Page 189 of Under Your Scars

“Oh, I promised Caroline we’d have pancakes for breakfast. If you see Paolo, will you pass on the message?”

My mother’s face lights up and she wiggles her eyebrows at me. “I’ll pass on more than just your message to the cute Italian in the kitchen.”

That brings a soft smile to my face as I quietly giggle. “Mom!”

She giggles back. “Kidding. Kidding.”

I take a moment to close my eyes and relax in the quiet loneliness before I stand to find the aspirin. I walk to the bathroom, rubbing the exhaustion out of my eyes. I collect the aspirin and then leave my mom’s room to check on Caroline. She’s still fast asleep, clutching her bunny to her chest. The burgundy comforter is twisted around her, so I fix it and kiss her forehead. She looks so small on our massive bed.

Sometimes I feel guilty about playing the system to adopt her, but there’s no denying that even with how dedicated Christian is to the orphanage, that we can give her more. More love. More opportunity. More happiness.

I hope life never steals the way she sees good in everyone.

My mother should have made it back here with some water by now, but I assume she’s flirting with Paolo, so I’ll just drink from the bathroom faucet instead.

I blindly slap around the wall for the light switch in the bathroom. The room lights up, and my stomach turns at the sight before me.

On the mirror, written in blood are the wordsI PROMISE.

CHAPTER 59

THE EXECUTIONER

I’ve had time to consider that maybe I’m going about this wrong. I’m a man with many regrets, and I’ve always let my failures eat me alive. It’s in my nature.

My biggest regret is failing to end this before it began.

All the pain and suffering I could have saved her from. All the abuse and the fear I could have spared her.

Christian Reeves has everyone fooled. Elena especially. He’s got his claws so deep in her that she will never be able to escape him. He’s broken her apart and haphazardly glued her back together to the point that she’s unrecognizable. To the point that the pain is so normal she doesn’t even realize she’s hurting.

But I can still save her. I can. I will.

I promised.

Even if it costs me everything, I can’t let the ghosts of my past do any more damage to her future.

Christian Reeves is not afraid of many things, but he is afraid of losing Elena. It’s one of the things we have in common and his only weakness I can exploit.

I loved her first, and while he would do anything to keep her in a gilded cage, I’d do anything to release her from it.

He’s delusional. He’s twisted the meanings of love and obsession, justifying to himself that they’re interchangeable, and they’re not. I suppose that’s a genetic predisposition he inherited from his father.

Thomas couldn’t tell the difference either—and he paid the price for it.

As I stalk through the halls of this mansion, finality settles in my bones. This is it. The grand finale.

I turn a corner and watch the radiant woman before me dance around the kitchen, a mixing bowl on her hip and a whisk in her hand as she hums to herself.

She always did love cooking.

I stifle a pained grunt and clutch my stomach. I’m still bleeding. The jagged edges of my skin where the glass ripped it apart rubs uncomfortably against my thick shirt.

With her back turned, I silently step into the room. It’s been nearly three decades since I’ve had a need to be so stealthy.

I know I’ve lost my touch when Bethany turns with a gasp and drops the mixing bowl, the beige batter spilling all over the floor and her ankles.

Her face has gone ghost white. She’s scared.