Page 6

CONTRARY TO NICHOLAS' initial plans, it was well after dinner, and they were back in his bed, her tiny body curled in his arms, when he finally got her to speak of his past, and she somehow managed to make him do the same.

She told him everything, starting from the very beginning, when her world was small enough to be perfect, and all the way to the end, when she learned how life could so drastically change in a blink of an eye.

Hearing her voice shake as she told him of how her former boss had almost raped her had Nicholas yanking her close and tucking her head under his chin to keep her from accidentally glimpsing the cold rage in his eyes.

"I'll never let anyone hurt you again. I promise you that.

" And he meant to keep his word, regardless of how things would turn out in the future.

He also meant to teach the asshole a lesson, but this one he kept to himself.

He had a feeling that if Tabitha knew of his plans, she would only ask him to stop and let things be.

He felt her stir in his arms, and when he glanced down, she asked him hesitantly, "What about you?

In all the months Danny and I had been exchanging emails, he's only spoken of his life since he started living with you.

He never—-" Tabitha paused to cast him an uncertain look.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I totally understand—-"

Nicholas' lips twisted in an ironic smile. "Would you still wish to hear it, even if there's nothing good to speak of?"

"I want to know everything about you," she said simply.

The smile remained on his lips, but this time it no longer reached his eyes. "So be it then." A stoic mask settled on his face as Nicholas' mind reluctantly drifted back to the past.

He had been fifteen then, and like all boys in that age, he had been foolish, brash, and reckless. And with parents that saw no wrong in giving in to his every wish, Nicholas had believed the whole world was his to conquer.

When a girl two years older than him told Nicholas he had gotten her pregnant, he had told her carelessly he would pay her whatever was needed as long as she didn't make the mistake of cramping his style.

When Carly had readily agreed, he had taken her acquiescence at face value, and because she had not pressured him at all to get involved, Nicholas had found himself actually enjoying all the perks of being a dad without having to suffer the lows.

He was able to spoil little Daniel when he wanted, have his baby boy visit him during weekends and then get Carly to take him back when he had other plans.

It was an ideal setup, and it had never occurred to him to question the status quo until he had impulsively decided to drive up to Carly's house.

He had intended to surprise Daniel with a visit, but he had been the one who ended up stunned.

Carly's three-story mansion, which she was only able to afford because of his monthly paychecks, appeared to have served as a lavish playground for the rich and famous.

It was where the junkies went whenever they needed a private haven to indulge their vices, and for those with highly particular sexual appetites, the mansion also functioned as a bordello, with Carly willingly procuring the necessary participants for the right price.

And on the night he had visited, he had caught Carly just about to hand over their own son - their baby boy - to an aging old sheikh in exchange of a hundred million dollars.

"She swore to me that Danny had never been involved before that night," Nicholas said harshly. "But even though the FBI and the investigators I had hired corroborated her story, a part of me couldn't stop thinking that she had to be lying. That everyone was lying, and I was too late—-"

Tears falling down her cheeks, Bee threw her arms around him, whispering, "I'm so sorry."

"I had nightmares about it for years," Nicholas said tonelessly. "And I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for what happened."

She tightened her hold around his neck. "I'm so sorry, Nicholas." And now, the words that Danny occasionally and fleetingly mentioned, words that used to puzzle her - they all made sense to her now.

I'm not saying my dad's uncool or anything, but he takes most things seriously.

Sometimes, I get the feeling he's still punishing himself.

He doesn't find it easy to trust people, so you need to be patient with him.

Bee bit her lip hard, but it was no use, her tears only falling faster as she found herself unable to stop imagining the way he must've felt, seeing his seven-year-old son almost lose his innocence in the hands of a pedophile.

She ached to help him, but she didn't even know where or how to start, and never had she felt more painfully insecure than she did at that very moment.

She was nothing but a high school dropout, with not even looks or a nice job to speak of.

She didn't even have any experience to speak of, something that would at least allow her to connect to Nicholas as another parent.

Bee felt Nicholas brush his lips against the top of her head. "No more tears, sweetheart. It's all in the past now."

"I just wish..." Her voice caught. "I just wish I knew how to help you." Because the more she thought about it, the more terrified she was...

Could it be possible Danny had made a mistake in choosing her?