HOLD UP!!!
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT CHAPTER AND YOU DO NOT WANT TO SKIP. WARNING!!!
first of all, I just hit 500k reads..
that's half way to million.. wow.
I LITERALLY LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH. THE LOVE I HAVE FOR YALL IS LIKE MORE THAN I HAVE FOR REAL FRIENDS.
this is such a monumental moment.
date 15/5/18
but seriously I couldn't do this without each and everyone with you and I hope you all read this. even if your a silent reader (I do this too) or a reader who constantly comments (which I love)
I've always said to myself, 'no matter how big you get (if you ever do) always reply to comments and love your readers' and I will forever stand by this.
I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, yes I don't reply to every comment because some are just comments on random things throughout the chapter.
NOTE I READ ALL THE COMMENTS
but I truly love you guys so much and because of this...
I've decided to post a bonus chapter which will be inserted just below!!
pain
Two barely clothed women sit in Micah's bed when he walks upstairs. His stepfather has to be behind this one. Like everything else. There's a sudden and knock at the door, almost instantly his leaving the women to open it.
"So you are back.. why didn't you call?"
"Rose," Micah looks past her, she can't be here. Not with those perfectly placed women on my bed. "You should go."
"Go? No, why didn't you call me when you got back? You said you would, I was alone and scared.. I needed you, I still need you."
Fuck. It's the only word Micah can comprehend. He doesn't want to hurt her, not more than he already has. Rose pushes past him, walking into the living room. He can't help but think how fucking gorgeous the girl in.
"Rose get the fuck out of here, okay? You shouldn't be here," he says, no matter how much he wants to hold her and move somewhere far away with her.
"Why? Because some crazed person that you've killed their family wants to kill me, again? I mean it's not a surprise this is happening." Footsteps click down the stairs, Rose stops. This can't be happening. A fucking mastermind his stepfather is. "Or your with another girl."
"I told you to fuck off," Micah says, despite the fact he kills him inside.
"Why? What happened?" She shouts pushing his chest.
"Your too much fucking effort."
Every word. He can see how much it breaks her. The pain and hurt.
"Micah," a cool calm voice says. "Hurry up. We're getting bored."
"Oh my god," Rose seems to cringe in disgust, "I can't.."
"How long did you do this while we were together?" She stares at Micah, "just tell me the truth."
"You think we were ever together?" Micah asks, that's it. It's over. Everything with this woman, he won't get her back now. "Me, with you? You were just a good fuck, Rosalie."
"Why did you risk your life for me over and over then," she uses all her strength pushing him in his chest, the impact doesn't hurt, the words do. "You should have just let me die."
"Maybe," he nods, "I should have."
"Your sick, I never want to see you again."
Micah smiles, "good."
Maybe it's for the best. She'll be safe, she'll live and her death won't be his fault. Even if he can't have her, he knows it's for the best.
She slaps him, now, ready to leave. He grabs her wrist, pulling her towards him, "what the fuck, Rosalie?"
"You don't get to say that. You don't get to say anything."
micah finds rose is pregnant
Micah looks down at the water, sitting on the hood of his car. Rose stays back, not wanting to be near him. Not after what he did to her.
"I wasn't distracted," Micah says out loud. "Not with other women. My step-father would have had another motive to hurt you."
He wasn't distracted with other women. He was distracted with not having the one he so desperately wanted.
"You don't need to say that. I don't care anymore."
Anger. She thinks he hates her. Oh, if only she knew the truth.
"Micah, I'm- I have to tell you something."
"What?" He snaps, though he doesn't mean to.
A tear falls down her perfect cheek, "I'm pregnant."
To Micah, the world completely stops. Her coat falls down her shoulders and onto the ground, his eyes darting to her stomach, where her hands now lay, "it's okay.. to not care. I'll be fine.. we'll be fine."
He sighs rubbing his jaw. To not care. That's all he fucked does.
"It's a lot to ask to raise a child.. all I ask is a bit of money, some saving for.. for whatever it turns out to be."
Micah kicks his car, swearing. Now he can't leave her for making his step-father happy. He had to be there even if everything ends up on fire.
"You're upset, huh?" She asks. Now, now she's a crying mess, "I wanna go home."
"We can't," Micah looks at her, he wants to hold her and run away but he can't. They can't.
"I want to go home," Rose repeats, her face hardening.
"I said we fucking can't," he snaps- but again he doesn't mean it.
"I hate you."
She does.
"No, you don't."
