel real. This can’t be happening.”

I cup her cheek. “Look at me.”

Her lovely eyes snapped to mine, dark with pain.

“You’re with me now. I’ve got you, no matter what. You have a good heart.Don’t let him take that from you.”

I harden my resolve. I won’t fucking allow it. No matter what it takes, I’ll shield her from further harm. She will never lose the innocence that I covet: the kind soul that I crave to possess.

I want her sweet devotion all for myself, and I won’t allow that motherfucker to diminish her spirit. She has an inner strength that I’ve seen in her many times. That bastard won’t crush it. He won’t take one more damn thing from this perfect woman.

A knock on the door to the suite distracts me. I immediately break contact and rush to let the doctor in. As soon as the thin, dark-haired man appears in the doorway, I step back to hurry him to the bedroom.

“She was unconscious when I found her,” I tell him, the words a low growl as fury surges once again. I clench my teeth to reign in my anger, struggling to shove it down so that I remain calm for her. “I don’t know how long she was out.”

The man seems to understand that I prioritize Evelyn over my own more obvious injuries.

Or maybe it’s the murderous rage that still lingers in my taut muscles—a warning not to contradict me.

She sits up on the bed, her gaze sharpening on my bloody face. “You’re the one who was unconscious,” she counters. “I was just disoriented for a minute. I really am okay.”

“They hurt you,” I grind out, my patience wearing thin. “Tell me what happened.”

Her chin tips back in that defiant posture that both irritates and entices me. For now, irritation wins. This isn’t the time for a sensual power play, not when her health is at risk.

“Tell me what they did,” I bite out, crossing my arms over my chest.

The doctor is already at her side, ready to assess her for unseen injuries.

She huffs out a breath, capitulating. “I’ll tell you, but you have to get checked out as soon as he confirms I’m fine.”

She nods in the direction of the doctor.

“Evelyn…” I imbue her name with warning, a threat of consequences if she doesn’t comply immediately.

She turns her attention to the doctor. “They took me out of the SUV and put me in a van. I struggled, so one of them hit me. Things went hazy for a minute. The next thing I knew, Massimo was driving me away from the fight.”

I’m grateful that she didn’t witness the violence in the van, but concern for her far outweighs my relief.

“Where were you hit?” the doctor asks, calm and methodical as he begins to gingerly inspect her scalp.

She gestures to the right side of her head. When he applies light pressure to the spot, she winces.

I’m at her side in an instant, wrapping my hand around hers in a pulse of comfort. The sense of helplessness gnaws at me, the sensation maddening. I can’t bear to see her in pain.

“You’ll have a bit of a bump there for a little while, but there’s no bleeding,” the doctor says. He turns his brown gaze on me, clearly sensing that I’m the one who needs reassurance. “She’ll be fine.”