Page 77 of The Betrayal You Serve

"It's okay. I know you wouldn't do something like that maliciously."

"Do you?" he asks, genuinely shocked.

"I know you're not a monster, Kane. I know learning about all that hurt you and I know you wouldn't go around willingly telling everyone who cared about what I went through. The only reason I never told them was because of how painful it was to recall, and the fact you needed to be the one to know before anyone else. I'd already kept enough from you and you already hated them. I didn't need to make any of it worse."

He nods, shoveling more shredded chicken into his mouth.

"Leon came straight to you after I told him?"

I nod, picking up a spring roll but making no effort to actually eat it. “We made a pact when I first started at MKU to share our secrets, he came to tell me his after discovering mine.”

"Oh?"

"I didn't let him. Whatever he's hiding, he's not ready to talk about it."

"You're a good friend, Let."

I shrug. "I dunno. We all lost touch when I left, and that was my fault."

"No, you all had the same responsibility and life just gets in the way sometimes."

"I guess," I say, finally lifting my spring roll to my mouth and biting off the end.

We sit eating in a comfortable silence for the longest time just lost in our own thoughts before Kane blurts out another confession.

"I know that Riley's death wasn't your fault. I just…" He blows out a pained breath, placing his cutlery on his plate and scrubbing his hand down his face. "I was still dealing with the death of my parents, looking after Kyle, school, football. I knew I fucked up the second Riley talked to me about asking you to that dance and I encouraged him. I didn't want to look like a pussy or have to confess to liking you by putting him off, but I should have."

"Kane," I say, reaching for his hand. "I'm sorry about your parents."

He pushes his hair back from his brow, his emotions from even mentioning them are clear to see.

Sliding my chair out, I encourage him to do the same and I sit in his lap.

"You've never had a chance to grieve them properly, have you?"

Yes, their gran took them in, and she was a wonderful woman, but I know from being there that Kane immediately took on the role as guardian to Kyle even though he was only a kid himself. He got himself involved with Victor early on because he felt he needed to provide and he juggled that and school and football for years. Everything he's ever done has been for someone else. Even down to giving Riley his blessing to date me. Kane has always put himself last and I think it's about time that ends.

Wrapping my arms around him, I rest my head on his chest. "I'm going to talk to my mom. We're going to fix this, Kane."

"No, Let. She's already done more than she should to help me with all the stuff for Kyle."

"Please, Kane. Let me help. You don't need to take all of this on alone now. Mom will have contacts, maybe we can find a way through this."

He drops his lips to my hair and kisses me. "I don't deserve you."

"After everything you've been through, I think you deserve the world."

"Fucking hell, Princess." He holds me so tight I swear something inside me is going to snap, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

16

Kane

Reaching over, I search the other side of the bed for Letty, but it's empty and the sheets are cold.

Ripping my eyes open, I look around the room, needing to find some kind of evidence that she didn't realize she made a horrible mistake yesterday and got up in the middle of the night and left.

I sigh in relief when I find her clothes and shoes still in a pile on the floor.