"Stop saying that," Rose comes forward, hit his chest, "I hate it, I hate you. I wish I never met you, god dammit-"
He catches her delicate wrist, "stop it. Before you hurt yourself."
Hurt me, he meat to say. You're tearing me apart.
"Just take it, God dammit," she cries, "I hate you. I hate you. So much. So much it hurts."
"I said stop," he snaps. "Before you get hurt."
"Don't act like you care."
His hand slips over her stomach, his child and Rose, she tenses under his hand. "Don't you dare say that again," he sighs, "you know I care."
"You don't. You never did. It was all a lie."
"Everything," he looks down at her, "everything I did, even if it was hurting you it was to keep you safe. All I fucking did.. to protect you."
His fingers press into her stomach, maybe the baby growing inside of her will sense that its father is here. Micah crouches in front of her. His hands travel from her ankles to the bottom of her shirt, rolling it up over her stomach.
She steps away. Micah doesn't like it. He grabs get hips pulling me back until his lips are against her stomach.
More tears fall out her eyes.
"I want a girl," he looks up at her, a girl. A gorgeous fucking girl, he didn't know before he wanted a kid. A girl to be specific.
Micah kisses her stomach again and again. Until Rose sinks to her knees, leveling herself out with Micah
"I love you, Rosalie."
Now she knows the truth.
two years after.
"Please," he begs his step-father. "Don't hurt either of them."
His step-father watches as his men beat him up again. "The King line has always been ruthless and you my boy, are no different. I will do what it takes to finish of the last few King's."
He coughs blood bending on the floor, never had he felt so weak in his life. He looks at his step-father, "she's innocent.. she can take Roses name, I'll kill you if you touch her."
"You're a joke, Micah. Threatening me when you can barely stand on your own two feet. I don't care if she's come into this world as innocent as your, Rose but she carried the King bloodline and I will not allow another."
He tried to keep the image of his Princess in his head but each day it was worst. Each day the image would slip away, the feeling of her tiny finger wrapped around his like she knew he was her father. Micah thought for so long, he would never have children but the minute Rose was known to be pregnant. Everything changed, Micah longs for his daughter to be in his arm.
Maybe it's the only thing keeping him alive.
He had never been in a situation since his mother died like this where he held no power and he hated it.
He tried to fight for his Princess because all he wanted was her in his arms.
He tried to fight for Rose because he loves her.
"I believe letting your child off the hook and her growing up without you would be a worse pain for you, wouldn't it be my dear son? Plus, your little Rose will tell her that her father is a coward."
His step-father grabs his chin forcing him to look at him, "you can live but I take your daughter or I let her live a beautiful happy life and end yours, I mean ending you she will never know that you exist."
"You are not fucking touching her," Micah looks at his step-father. Spitting blood on the floor.
"How do you know I haven't already?"
one and a half years later.
Two men came into the chamber, "signore King."
Micah didn't know of the death of his step-father and his second yet. He didn't know that being his step-son he would take the reign of his self-built empire. Micah barely stood straight.
"Your father and his second has been killed, the empire is left in your hands."
Micah couldn't believe it. He wanted the death of his step-father to be in his hands. He only knew of his daughters wellbeing front he taunts from his step-father. But Micah had forgotten the feel of her soft hands and the her beautiful face.
He hated himself for letting this go on for more than a year.
He wanted to be dead.
His precious Rose would have moved on and his daughter that he spent so little time with wouldn't know of him.
Honestly, Micah didn't want his precious Rose to ever find out of his cowardness under his step-father. He told himself to forget and move on sometime during the year. He found it quite simple as he barely knew her.
The two men brought Micah into the estate from the chamber.
They talked but Micah barely listened. He wanted to find his men before he took over the empire. He wanted the people he trusted.
Micah walks into his step-fathers office, he stills knows the place like it was yesterday he was a young boy running around the estate with his mother yelling at him not to get into the business of the Empire.
Micah scribbles his men's name on a piece of paper. "Li trovi, ora," he snapped to the men. It was his command in Italian so they understood. He needed them to find his men, the thought of finding Rose and Zara had slipped his mind.
six months after.
He hates coming to America for trips, he prefers the Estate back in Italy. He travels along the beach to remind him of the Italian waters behind the Estate. Micah only wishes he was back in home with some of the Italian women he spent time with.
His new found money had gotten the better of him, his new expensive taste was found in every aspect of his clothing and Estate.
Micah was back but a changed man. The year and a half being tortured by his step-father changed him, he was stronger and wiser with his decisions about what could help what was now his Empire.
