Filed To Story: The Trap Of Ace Book PDF Free
Placing my forehead against her, I kissed her knuckles.
“I love you, my rose.
I love you so fucking much.”
“I love you too,” she murmured back.
I brushed my lips against hers.
“Thank you so much.
You don’t know what you’ve done to me by saying those words.
Thank you…for not giving up on me.
For not leaving me.
I don’t know what I would do if you left me.”
“And thank you for trusting me with your past.”
She smiled softly.
“I wanted to tell you everything on our first date.
But then, I didn’t have the courage.
I thought even if you would forgive me after knowing about seven years ago, you would hate me forever if you got to know about it.
So, I backed out and just told you what I thought would be right.”
“But you were clearly wrong.
If I think you weren’t at fault now, I would think the same then.
Maybe if you told me that night, I would have found your reasons behind pushing me away stronger.
Maybe I would have forgiven you easily.”
“I’m sorry, Rosebud.”
I pulled her into my chest again.
“I was scared.
I can tolerate anything but losing you.”
“Was it the reason behind your turning to drugs?
Your guilt?”
I nodded, sighing.
“No matter how bad of a person he was, I still couldn’t forget he was my father.
And no matter the reason was, somehow he died because of me.
I couldn’t deal with that feeling, Rosebud.
After that night, Mom went into depression.
She was broken.
She blamed herself for his death and my status.
She thought if she hadn’t reacted that way that night, if she hadn’t pulled that gun out, nothing would’ve happened.
She completely pulled away from us, from life.
And it just pushed me more into darkness.”
I still remembered the way I used to wait for her to return home every night.
But she used to be missing for days, drinking, and staying out.
It continued until she finally stopped fighting her grief and decided to leave this place, us, her past behind and go somewhere far.
Her hand ran over my chest in a small, slow circle, soothing me.
“How did Caleb take all of this?”
she asked.
“At first, he was as shaken as we were.
But then slowly, he got better.”
My lips turned up into a sad smile.
“He became the eldest among us, taking care of me when I used to be senseless with drugs and alcohol.”
“I’ll be forever grateful to him for that,” she said.
I knew she felt guilty she couldn’t be there for me when I needed her the most.
Yes, I did need her the most.
But I couldn’t drag her into my mess.
I couldn’t taint her with my darkness.
She was too pure and innocent for that.
“You know it was only because of you I didn’t lose hope.”
I looked at her.
“It was because of you why I tried my best to become normal again and leave drugs behind.”
She smiled, kissing my chest.
“I’m glad I could help in some way.”
I sighed.
“You always helped, baby.
If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve let my addiction consume me.
You have no idea how horrible it was.
There wasn’t anything I hadn’t tried.
I almost overdosed once.”
She gasped, shocked at my words.
I squeezed her hands.
“But thank God I’m out of that hell now.
And all of it was because you were constantly on my mind when I was trying to get better in the rehab center.”
She hugged me closer.
“I wish I could be there for you,” she whispered.
I kissed her head.
“You were, baby.
You were always there with me, in my heart.”
After a moment of silence, she asked, “When did you go to rehab?”
I gazed into the fireplace.
“Right after you left for New York.”
She turned her head up to look at me, still not moving away from my chest.
“But you were in the UK at that time for your degree…” Then realization set on her face as her eyes widened.
“So, you went to the UK for rehab, and not for a degree?”
I shook my head.
“No.
I went there to get better.
After Arthur returned, he handled the company, as Mom was always absent.
Then he suggested I should go to the UK for my treatment.
He had a friend who could help me.
So, I did, but not to his friend, but to a renowned organization that Jonathan’s friend ran.”
She sat up straight.
“Dad?
He knew about your condition?”
Nodding, I tucked a strand behind her ear.
“He knew everything.”
Her head tilted at the side.
“Everything, as in…”
“Yes, Rosebud.
He knew what happened.
It was your father who helped me with everything.
He kept the police away from me and used his influence to make everything look like it was a suicide.”
Her mouth hung open, eyes wide in shock.
“Dad?”
“Yes.
I didn’t know what to do after that…
accident.
I had no one to seek help from.
Mom was in too much shock to do anything.
So, I called your father, and he rushed over immediately.
After listening to everything I had to say, he placed a hand on my shoulder and said to leave everything to him.”
I said, remembering the way he reassured me like a guardian.
A guardian I never found in my father.
“I wanted to tell everything to the police, but he stopped me.
He feared the media would use it against my name for their own TRP.
My reputation and career would be ruined in just a day.
My future was at stake.
No matter how it happened, our powerful rivals were ready to jump on us.
They just needed a spark to turn it into a volcano.
And that mistress of my father was ready to give a statement against me.
Jonathan showed it to the world as a suicide.
He even shut that woman’s mouth with money.
He destroyed every proof that could be used against me.”
A shaky breath left her as she took my words in.
Kissing her forehead, I pulled her tightly against me again.
Even if she said she wouldn’t leave, I needed to feel her against me to assure myself she was still here.
With me.
“Please don’t hate me because I didn’t tell the truth to the cops.
I just didn’t know what to do, so I just did what Jonathan asked me to do.”
She shook her head.
“You did the right thing.
You don’t know how grateful I’m feeling to Dad for what he did.
If he hadn’t done it, your rivals would definitely use it against you and your company.
And without anyone there with you, you wouldn’t be able to defend yourself at that time.
Don’t blame yourself for anything.”
I squeezed her hip gently.
“Thank you for understanding me.”
She kissed my lips.
“And thank you for letting me in, even though it was difficult for you to talk about your past.”
I pressed our foreheads together.
“Anything for you, Rosebud.
Anything for you.”
After that, I carried her to our bed and pulled her into me again.
I felt much lighter than I ever felt.
Especially now that I had my Rosebud in my arms forever.
Throwing a leg over my waist, she snuggled against me.
And I placed my hand on her thigh.
Then a question struck my mind.
“How did you know that he didn’t commit suicide?
Who told you about his murder?”
Because I knew neither Caleb nor Jonathan would tell her anything about it.
They even didn’t tell Tess and Tobias.
Her form stiffened.
After a silence, she spoke, “Warner told me.”
I tensed.
The mere name of that bastard had my blood boil.
“How did he know about that?
No one except me, Caleb, Mom, and your father knew about it.
The officer who handled the case was loyal to your father, he wouldn’t spit a word out.
And the woman died a year later in a car accident.”
Pulling away slightly, she stared at me for a moment.