Chapter 365
Elysia defiantly lifted her chin, her voice strong but betrayed by the unstoppable tears streaming down her face. Some wounds, she realized, weren’t so easily numbed by time or distraction.
The presence of her kids had been a salve to her aching heart, but now, facing the very source of her anguish, her emotions spiraled out of control. She was determined not to cry over this anymore, yet she couldn’t help herself. Her tears flowed like a breached dam, beyond her control.
Tarquin, his heart aching for her, tentatively reached out to wipe her tears, only to be met with rejection. “I told you, don’t touch me!” Elysia snapped, batting his hand away.
Tarquin’s hand froze mid-air, his expression one of a bewildered child, unsure of what to do next.
Elysia, in a futile attempt to regain some composure, roughly wiped away her tears and defensively claimed, “I’m crying because you mentioned something from six years ago, reminding me of issues between my husband and me. It has nothing to do with you p>
Tarquin was skeptical. “So, you’re saying it wasn’t you last night p>
“No, it wasn’t p>
“Then who left these scratch marks on me?” Tarquin challenged, opening his robe to reveal the evidence.
Elysia, her breathing hurried and lips pressed tightly together, insisted, “It wasn’t me p>
Tarquin countered, “We have security guards downstairs. They wouldn’t let a stranger in. If it wasn’t you, then it must have been me or Elijah. Do you really think Elijah or I did this p>
His implication was clear – it could only have been Elysia.
Cornered by logic, Elysia had no choice but to confess, “It was me! You tried to take advantage of me when you were drunk, and I had to defend myself p>
With that, she pulled down her collar to reveal bruises on her neck. “These are the proof of your assault p>
Seeing the marks, Tarquin’s emotions surged. “Aren’t these marks proof of who you are? In my life, it’s only been you. I would never touch another woman, even in a drunken stupor. My heart responds only to you. I know it was you p>
He recalled how others, like Nola Slater, had tried to seduce him in his drunken state, only to be met with violence. Even inebriated, he would never mistake another for her.
“I know it was you, last night, in my arms, and six years ago at the airport. It was always you,” Tarquin insisted, stepping closer.
Elysia, panicked, denied it vehemently. “It wasn’t me p>
But Tarquin was relentless. “It was you p>
Backed into a corner, literally and figuratively, Elysia felt trapped. “I said it wasn’t! Stop talking to me. I don’t want to hear another word p>
She covered her ears, but Tarquin continued, “I know it was you. Why won’t you admit it? What are you afraid of? That I’ll hurt you? I won’t, not ever again. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Please, don’t leave. Stay with the kids and me p>
His pleas were cut short by a sharp slap across his face.
His mentions of ‘the kids’ and ‘the rest of our lives’ filled her with an unbearable fear.