CHAPTER 0159
Alaric’s POV:
I was barely standing on the threshold, and the air between us changed, turning heavy and charged with some kind of electricity.
I had no idea what I was expecting when I got here, but…holy fuck.
Meadow looked phenomenal. And even that was an understatement. I hadn’t seen her in a month and I could see that a lot of things had changed about her. Not just physically. She’d gotten much more fierce and feisty.
I fucking loved that.
I wanted to touch her. God. She was just there, just within my reach…
But that wasn’t what I was here for.
I needed to tell her the truth about her father, needed her to understand why I did what I did, and why I knew I didn’t deserve her.
And whatever the outcome was… I’d accept it.
Something thick formed in my throat. The fact that she got all dressed up for another man made me feel murderous.
Who the fuck was he?
Meadow sighed. “You want to talk? Fine, we’ll talk.” She rolled her beautiful eyes. “Shut the door.”
Relief washed over me like a wave. I let out a deep breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. Meadow turned around, walking away from me while she muttered: “Something tells me I’m going to need a drink for this.”
I couldn’t help but watch the way her hips swayed and her perky ass jiggled, and I tried so hard to keep my annoyance in.
This fucking dress.
“And what about your… date?” I asked, unable to tone down the bitterness in my voice.
She froze for a second, and then turned around to shoot me a glare. “Do you want to talk to me or not?”
I bit my tongue in response, running my hand through my hair as I followed her into the kitchen.
“Care for some wine?” she asked half–heartedly, reaching for a bottle of wine. I surveyed the kitchen with my gaze. I’d known where Meadow was living all along, but I wanted to give her her privacy.
Of course, I had to. She hated me.
And she was about to hate me even more than she already did. I turned back to look at her and she was struggling to reach for the wine glasses even in her heels.
“Let me.” Without even thinking, I strode over, reaching for the glasses and bringing them down. “Are these the
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CHAPTER 0159
+25 BONUS
ones you wanted?” I murmured.
For a moment, Meadow was silent. She froze completely, and that was when I realized that I was standing directly behind her, one hand on her waist.
The air shifted and I felt my breath hitch as her sweet scent flooded my nostrils. Even crazier was the fact that I could feel her warmth through the fabric of her dress.
I could feel her. I hadn’t yet told her the truth, or that I was able to feel things whenever I let my guard down, but it was as if my brain already sensed what was to come.
And it was letting me feel.
“Alaric…” Meadow breathed as her body trembled beneath my touch.
I wanted to step back, but I couldn’t stop myself from squeezing her waist slightly. “I’ve missed you,” I whispered into her ear. “So much.”
Meadow let out a slow breath, and then she said: “I don’t believe you.” I noticed the way she gripped the glasses tighter and then shook her head.
“Meadow-}}
“Tell me what you wanted to tell me, Alaric,” she cut in, and I stepped back to give her some room to move to the counter. “You said you’ve been keeping something from me. What is it?”
My fists curled. Meadow dropped the glasses on the counter, pulled her shoes off, and then she sighed as though she was bracing herself for impact.
“Go on,” she said quietly, pouring wine into both glasses. Her hands were steady, but her voice wasn’t.
My jaw tightened. “You’re not going to want to hear this.”
She looked up at me then, eyes shining and chin tilted like she was daring me. “I don’t think there’s anything you could say to me that would hurt me more than you already have, Alaric.”
My heart clenched.
Fuck. I wished she didn’t sound so broken.
“I beg to differ,” I replied, watching her hop onto one of the stools. She pushed the other glass toward me, raising her glass to her lips so she could take a sip.
I didn’t drink. I didn’t want to. I just wanted to tell her everything.
Stepping closer, my heart in my throat, I started. “Your father didn’t kill mine.”
Meadow froze. Her face went completely pale.
“What?”
Maybe I shouldn’t have told her. Maybe I should’ve just taken the expression on her face as a hint and backed out, or given her some sort of excuse.
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CHAPTER 0159
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But I didn’t. There was no need to drag this out any longer. And so I continued. “I did.”
The glass slipped from Meadow’s hand instantly, and would’ve fallen and crashed into pieces if I wasn’t quick enough to catch it.
However, Meadow didn’t move. Her hand hovered mid–air, fingers trembling, eyes wide and glassy like she was trying to process what she just heard and her brain refused to translate the words.
With every single second that passed, my insides twisted further and further. The disbelief in her expression morphed into horror, and the horror turned into something much worse.
“I…” Her lips parted, stopped, and then her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “You… what?”
I gently set the glass down on the counter, trying not to startle her. “I killed my own father, Meadow,” I said quietly. “Shot him, and then I…” I paused. “Framed your father.”
Meadow’s eyes flinched shut, and when they snapped back open, they were wide and wet. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“No!” she snapped, jumping down from the stool and running her hands through her hair. “Y–you… Alaric, that’s not… that can’t be true. It can’t…” She gasped.
I took a step toward her. “Meadow-”
“Don’t.” Her voice cracked. “Don’t touch me. Not until you’re ready to tell me the truth instead of making up stupid excuses because you’re scared of loving me.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
Summary & Review: Fallen