I still don’t know how I feel about what happened or the fact that Weston is really gone. My heart and head are conflicted, torn between losing the man I had fallen in love with and a man who was nothing like the man I first met. With his witty personality and sweet charm, he lured me into his web. Once I was addicted to him, he ripped the rug out from under me and revealed the monster he truly was. I thought I knew him and thought I loved him; hell, I thought he loved me too. But you don’t hit and hurt the person you love. He revealed his demons to me on a gold platter the moment I moved in with him.
I should’ve left sooner, and I know that. Fear and the hope that things would change kept me a prisoner in his home.
He could’ve killed me.
He had a gun.
A gun I didn’t know existed.
Would he have used it on me? The next fight? The next time I pushed his buttons too far? The next time he drank?
Questions flood my thoughts as I squeeze my eyes shut and try to push them away. I can’t think of the what-ifs because it’ll send me spiraling again, and I won’t let him win. He doesn’t get to control me anymore. I’m free.
“Soph?” I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I relax at Mason’s soothing voice.
I open my eyes to my savior, the man who essentially saved my life, after falling asleep on the couch after breakfast. He’s dressed in slacks and a button-up shirt, and I make sure my gaze doesn’t linger on him for too long. My feelings for him have always been there, even when I forced myself to pretend they weren’t and pushed them away in hopes they’d disappear. Knowing he only saw me as a friend made it possible to ignore them, and for years now, I did. From the moment I started dating Weston, things were strained between Mason and me, but it didn’t mean I stopped caring about him. Mason tried to warn me, to protect me, and wanted me to understand the concerns he had about the man I was sharing a bed with every night. Bitterness that he didn’t give us a shot three years ago and my pride kept me from listening. He’s always looked out for me, and I know that now.
Blinking up at him, I take in his features. Still gorgeous, built, and tan, every inch of him is pure perfection.
“You okay?”
I inhale a deep breath, then exhale slowly. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about all the unpacking I should be doing. But at least I managed to finish a load of laundry so I can hang up my clothes.”
He takes a seat next to me on the couch. The couch I’ve been sleeping on the past two nights because I didn’t want to be an inconvenience to Liam and take over his bed again. We argued about it, but I insisted, and he eventually caved since he barely fit. The cushions are comfortable for a little bit, but after a few hours, the springs were killing me. I stretch my arms above my head, tilting my head until a crack sounds.
Mason furrows his brows at me and frowns. “Your back hurt?”
I sigh, slumping my arms down to my sides. “Everything hurts,” I admit honestly, not just referring to my back.
“Let’s find something to binge since we’ll be stuck in this house for a while.” Mason grabs the remote and clicks on the Netflix app. “Might as well be on house arrest since I’ve been ordered to stay hidden until further notice.”
I don’t have to ask what he means by that because I already know. His dad told him to keep a low profile and not talk to the media about anything. Being the DA’s son and not being in jail already has people making assumptions about the whole situation.
“Sure, might as well. I haven’t watched TV in so long I don’t even know what’s good,” I admit, reaching for a blanket.
Mason looks at me with a wide grin.
“What?” I ask, then pat down my hair, wondering if it’s sticking up in a rat’s nest. “Do I have something on my face?”
He shakes his head and chuckles. “No, nothing like that. I’m just glad you’re safe, Soph. I feel a lot better with you being here.”
“Really? Because I feel like I’m intruding on you guys,” I admit. I hate being an inconvenience.
“Uh, no. Not at all. I’d be going stir-crazy if you were anywhere else. Well, crazier.” He flashes me a boyish grin as if admitting that made him more vulnerable. This side of Mason makes being just friends hard as hell. It’s difficult not to feel something for him when he’s like this.