the camera again. “See, it was my own fault the scene went bad and cracked open all the shit I’d buried. For years, I’d been depressed and not really living, only this time, I went into a total meltdown. I really wanted the pain to end, and I was so angry and confused.” She snorted. “Alcohol and drugs—really not a good choice.”
Valerie sighed, wanting nothing more than to give the young woman a hug.
“Okay, right about then, I realized Ghost never called to check on me, and suddenly, everything was his fault. My meltdown and the drugs and all the shit wrong in my life. I was higher than a kite when I called my friends to rant about Ghost and blame everything on him. And then I tried to die.”
She showed the scars on her forearms. “Cutting deep felt so good, like I could feel something, only then I realized maybe I wasn’t ready to die, and I called 911. The doctors admitted me into a facility, and that’s when I got help.”
She was back to pacing back and forth.
“I was in the facility for quite a while. Once out, I avoided my friends—because that’s what addicts are supposed to do. I didn’t return to the club for a long time. But when I did, I found out the damage I’d done.”
Pulling on her hair, she stared into the camera. “The reason Ghost hadn’t been in the club for so long was because his wife died. Lucky him, his first night back after a year, he was saddled with a lying, crazy person.”
There was a soft murmur going around the club.
Z still had a hard grip on Ghost’s arm. Ghost knew he could get free by punching the bastard—and he’d seriously considered it—but flattening his friend seemed excessive.
Still, watching a submissive essentially flog herself over something she couldn’t have helped pissed him the hell off.
In the process, she was sharing more about Ghost’s past than he was pleased with. Dammit.
Faylee wiped her eyes. “I mentioned he didn’t call me a day or two after the scene. Sure, he’d warned me that might happen because of his job, but in my deluded self-centeredness, I just knew it was because he’d simply blown me off. Well, it turned out he was a colonel in the Special Forces and sent overseas, and when carrying one of his soldiers to a helicopter, he got his leg shot up. And amputated. God! After all the hospital stuff, he finally gets back to Chains and finds out I’d totally destroyed his reputation.”
She shook her head. “If you’re listening to this, Ghost, I’m so sorry. When I talked about this with my counselor, she asked me… Well, I realized I not only lied to you, but I was so fucking self-involved I never asked you anything about you. It was my fault I didn’t know you were military. Or knew your wife had died. In my mind, you were only there to give me what I wanted. And that’s not right.”
Pulling in a breath, she motioned toward the other side of the room. “When I eventually talked with Master Drake, he’d already pretty much figured out what happened, and I offered to visit the club and put things straight, but Ghost had already left. The club. The city. Even the state. What I did to him was probably the last straw on two years of misery. In spite of that, he’d left a note with Master Drake to hand over to me, one full of encouragement. Cheering me on to get better.”
When Faylee’s eyes welled with tears again, Ghost’s chest ached in sympathy.
“Now, apparently some dumb asswipes in your club are trying to start it all back up for him. Well, you bastards, don’t you dare use me as part of your smear campaign. Ghost is one of the best Doms you’ll ever find, and you should be damned grateful to have him there.” She set her hands on her hips and glared at the camera.
Ghost shook his head. He’d only spent a brief period of time with her, yet…he was damned proud of her. Her own strength had brought her out of the darkness. She was no longer huddled around herself but had grown enough to think of others.
Near where he stood, the members were talking quietly—and angrily.
“Those rumors were bullshit, total bullshit.”
“She’s right—talk about a fucking smear campaign.”
“Barry was the one who told me that shit. He was totally lying.”