A Slave to Broken Hearts (A Slave to Love Sequel)

Chapter 20: The Greater Good

When we pulled up to Ace's place and he killed the engine, I didn't move. Couldn't move.

"Kiana?" he asked softly. "Are you--"

"No. Of course I'm not okay," I snapped, wiping at the tears on my cheeks that wouldn't stop falling.

"If you don't wanna talk about it that's okay, but maybe I can help or--"

"Help? Help do what? Make Eliza disappear? Go back in time so I didn't lie to Blade for months about her?" I said, undoing my seat belt and letting it snap back into place. "What exactly are you going to do?"

"Eliza?" he sputtered. "What does she have to do with this?"

"What does she-?" I broke off with half a sob, half a laugh. "She's back! Didn't you hear?"

"She's back?! How--?"

"She came back for him! She still loves him, never stopped," I said, tossing my bag to the floor. On the car ride I swung from full on heartbreak to grief to anger and back again. Heartbreak at Blade for pushing me away, for not wanting to talk and figure things out, anger at Eliza for showing up and wanting him and starting this mess, grief that I had lost him and our future together. But mostly, it was anger at myself for having been so incredibly stupid as to hide her from him.

"But she left him? She dumped him and broke his heart, why would he--"

"She only did that because Aros made her!" I yelled. Even now that he was dead, he was still winning. Still causing trouble. Still ruining everything and hurting us.

The reaction was immediate. His concern slipped slightly, body stiffening at the mention of his grandfather. "What did he do?"

The story came tumbling out of me. All of it. I needed to get it out, needed to vent and rant and cry, I had to get rid of this pain, but even as I spoke I didn't feel better, didn't feel lighter. I just felt worse, having to sit and relive the whole nightmare again.

Ace listened with a stony expression, only ever muttering curses under his breath occasionally, but otherwise not interrupting me. By the time I was done he had his head in his hands, shoulders hunched. He was quiet for a long time, while I just sat there, hot and aching, sweat on my brow and my face still tear stained.

"I am so sorry," he said quietly, straightening up. "If I knew..."

"There's nothing you could have done." It was my fault. Aros may have started it, but I was the one who continued to keep it a secret, even though I knew I shouldn't have. Maybe it would have caused us to break up sooner, but at least he wouldn't have been so blindsided when she suddenly came back.

He slammed his fist against the car door. "I can't believe it. I can't fucking believe he would--of course he would, why is this so surprising? God. I thought I was done with his--" he bit off abruptly, a growl at the back of his throat. "I'm sorry, Kiana. Truly. You didn't deserve this."

"Neither did Blade," I said, feeling those stupid tears coming back once more. I wanted to find that anger again, but I couldn't. It was so much easier to be angry than to be upset and heartbroken. 

"He'll come around. You guys have been through so much already, he's just upset. He'll be back."

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't do that. Don't give me hope. You didn't see his face...you didn't see them together. It was like I never existed."

"Kiana..."

"I need to sleep," I said abruptly, "I need rest if I'm going to get better."

"That won't--" he didn't bother to finish, probably realizing that that wasn't what I needed to hear right now. I knew all the rest in the world wouldn't do anything but slow the inevitable. Until I could go home, we were on borrowed time.