Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
He didn’t care if Yuri loved her or not, or if she loved him back.
That moment, that terrifying moment of almost losing her had made everything so fucking clear to Helios.
He loved her.
He loved her more than he had loved anyone, and this all-consuming love he felt for MJ made it so fucking obvious he had never loved Odessa at all. That woman had been an infatuation, a way of making him feel he had someone because his family had made him feel alone and unwanted.
But MJ...
Helios twisted unevenly to face Yuri. “Rick? Our old tutor?”
Kellion, Hallie, and Andreus were also listening now. They all knew Rick. He had been the only man in Greece who had been willing to stand against the might of Andreadis and act as Helios’ guardian in the States, protecting him until he was of legal age.
Rick had been an outcast in Greek’s rich society, disinherited by his own family because he had been gay. But to Helios and the first members of Afxisi, Rick had been the perfect parent – one who had loved them unconditionally, one who had never given up on them even when he was made to suffer for it.
“That’s all Rick would tell me. That the day she saw you save him changed everything for her.”
It was just one shock after another. Helios shook his head in disbelief. “Rick knows her?”
“That’s not the most important thing I discovered. Nor the most painful...” Yuri glanced towards MJ. “Her father used to be a famous racer, but when an injury ended his career, he became an alcoholic. One of his favorite pastimes when he was under influence was riding his bike over...” Yuri gestured towards MJ, unable to speak of something so damn inhuman.
Helios felt sick to his guts as he listened to Yuri narrate the injuries MJ had sustained as a child because of her father’s stunts.
Several stitches to her head...
Hair needed to be cut, leaving her half-bald when she was thirteen...
Broken bones...
“Where. Is. Her. Father?” If he ever found out where the bastard was, Helios would tear him apart limb from limb.
“Her father was recently released from prison, and I hear he’s been looking for her. He has somehow managed to have a connection with Manolito Chavez.” Yuri spoke of a millionaire long suspected of earning ill-gotten gains from human trafficking.
Hallie asked shakily, “How did she manage to live all those years?”
“Thankfully, he still had her enrolled in school, and records show that she’s been quite dedicated. She’s also a damn good photographer.”
Yuri paused. It was hard to say the next thing he had to reveal to the others. “The reason she was able to buy an expensive professional camera was by taking pictures of her wounds and selling it online...”
Yuri walked towards the table and emptied the contents of the brown envelope he had brought with him. Photos scattered on the table. Kellion, usually the most laidback, cursed when he realized what the photos were. Andreus pulled Hallie towards him as she cried out in horror.
All of the photos were of MJ.
And all of it were of her, bleeding.
He knew that part of her shoulder. And it was dislocated.
He knew that part of her arm. It had a mole. And on the photo, the skin was ripped red and raw.
Too much fucking blood.
Helios wanted to throw up. His agonized gaze went to MJ.
How could he ever make it up to her?
How?
IT WAS DARK WHEN SHE first opened her eyes. Shadows on the wall seemed to be her only company inside the room. When she lifted her hand, MJ stared with numb curiosity at the IV strapped to her veins.
She was in a hospital.
She turned her head around, and her breath caught.
Helios.
He had his head down, sleeping on his arm, his golden hair left loose against his shoulders. She wanted to cry at the sight of it. So stupid, but she really did. She had a feeling she would never again feel how soft it was.
She must have made a sound, because the next thing she knew, Helios was awake, and too many expressions registered on his face all at once. Shock, relief, fear, and...something...something that seemed tender.
MJ didn’t want that last emotion. It was a lie. It had to be lie.
She might have suffered from a nasty injury, but it did not come with amnesia. She remembered everything. No matter how much she wanted to forget and pretend it wasn’t true, she remembered that Helios hated her.
“MJ?”
It was so rare for her to hear him speak her name. Why now when there was no need for it? She whispered, “My father used to ask me to do this...thing.” She didn’t care if he didn’t understand her. This was the only time she would speak to him about it, the last time she would ever talk to Helios again.