Something hit his leg. Micah went to walk until he heard a small cry, he looked down to see a small, brunette girl she could be no older than three. "Hey," he said casually as if she was an adult, "are you lost?"
She cried and threw a tantrum in his face. She was an adorable kid and even a man as ruthless as Micah had to admit that.
"Ma! Maaa!" She constantly repeats.
Suddenly a lady is taking the small girl out of his arms, "you're okay, you're okay. I got you, baby. You're okay."
He stares, he knows her voice. His precious Rose. He looks at the small girl and admires her beauty again, just like her mother.
"Rose?" He asks making sure.
She looks at him and mumbles a quick thank you before turning away. It's her and there's no mistaking it.
"Rosalie," he says firmly.
♔♔♔
He smiles looking at his daughter, "I.. she's so pretty." He doesn't know what to say. He'd forgotten everything about her. Her brown eyes are just like his, he watches her shove pasta in her mouth chewing with her mouth open.
"How've you been?" He asks, they're alive. They're alive. For a moment, he believes this is a dream.
"Fine."
"How is she?" Micah watches Zara.
"Hey, baby do you wanna hold still for a minute?"
She frowns looking at Rose. Micah wonders what Rose is doing. "I just wanna show this man your heart. Is that okay?"
Zara nods. Rose pulls down her top revealing the scar from her heart surgery. Micah stares, his heart hurts looking at his princess. Zara looks down touching it before pushing her mothers hand away and eating her pasta
"What happened?" Micah asks rubbing his forehead.
"Zara was born with congenital heart defects, she had open heart surgery within days of being born and spent the first two weeks of her small life in intensive care."
Micah can't keep his eyes off her, her smile and cuteness. Rose wipes sauce off her cheek making her laugh. If you never saw Zara's scar you'd never know the pain she endured as a young baby.
"You should have seen her in hospital," Rose whispers. "The moment her skin started having a blueish tint to it and the way she was breathing."
"Look, Rose," he sighs, "I'm sorry."
To Rose, he never knows how to show her his feelings, how he can get across the fact how much he wishes he was there for her. But he can't seem to tell her the truth about his step-father.
"They told me how bad her case was that not every infant needs open heart surgery. I guess Zara is the unlucky one in life.. I mean, after all you are her father."
Micah doesn't disagree. He knows how unlucky this innocent princess is having this ruthless killer as a father. "Rose, I'm sorry, okay? But you just don't get it."
"Tell me then, make me understand."
He opens his mouth, he doesn't know how to tell her the truth.
"Wait, no I'm sorry. I forgot you can't tell me anything.. because it's not safe."
He sighs. He wishes what happened didn't but towards Rose his scared to tell her what happened. He doesn't want her to see him as someone who is weak. Someone who can't protect his princess despite that whole time he was abused and tortured by his step-father as to keep little Zara safe.
"So, because it's not safe. Why don't you leave?" Rose asks. "You know, I mean because you're not safe either."
"Come on, what do you expect from me?"
"Nothing, but I did think after everything you wouldn't have left me with nothing, without a trace like you vanished in thin air."
"I didn't choose to leave, Rose," he tries to explain.
"I needed you and you were gone and now I don't need you and you're here. I'm not gonna let you just waltz back in my life or ever enter Zara's. You can get this hour because it benefits me to pay for once less meal but then I don't wanna see you again."
Micah only wishes he was there when she needed him.
"What about the day when she asks for me, huh?" Micah tests.
"I'll tell her the truth I won't lie, I'll tell her how bad of a man you."
"Rose she's my fucking child come on," Micah can't take it. He absolutely hates seeing this side of Rose. She isn't the one he didn't fall in love with.
"But I'm the one who's been there for her and while you've probably been living a lavish life I've been killing myself to give this girl everything. She may be your child but at the end of the day it doesn't come down to that it comes down to the people who've been there for her, the ones who care. Graces boyfriend has been more of father figure than you can ever be to Zara."
He knows she's right and Micah instantly feels bad.
Zara with her sticky hands grabs Micah's phone from the table. She swipes and tries to play on it like she does with her mothers phone but his has a password. Micah lets her play with it, he doesn't care if she brakes it.
"I care about her, Rose. I mean why wouldn't I care about my own daughter?"
"Because you don't want this life."
"Just looking at her changes everything I fucking want, Rose."
He tells her the truth. He never wanted a child but the minute he realised that it was Rosalie and Zara at the beachfront his mind changed. All he wants is for that little girl to call him her daddy.
He new for a time before Zara was born what his step-father wanted, Micah had a plan, one that didn't end well for him.