the driveway of the Carrington mansion. I key in the code and watch as Kai pulls in behind me. The big iron gates slowly peel open and as I speed down the driveway, Kai keeps right behind me. “Whatever you do, wherever you go,” he murmurs, his voice coming clearly through the phone. “We love you, Ocean. We always will. Don’t you ever forget that.”
The tears turn into violent sobs and I hastily end the call, not wanting him to hear just how broken I am, but it might be too late for that. Kai follows me all the way to the top of the driveway and by the time I’m bringing the Ferrari to a stop, Colton is standing there waiting.
I throw the door open and run toward him. His eyes widen in horror, desperately searching my face for some kind of answer as to what has me so messed up. I crash into him, falling into his open arms as I hear Kai’s tires on the driveway slowly pulling around the circle.
“Shhhh, Jade,” he soothes, rubbing his warm hands up and down my arms as I try to find the willpower to calm my broken sobs.
I don’t dare look up but somehow I know Kai’s eyes are on me, making sure that I’m well taken care of. I don’t doubt that the second he’s gone, he’s going to have the boys on the phone, giving them the full report and letting them know just how fucked up I was over this.
After the longest moment, Kairo finally hits the gas and I watch as his tail lights disappear into the distance, taking the final piece of my soul with him and leaving me completely empty.
This is it. From this moment, I’ll never see them again. It’s over. All of it’s gone in one fucked-up night.
“What’s going on?” Colton asks, his voice dark as he watches Kai’s car fade away. “What happened? Did someone hurt you?”
I shake my head, wiping my tears against his shirt as I look up and meet his eyes. There are so many things that I could say, but I find myself searching his eyes, desperate to know one single thing. “Did you know?”
His brows furrow as he looks me over. “Did I know what?”
“That my father was a low-life who sold me to your father to pay off a debt.”
Colton’s face falls and he gently shakes his head, his face turning white. “You’re fucking kidding me? That can’t be true.”
I nod. “The fucking paperwork is in the car. I’m your property, Colton. You own me.”
“No,” he says, taking a step back and looking absolutely horrified. “He wouldn’t do that. My father was a sick man, but this … no. He wouldn’t take it that far. He couldn’t have ...”
I meet his eyes and see nothing but disgust within them and just like that I know he’s telling the truth.
Colton’s hands fall to my waist as his lips press against my forehead. There’s a silence between us and it’s clear that he’s deep in thought, but I welcome it as it finally allows me a chance to calm my raging emotions. “It’s true, isn’t it?” he murmurs. “That’s why you just showed up out of the blue, why you were sent to school, why he welcomed you in like family. He’s never done that with staff before and I could never figure it out.” I shrug my shoulders and he pulls me in tighter. “Fuck, Jade. I’m so sorry. If I’d have known …”
“What? What could you have done? Gone back in time and made it so it never happened? There’s nothing we can do about it. They’re both fucking dead.”
“Surely you must know that I don’t think of you as property. I never have and fuck knows that I never will.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that I am your property.”
“Whatever you need, Ocean. I’ll fucking do it. If you want me to sign some bullshit release then I’ll do it, anything. I don’t want you to feel like I’m holding you here, but fuck, Jade, please don’t go.”
“I’ll pay it back,” I tell him. “Whatever my father’s debt was, I'll pay it.”
“Jade …”
“No. I don’t care how fucking long it takes,” I insist, feeling my eyes begin to well with tears all over again. “It’s the only way. I have to pay it back. Every last cent.”
“Okay, okay,” he says, curling his arms around me again, feeling the desperation creeping up on me. “We can work