Page 109 of Pink Ink

Tears sting my eyes. “I don’t believe you.” How can any of it be real if he kept this from me? I understand hiding that he’s a serial killer, but keeping afiancéefrom me?

He grips the back of my neck, making sure he has my full attention. “I see you in every room, even if you’re not there. Everything I’ve told you is true. I’ve killed for you, Reyna. I’ve done things for you that no good man would do. There’sonly youfor me.”

The butterfly wings flutter and send tendrils of warmth over me. Last night’s events and years of insecurities make it hard to trust in what he’s saying. I wouldn’t pick me, so why would he?

“Please. Stop.” I choke on my tears. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I give you my word, Reyna. I’m going to end the engagement.”

He should have told me he was engaged before revealing his identity. What if I decided that his engagement alone is unforgivable? That this betrayal trumps all of the violence he causes?

I’m tired of all the secrets. They’re the only thing I seem to get.

Maddox holds me tighter when I try to leave. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” I demand.

“I was going to last night, but you looked like you were going to faint and I didn’t want to put more on your plate if it was going to make your injuries worse.”

My hands tremble. “Is that why she was here this morning? You were going to come clean?”

“Yes, but my shit-stirring brother tagged along to meddle in my business as payback for looking out for him.” He scowls. “This is the first time she’s stepped foot in my house.”

I shake my head, wiping away my tears. None of this makes any sense. “So what? You’re leaving her? Your fiancée—whatever her name is.”

“Abigail,” he provides, frowning as he massages the back of my neck. I wish he wouldn’t, though. I wish he’d stand on the other side of the room. “I was never technicallywithher. We can barely stand being in the same room as each other. We haven’t been able to since our parents arranged this engagement four years ago to profit their businesses. I never wanted the bloody thing.”

“What is this? The fourteenth century?” Who arranges a marriage for a business deal?

“Of course not. There wasn’t any dowry,” he deadpans.

I usually like this side of him—the angry humor. It’s a part of him that had seemed reserved just for me. But right now I just feel flayed open.

“I mean it, Reyna. I’m ending it,” Maddox promises.

This time when he says it, part of me believes him. The most broken part that wants to trust him. But it makes sense, right? He wouldn’t risk prison or ruining his career if his intention was to make me the other woman. I mean… he wouldn’t, would he?

“Then why did you agree to the engagement?”Convince me that this isn’t an elaborate ruse.

He hardens, and for a second I think he’s going to evade the answer. “It was a question of whether the burden would fall on me or my brother. Back then, the answer was always me.”

That’s chivalrous. I guess.

If it’s a question of choosing me or his brother… I swallow. “And now?”

“I’m putting myself first.”

Tugging at the hem of my shirt, I purse my lips. “Since it was arranged, won’t there be… consequences for breaking the engagement? Won’t your parents be mad? Won’t… What about the business?”

Maddox scoffs. The facade he wears so well glimmers on the surface, threatening to solidify.

“Fuck them. I’ve been their loyal errand boy for as long as I’ve existed. They’ll have to deal with whatever decision I make. I am not asking for permission, nor do I care for their forgiveness. You’re mine, and I will sooner make my bed in the earth than tie myself to anyone who isn’t you.”

I work my jaw, debating whether to demand an explanation of everything he’s mentioned. Like what type of business deal could involve a marriage? What else have his parents forced him to do? What could they have possibly done to make him who he is?

“Does she know about… you know.” I wave my hand in a general direction I’m sure a kill has taken place in. “The whole murder thing.”

“Murder thing? Reyna, love, repeat after me: I’m aserial killer.” His lips twist into a half-hearted smirk. “However, I’ll settle for abloody artist, as well.”

How he’s making jokes out of the situation is beyond me. Deep down I know he’s trying to stop me from spiraling, but I can’t fucking take it. Everything is crashing around me, and he’s the cause of the destruction. “You know what I’m talking about.”