Page 22 of Bought to Bear Bratva Heir

Curled up on her bed, naked and shivering and crying. She was in almost the exact same position as she had been the first night she had spent with me. And just like back then, my heart twisted at the sight of her crying.

Groaning, I fought the urge to go to her. To offer her a little comfort. But I knew that wouldn’t do any good. All it would do was cause me more pain.

I could not love her again. I wouldn’t let myself.

My body disagreed. It had been disagreeing since she had first stripped her clothes off the body I had once loved to worship.

God, I wanted her.

My cock felt thick and heavy against my zipper.

I’d never wanted anyone like I had wanted her.

Without thinking, I reached into the drawers where her underwear still lay, and yanked out a lacy thong.

It was clean, but I could still smell her on it as I brought it to my nose and drew in a deep breath.

I should have kept her clothes; even covered in vomit and anything else, I would have been able to smell her on them, and I desperately wanted to lose myself in her scent.

Let myself even for a second lose myself in the good memories we had together before she had—

Left.

She had left. She hadn’t died. She had purposely chosen to leave me and her infant son who she claimed to love. She had made me fall for her, and then she had walked away without a second thought to live the life she had always dreamt of.

And I had to remember that. I’d never forgive her for it.

Not ever.

There was a fine line between love and hate, and that line was blurred.

"Papa?" Alexander’s voice called out in a broken whisper as his small hand rapped on the closed bedroom door. "Papa, can I come in?"

"Of course, Alec." I didn’t even hesitate. Closing the phone, I tossed it and the underwear into the drawer and slammed it closed just as he slipped into the room.

His hair was tousled and his dinosaur PJs were twisted around his body. His face was slack with sleep, but his eyes were bright as he looked at me.

"What’s wrong, little man?" Almost instantly I changed. I always did around him. He made me want to be a good man. "Did you have a nightmare?" I swung my legs over the bed and opened my arms. He rushed into them, burying his face into my damp shirt.

"No. I just—" he hiccuped. "I thought I heard something."

My hand stroked up and down his back. "I’m sorry if I woke you. I didn’t mean to."

"I thought I heard someone crying. It made me sad." Lifting his face, he searched my face. "You’re sad too." A little hand came up to rest on the stubble of my face. "Why are you sad, Daddy?"

A lump formed in my throat that I couldn’t swallow down. He really was clever for his age. He saw so much.

"Don’t be sad, Daddy."

My son was barely six years old, and he was trying to comfort me. "I can never be sad when you are around, Alec." I forced myself away.

"The lady made you sad."

Yeah, my son definitely saw and understood more than he should. I scooped him up and hugged him to my chest. "A little, yes." There was no point lying to him. He would see straight through that.

"She was very pretty and very nice. She was nice to me." His thin arms tightened around my throat. "I’m sure she would be nice to you if she knew you were sad."

I almost laughed at that. Daisy didn’t give a shit about me. She never had. I had loved her and she had—