Chapter 35 I Thought You Disappeared Again
Sloane's POV
After saying that, I didn't bother to look at whatever storm was brewing on his face. I walked right past him and said to David, "Let's go."
Jared didn't stop me, but he followed behind.
Under the honey locust tree behind the group home, that small headstone stood quietly.
I placed the chamomile David had bought in front of the stone, gently brushing away a fallen leaf with my hand.
Jared stood a few steps away, looking at the cold headstone with only a name carved on it, then at me. His expression was more complicated than I'd ever seen.
"He died saving me." I crouched down, looking at the headstone, as if explaining to him, or maybe just talking to myself. "When I was ten, there was a flood here. The group home was submerged. We climbed onto the roof. He pushed me onto a piece of driftwood that floated by, but he got swept away. They never even found his body."
I spoke calmly, without tears, without accusation.
That heart-wrenching pain had long since settled into the river of time, becoming a scar on my heart that would never heal.
There was a long silence behind me, so long I thought he might finally be willing to believe me for once.
But what I heard instead was a very soft, deeply sarcastic snort.
I whipped around to meet his eyes, full of scrutiny and doubt.
"Nice story." He curved his lips in a smile that was cold and cruel. "To get him off the hook for this, you'd make up such a far-fetched tale. Sloane, you really go to great lengths for him."
In that moment, I felt my explanation was ridiculously absurd.
It turned out that no matter how I explained, no matter what the truth was, he would only believe what he wanted to believe.
In his mind, I'd already been convicted.
A huge sense of powerlessness and absurdity drowned me.
Suddenly, I laughed too.
"Yeah, I made it all up." I stood up, dusting off my hands, looking at him with indifference. "I didn't just make up stories—I also had someone break Keira's hand and slash her face. I did all of it, Jared. Are you satisfied now?"
I turned to leave, not wanting to spend another second with this unreasonable lunatic.
"Sloane!" Director Aria's kind voice came from nearby, breaking the tense atmosphere between us. "Dinner's ready, come eat!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a group of kids rushed out from the yard like a flock of happy birds, instantly surrounding us.
They were clearly curious about this tall, handsome stranger.
"Wow, mister, you're so tall!"
"Mister, are you a movie star? You're even better looking than the ones on TV!"
The children chattered away, generous with their praise.
The cold aura around Jared seemed to soften a bit in the face of the children's innocent smiles.
Though the lines of his face were still tight, his eyes were no longer so frightening.
A little girl with pigtails, who looked only seven or eight, boldly tugged at Jared's sleeve, looking up at him with eyes full of admiration. "Mister, when I grow up, I want to marry someone as handsome as you!"
Her innocent words drew good-natured laughter from everyone around.
Looking at that innocent face, I felt a bitter pang in my chest.
I walked over, crouched down, and gently touched the little girl's head. My voice was soft but clear enough for everyone present to hear, including Jared.
"Dear, when you're looking for a husband, good looks aren't enough." I looked into her eyes, speaking carefully and seriously. "You need to find someone who, no matter what happens, will believe you and protect you, not doubt you and hurt you. Remember that, okay?"
The little girl blinked her big eyes, clearly not understanding the deeper meaning of my words. She just looked up at Jared, as if still waiting for his response.
Jared's gaze moved from my face to that innocent little face, and the frightening low pressure around him miraculously eased a bit.
His mouth twisted into something that wasn't quite a smile, and with a joking tone that felt pointed, he asked me, "Well, then tell me, what does it mean that you can know someone's face but not their heart?"
I met his probing gaze, my heart cold.
I imitated his expression, curving my lips, and said to the little girl in a teasing tone, "It means some people look decent on the outside, but inside they're hiding an unreasonable beast. They love to wrongly accuse people. You should stay far away from people like that."
As soon as I finished speaking, my waist suddenly tightened.
Jared had somehow moved behind me. With one long arm, he pulled me entirely into his solid, burning embrace.
My body stiffened. The children's innocent laughter rang in my ears, but all I could feel was the vibration from his chest and the familiar, aggressive cold scent emanating from him.
"Sloane." He lowered his head, his warm breath brushing my ear, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't say such things in front of the children."
His hand didn't stop there. Instead, it moved along my waistline, slowly settling on my flat abdomen.
The warm touch from his palm exploded like thunder through my body.
All the blood in my body rushed to my head. Instinctively, I tried to push him away.
This child was my last secret, my only way out. I couldn't let him find out!
But he misinterpreted my struggle as coy resistance. Far from releasing me, he tightened his hold, trapping me more firmly in his arms.
"What, scared now?" He chuckled, his other hand gripping my chin, forcing me to turn my head.
The next second, his lips covered mine.
This kiss, like the man himself, was domineering, forceful, and allowed no refusal.
He pried open my teeth with a hint of punishment, plundering every bit of air in my mouth.
The children's exclamations and Director Aria's light cough became distant and blurred. My world contained only the rich tobacco taste between his lips and teeth and that suffocating possessiveness.
This kiss was lingering and passionate, carrying an unusual tenderness, as if soothing, yet also probing.
He kissed me until my head spun, a weak numbness spreading through my limbs.
Just as I was about to drown in it, reason suddenly snapped back.
I forcefully turned my head away, avoiding his lips, my chest heaving violently.
He seemed displeased with my resistance, his dark eyes fixed on me, his thumb ambiguously caressing my swollen, kiss-reddened lips.
"Why did you run off without a word?" he asked, his voice hoarse, carrying a hint of barely detectable grievance and accusation. "I thought you'd disappeared again."