Chapter 12
As the door clicks softly shut behind me, something seems to snap in my chest.
A rush of emotions surges through me, overriding the numbness of my shock. Tears burn my eyes, and I gasp for breath as I stumble blindly down the hall, running my hand along the smooth plaster of the wall.
I’ve spent years trying to find my brother, searching desperately for him, spending money I didn’t have on low-rent detectives. Doing whatever was in my means to try to find him.
And this is who he turned out to be?
The man who kidnapped me? The guy who pulled a fucking gun on me, who hunted me and the men down and shot at us after our car crashed?
Marcus is alive, but that’s only because of blind luck. Because of Victoria’s scheming and quick action. Dom could’ve been responsible for his death.
A gasping sob falls from my lips, a rush of fury filling me.
If Marcus had died, I would kill Dominic, brother or not.
I feel like all the things bouncing around in my chest are about to crack my ribs. It’s too fucking much. I need air. I need—
I slam into a broad, shirtless chest, and warm hands settle on my upper arms.
“Hey, Rose? You okay?”
Theo’s concerned blue-green eyes gaze up at me, and I blink at him as if I’ve never seen him before in my life. The line between his brows deepens, and he drops his head a little.
“What happened? Are you all right?”
“Yeah.”
The word comes out automatically. I’m not all right, but I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to say the truth out loud. I want to bury it in the backyard with a shovel and let it die a slow death.
The look on Theo’s face tells me that the single, raspy word didn’t convince him at all. He opens his mouth to say something else, but I tug out of his grip and stumble toward the open door at the end of the hall.
It’s a small bathroom, as cramped and sparse as the rest of the house.
Stepping inside, I push the door shut behind me, but a heavy hand blocks it from closing. Theo steps in after me, his face a mask of concern.
“What the hell is it, Rose? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
That last word pokes at some raw wound inside me. That’s exactly what I feel like. Like I’ve seen a ghost. An echo of a past that no longer exists.
Bracing my hand on the edge of the sink, I drop my head, breathing in deeply as I try to get some kind of handle on myself. I feel the warmth of Theo’s skin before our bodies even touch. He comes to stand behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders and offering silent comfort as I inhale and exhale.
When I’m a little calmer, he shifts his grip, sliding his hands down and wrapping them around my upper torso, pressing my back to his chest.
He meets my gaze in the streaked and cloudy mirror, worry still darkening his features.
“Please tell me what’s wrong.”
It’s a simple plea, heartfelt and quiet. I still don’t want to say anything, but the earnestness in his voice tugs at me. I remember the night he came to find me upstairs after we ran into Jordan at Saraven. He was so sweet and gentle, so careful with me.
This man will never hurt me.
The certainty that washes through me at the thought settles my racing heart a little. In this world of liars and manipulators, of vicious and senseless cruelty, real trust is the most priceless thing there is.
And Theo has earned my trust over and over again.
I hold his gaze in the mirror for a second, gathering the words on my tongue. Then I turn in his arms, coming face-to-face with him as the fabric of my dress swishes around my legs.
“Dominic…” I lick my lips, trying to clear away the bitterness that coats the word. “He told us he was adopted. That day he came to the house. He found out because someone sent the papers to Luca.”
“Yeah.” Theo nods, watching me curiously. “I remember.”
“I don’t know if he knew then or if he found out later, but it was more than just a simple adoption. He always thought he was his parent’s natural son because that’s what they told him.”
Theo nods again, his lips pulling to one side. “They can’t be the first people to ever lie to their kids about that. It’s shitty, but—”
“They had a son before him,” I say, cutting him off. I need to get this out before my throat closes up entirely. “They had a son, and he died, and they adopted Dominic and gave him their dead child’s name. They raised him to fill the shoes of their own dead kid. They tried to erase his old life, to wipe it out.” My pitch is rising, my words growing more strained. “He had a stuffed animal, something from his childhood, and he… he said it was named LaLa.”
Theo blinks at me. Then his eyes widen suddenly, shock overtaking his features. “Holy fuck.”
I nod, the movement jerky.
His mouth opens and closes once, then he makes a quiet scoffing noise. “No. No fucking way. You don’t think…?”
“I don’t know.”
Even as I speak the words, I can feel the lie in them. I’ve been trying to deny it ever since Dominic said the name, but the truth is, I do know. He’s my brother. It would take a DNA test to confirm it, and I could cling to the hope that this is all just an insane coincidence until I see tangible proof.
But it doesn’t change the certainty that sits heavy in my chest.
He’s my brother.
“Jesus.” Theo blows out a breath, his grip on me tightening a little. “Motherfucker. That guy?”
I almost laugh. Theo really is the only person who can make me laugh when everything else in me feels like crying.
“Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction,” I say, making an attempt at a smile.
“Fuck.” His lips curl back, and he looks a little disgusted.
I know how he feels.
Then he cocks his head, his eyes narrowing. His fingertips trace up and down my spine as he thinks for a long moment. When he looks down at me again, he sighs.
“Honestly, it kinda makes sense. What his parents did, I mean. Not that it makes it in any way okay. But you’ve seen our parents. Ry’s and Marcus’s, anyway. It took us longer to fully recognize it than it should have, but our parents used all of us. They treated us like pieces on a chess board. Dominic’s parents just took it to a whole new extreme. They raised him to be a tool, so maybe that explains why he’s such a… well, a tool.”
This time, I do snort a laugh. It’s the most apt description of Dominic I’ve ever heard.
Theo grins, looking pleased that he managed to pull me from the depths of my emotional breakdown. Then his face grows serious.
“This is insane, Rose. And I can’t even begin to imagine the kind of shit you’re feeling right now. But just remember that Dominic was raised by assholes. He’s a product of his upbringing. If he’d had a different life, if he’d still had you, he could’ve been a different person. A better person. Hell, the only reason Ry, Marcus, and I aren’t completely fucked up is because we found each other. We had each other to lean on.”
He reaches up to brush a lock of hair behind my ear. I still have the remnants of the simple updo I pulled it into earlier, but it looks like a rat’s been crawling around in it now.