Chapter 38 The Blood Between Us
Pierce stared at her, the ultimatum hanging between them like a blade.
Tell her the truth or lose her.
He'd known this moment was coming. Had felt it approaching like a storm, inevitable and devastating.
And now it was here.
"Sit down," Pierce said quietly.
"No." She said sharply. "Just tell me."
"Elena, please." He pleaded. "Sit down."
Something in his voice made her move. She sat on the edge of the couch, arms wrapped around herself, eyes locked on his face.
Pierce stood there for a long moment, trying to find the words. Trying to figure out how to tell her the one thing that would destroy them both.
"I've been keeping something from you," he started. "Something I should have told you weeks ago."
"What is it?"
Pierce ran a hand through his hair, his chest tight. "You told me once about your parents. About how they died."
Elena's expression shifted, confused. "What does that have to do with..."
"May 14th. Three years ago. The gang violence downtown." Pierce forced himself to keep looking at her. "You said they were celebrating your graduation. That they got caught in the crossfire."
"Yes." Elena's voice was hesitant now. "Why are you..."
"My parents died that night too."
The words fell into the space between them.
Elena went very still. "What?"
"Yes on may 14th, three years ago. My parents were killed in gang violence." Pierce's voice was hollow. "The same night yours died."
"That's..." Elena shook her head. "That's a coincidence. Chicago's a big city, gang violence happens..."
"It wasn't a coincidence."
"What are you talking about?"
Pierce closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, Elena was staring at him with dawning horror.
"It was the same incident, Elena. The same shootout. Same location. Same night." His voice cracked. "Our parents died together."
"No." Elena stood up. "No, that's not possible."
"Your parents were leaving a celebration dinner. My parents were two blocks away, leaving their anniversary dinner." Pierce took a step toward her. "There was a shootout. A gang war between my father's organization and a rival crew. Your parents were caught in the crossfire."
Elena's face had gone pale. "You're lying."
"I'm not."
"You're lying." Her voice rose. "You're making this up to....to what? To..."
"I've known since the moment you told me about that night." Pierce's words came faster now, desperate. "The date, the location, the way you described it. I knew immediately."
"You knew?" Elena's voice was barely a whisper. "You knew and you didn't tell me?"
"I couldn't...."
"How long?" Her voice turned sharp. "How long have you known?"
"Since the beginning." He said quietly. "Since you first told me about your parents."
"That was weeks ago." Elena backed away from him. "We slept together. We....I fell for you and you knew the entire time?"
"Elena, please..."
"Your family killed my parents." The realization hit her like a physical blow. She pressed a hand to her chest. "Your father's gang war. That's what they died in."
"It wasn't my father who pulled the trigger..."
"It doesn't matter!" Elena's voice broke. "His war. His violence. His world that you're still a part of." She looked at Pierce like she'd never seen him before. "Your family killed mine."
"It was complicated." His voice cracked. "There were multiple crews involved, rival organizations..."
"Stop." Elena's hands were shaking. "Just stop."
"I didn't know what to say." He said quietly. "How to tell you..."
"You lied to me." Tears spilled down her cheeks. "You looked me in the eyes, you held me, you made love to me, and the entire time you knew that your family was responsible for destroying mine."
"Elena, I never wanted...."
"So you found out and you just... decided not to mention it?" Elena laughed, the sound broken. "You let me trust you. You let me fall for you. All while knowing the truth would destroy me."
"I was scared." Pierce's voice cracked completely. "I was terrified of losing you."
"So you lied instead." Elena wiped at her tears roughly. "You made me think we connected over the same trauma. That we understood each other's loss. But it was never the same, was it? Because your family caused mine."
"That's not right...."
"Right?" Elena's voice rose. "You want to talk about what's right? My parents were innocent. They had nothing to do with your world. They were just trying to celebrate their daughter's graduation and they died because your father couldn't keep his violence contained."
"I know." Pierce's voice was wrecked. "I know and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Sorry doesn't bring them back." Elena's voice dropped to something cold and final. "Sorry doesn't change the fact that every time I looked at you, every time I touched you, I was touching the bloodline that killed my family."
"Please don't do this."
"Do what? Tell you the truth?" Elena laughed bitterly. "The truth you were too much of a coward to tell me?"
"I was trying to protect you...."
"From what? From knowing that the man I was falling for was connected to the worst night of my life?" Elena's voice broke. "I trusted you. I let you into my home, my bed, my life. And you lied to me every single day."
"I love you." The words ripped out of Pierce desperately. "Elena, I love you."
"Stop." Elena's voice was sharp. "Don't you dare say that to me."
"It's true. I love you and I'm sorry..."
"If you loved me, you would have told me the truth." Elena grabbed her jacket from the chair. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have let me fall for you knowing what you knew."
"Where are you going?"
"Anywhere but here." Elena moved toward the door. "I can't even look at you right now."
Pierce moved to block her path. "Elena, please. Just give me a chance to explain..."
"Explain what? How you justified lying to me for weeks? How you watched me grieve my parents while knowing your family killed them?" Elena's voice was ice. "There's nothing you can say that will make this okay."
"I know." His voice cracked. "But please don't leave. Not like this."
Elena looked at him, and Pierce saw the moment her heart broke completely. Saw the love in her eyes die and get replaced with something worse.
"Get out of my way, Pierce." She said sharply.
"Elena..."
"Get. Out. Of. My. Way."
He stepped aside. What else could he do?
Elena walked to the door, hand on the knob. She paused, looking back at him one last time.
"I never want to see you again," she said quietly. "Do you understand? Whatever we had, whatever I felt for you...it's done."
"Please don't do this."
"You did this." Elena's voice cracked. "The second you decided to keep that secret, you did this."
She walked out, the door closing behind her with a soft click that sounded like the end of the world.
Pierce stood alone in her apartment, surrounded by the wreckage of everything they'd built.
He'd finally told her the truth.
And it had destroyed them both.
Just like he'd always known it would.