ric’s POV:


    I’m not a good man.‘


    That was what I kept chanting in my mind with every second that passed and every wave of guilt that washed over me.


    I was lying to her. Pretending as though I didn’t already know who her father was. As though I wasn’t the one who put him in prison.


    But hearing Meadow talk about the kind of person Clint Russell was made me want to kill him, to rid her of him for good.


    Meadow didn’t know love as a child, and it was all because of him. My father was also terrible, but at least, Nn and I had our mother–even though she suffered a lot in ce of us.


    The fact that Meadow med herself for how she was treated… it nearly ripped my heart out of my chest.


    All I wanted to know right now was why the fuck her father was trying to contact her from prison after all these years. And I wouldter.


    But for now…


    “Still think it was your fault?” I asked after a moment of silence. She’d been drawing circles on my chest, yawning and sighing every now and then. It was like she was tired, but just couldn’t sleep.


    Meadow didn’t say anything at first.


    And then: “A few sweet words offort isn’t really going to change how I feel, ric,” she whispered. You know that.”


    15


    “And I also know that you shouldn’t have ever felt that way in the first ce,” I murmured back. “Your parents failed you, Meadow.” I paused. “Fuck, if you weren’t sick, I’d spend the entire night proving to you just how deserving you are.”


    She shivered from those words. “Oh yeah?” she looked up at me, biting down lightly on her lip to conceal her smile. “How would you do that?”


    I would’ve taken her into the Tether room, tied her up just the way she liked and…


    Fucking hell. The things I wanted to do to this woman. My wife.


    I smirked, delivering a light spank to her ass. “Feel better first, and then we can talk about it.”


    She rolled her eyes at me, and for a moment, she stared at me with a light in her eyes.


    CHAPTER OND


    But it wasn’t long before that light dimmed.


    <b>I </b>instantly knew what she was about to ask me even before she asked. “You know, there are other ways you can show me I’m deserving… of the truth, most especially.”


    My chest tightened and my brows furrowed as I pushed her hair away from her face. “What do you want to know<i>?</i>”


    She gave a slight shrug. “Tell me… about her. rissa.”


    She wanted to know why I broke up with her aunt. I hated talking about this. Fucking hated when something reminded me of this–which was one of the major reasons I hated that she was back.


    The years I transitioned from teenagehood to adulthood were undoubtedly the worst years of my life. And just when I thought I had the one person who made me feel a little bit whole…


    Meadow’s face fell and she heaved a sigh. <b>“</b>Just a few minutes ago, you wanted to know if I trusted you. And now, I’m asking you the same thing.” Her hand came up to cradle my face. “Do you trust me, ric?<b>” </b>


    “Without question.” My voice was hoarse.


    “Then, tell me,” she whispered. “What did she do to you?”


    I had no idea how much rissa had told Meadow. But she’d confessed about making her believe that we had been together in Vegas. There was no way I could fix that–except tell Meadow the truth.


    I swallowed. “She cheated.”


    Now that I said it out loud, it sounded like it was such a minor reason. As if keeping it to myself all this while hadn’t been for my best interest. But it was more than that.


    And I wasn’t done. “She… cheated on me with my brother.”


    Meadow shot up so fast, I was almost fully certain that the movement must’ve hurt her head. “What?” she


    breathed. “Nn?”


    “The one and only,” I muttered, tightening my grip around her.


    “How… how could he…”


    I’d tried to tuck the memories in the back of my mind several times. But Nn wouldn’t let me. In some


    twisted way, he hated me for not hating him. For not punishing him more than I already had.


    So I never forgot. And I told Meadow about it. Told her about how rissa and I had a little argument, and


    then I’d gone on a trip. And when I got back to the house earlier than I was supposed to, I saw rissaing out of Nn’s room–the evidence of their activity the night before all over her face and clothes.


    “I like to convince myself that rissa only used him. She’s older than him, after all, and he was only


    CHAPTER ONTO


    eighteen. Barely a fucking adult.” I scoffed. “But Nn knew exactly what the meant to me the s just any other girl–I could fucking feel her.”


    Meadow nted a kiss on my jaw. “I’m sorry that happened. I hate that Nn did to you Kinda maskes sense why you hate him-”


    “I don’t hate my brother, baby.” I cut in. “Things are just… a little moreplicated than that. And the motherfucker already hates himself for what he did. It’s why he always does everything he can to piss me off.*


    Confusion swirled in her eyes for a second, but then they widened. “He doesn’t want you to forgive him for what he did to you.”


    I smirked. “Smart girl.”


    Meadow’s cheeks turned pink–the way they always did whenever Iplimented her… praised her.


    I wanted to show her that fucking room. Meadow would be an excellent submissive–there was <b>no </b>


    question about that. But I was hesitant to let her see that part of me.


    What if she wasn’t ready? What if she’d run out on me after discovering the kinds of things I did just to get overstimted.


    To feel pleasure.


    “And rissa…<i>” </i>she continued. “What are you going to do about her now she’s back, and staying in your


    mother’s house? Not to mention….” she lowered her eyes. “I don’t think your mother likes me.”


    “Do I look like I care what my mother thinks about you?” I asked, gaze dropping to her pursed lips. “I don’t, baby. And I love my mother, but if she ever does anything to hurt you, I’d dly cut her off.”


    Meadow’s breath hitched. “You don’t mean that.”


    “I fucking do,” I rasped honestly. “And about rissa… you should know that she’s a master maniptor. Frankly, she doesn’t like the fact that my wife can feel me, and knowing her…” I cupped Meadow’s chin with my fingers. “She’s going to try whatever she can to ruin it.”


    She tried to look away from me but I shook my head. “And I’m not going to let her. I swear it.”


    “So you don’t…” she swallowed nervously. “You don’t still love her?”


    That pulled a scoff from me. <b>“</b>My love for rissa died the moment <b>I </b>saw here out of my brother’s


    room, baby.”


    This time, she couldn’t control the smile that spread across her lips. I pulled her higher so she could meet my lips with hers, groaning when she slipped her tongue into my mouth. “I thought you said you didn’t want me falling sick,” I rasped.


    CHAPTER ONO


    “I thought you said you never fall sick,” she said with augh. My grip tightened around her waist, my hand moving down to her <b>ass </b>and squeezing. Meadow sighed against my mouth. “God, I hate that I’m on my period right now.” Her hand drifted down my chest, all the way to my sweatpants. And a groan ripped from my throat when her fingers slipped into the waistband and grazed my already hard cock.


    “Fuck, baby, don’t do that.”


    “Why not?” she murmured, amusementcing her tone.


    “Because I want to fuck you. And you doing this really isn’t helping my case<i>.</i><i>” </i>


    My teeth scraped along my bottom lip as she wrapped her small hand around the flesh. “Who said anything about fucking?” she whispered. “I only want to y with daddy’s piercings. That’s all.”