that Adeline needed to shatter in order to piece herself back together.
By herself.
Without the crutch of another person.
And the little monster did exactly what I knew she would do. She stitched those wounds, worked through that anger, and came out swinging when the truth of her life had her cornered.
That accomplishment is something she’ll remember her entire life. Something she’ll fall back on when it gets hard again. Something that will always be in the back of her mind when she hits another barrier and has to choose whether to lay down and die, or fight through it to come out stronger on the other side.
It’s something every person eventually has to learn to do alone because, in the end, the only person you have to rely on is yourself.
I don’t care what the fairytales and happily ever afters tell you, this is life, and it’s fucking brutal.
But Adeline survived it.
Without me.
Without anyone.
Still, it didn’t make it easier for me, not with what Grant was doing, not with the way he destroyed her in the public eye while at the same time protecting himself from what I wanted to do.
He’s smart. I’ll give him that.
After Adeline’s return, he boosted his personal security, bought a better system for his house - this one with sound - and hired a team of bodyguards that practically sat at his bedside while he slept and shadowed him everywhere else. Getting to him either at home or during business hours was impossible.
I could still watch, though, because the dumbass never changed his Wi-Fi password. Ilovemoney69. Fuck, I hate this guy.
It’s how I knew he was still trying to hire someone to take out Adeline for him. Unfortunately for him, a warning had spread through the underground that Adeline Kane was under protection. Nobody would take the job. Three million dollars wasn’t enough to cover the risk of ending up six feet below ground.
Grant laid low for a while, gave the impression that he was letting it go. I knew better. Which is why I wasn’t surprised when he started the process of finding a secluded place to take his ex-wife once he got his hands on her.
We weren’t exactly sure when he would choose to strike, and I’ll admit it surprised me he did so tonight. Adeline’s show put her in the public eye. There were plenty of people surrounding her. I thought she’d be safe at least until she got home.
It’s why I let Lincoln tail her for a few hours while I dealt with other things.
It’s why she got hurt before Lincoln could intervene.
Now she’s safe at home where I delivered her.
She talks in her sleep. Full conversations I never told her she has. Freaky and insane, my girl. But she knew I was there tonight, and what she said was enough to break me all over again.
Leaving her the first time hadn’t been easy. Hurting her had destroyed me. Returning to the shadows where I’ve watched from a distance has been a lesson in self-restraint.
I can’t count how many times I almost lost the ability to stay away. To hide. To watch without claiming the woman that has always been mine.
But I held firm, clenched my teeth, fisted my hands and remained out of view, even when she chased after the wrong person in Black Orchid, even after seeing the pain in her expression when it turned out to be the wrong man.
I did everything for her.
Protected her.
Loved her.
Gave up what I wanted so that she could find herself again in the way that was best for her.
And now it’s time to kill her ex-husband.
Then again, I always knew this would be the fun part. His death is the prize at the bottom of the cereal box, the reward for everything I’ve done over the last seven years.
Crouching down in front of Grant’s slumped body, I tap his cheek.
“Wake up, sweetheart. You have no idea how much I’ve looked forward to meeting again. It feels like Christmas.”
Grant groans as he blinks his eyes open, his green gaze unfocused, his expression twisting in pain from the beating Lincoln already gave him for touching our girl.
Blood trickles down the side of his head, his left cheekbone broken if the swelling has anything to say for it. His ugly mug will be pulp by the time I’m done.
“Grant, seriously, shake it off, and wake the fuck up. We’ve got work to do. It’s no fun if you’re asleep for it.”
Shaking his head, he grimaces, his