Chapter 359: The Argument

Rebecca’s POV

​"My relationship with Melvin is none of your business," I said firmly.

​"Exactly," Kaden replied immediately. He held my gaze for a moment before adding, "Now you understand how that sounds."

​I hated that he had a point, and that only made me angrier. "Fine," I snapped. "Maybe I will marry him."

​Something changed in Kaden’s face. It happened so quickly I almost missed it, but I didn’t. His jaw tightened.

​"Then marry him," Kaden replied.

​"Maybe I will," I repeated.

​"Good," Kaden said shortly.

​"Good," I shot back.

​Silence fell between us, but neither of us looked away. My heart was pounding, and suddenly I understood why his answer had made me so angry.

​"You really don’t care, do you?" I demanded.

​Kaden frowned. "About what?"

​"Me being with him."

​His jaw tightened. "I never said that."

​"You didn’t have to," I replied. "You’re standing there telling me to marry him."

​"Because what else do you expect me to say, Rebecca?" Kaden demanded. "That you’re not allowed to be with another man?"

​"I don’t know!"

​"Then what do you want from me?" Kaden asked, his voice rising slightly.

​"I don’t know, Kaden!" I shouted, my voice beginning to shake. "Maybe I just don’t understand how you can stand there and talk about me marrying someone else like we’re discussing the weather."

​Kaden went still. I should have stopped there. Instead, the real question slipped out.

​"And what about us, Kaden?" I demanded.

​His entire expression changed.

​"What about us?" Kaden asked, his voice quieter now.

​"Do you really expect me to believe you can stand there and talk about me marrying another man and feel nothing?" I asked.

​"What do you want from me, Rebecca?" Kaden demanded, his control finally beginning to crack. "You asked me to let you go."

​"I don’t know!" I shouted back.

​"Neither do I!" Kaden snapped. "You asked me to reject you. You told me you wanted to be free of me, and I gave you exactly what you asked for."

​The words hit me hard enough to silence me. Kaden’s chest rose and fell as he stared at me, and for the first time since this ridiculous argument had begun, the calm control in his face was gone.

​"I know what I asked for," I replied, my voice quieter.

​"Then don’t stand there and act like I walked away because I wanted to," Kaden said, his jaw tightening. "I stayed away because that was what you wanted."

​I looked away. Kaden was right, and I hated that too. For three years, I had convinced myself that letting each other go had been the right decision. Maybe it had been. But somewhere along the way, I had apparently started believing that because Kaden had respected my choice, moving on had somehow been easier for him. Then Rola came along. And Melvin. And suddenly, the clean ending I had created in my head didn’t feel clean anymore.

​"You have Rola now," I reminded him, forcing myself to meet his eyes again.

​"Yes, I do," Kaden replied.

​The simple answer hurt more than it should have.

​"And I have Melvin waiting for me, right?" I asked bitterly.

​Kaden’s expression tightened. "That’s not what I said."

​"But it’s true," I replied. "Maybe that’s what I want. Maybe Melvin is exactly what I need. At least with him, I wouldn’t have to spend every second wondering whether loving him was going to destroy me again."

​Kaden went completely silent.

​Somehow, that was worse than if he had shouted back. The anger disappeared from his face, and for one brief second, I saw the hurt before he looked away from me.

​I immediately knew I had gone too far.

​Because Kaden knew exactly what I meant. He knew I wasn’t only talking about our rejection or the miscarriage. I was talking about everything that had come before it. The accusations. The prison. The choker he had forced around my neck. Every cruel thing he had done when he believed I was responsible for Helen’s death.

​He had spent years living with what he had done to me, and I had just thrown all of it back in his face with one sentence.

​A part of me wanted to take the words back, especially after seeing the look on his face, but I couldn’t pretend the fear behind them wasn’t real. I had loved Kaden once, and loving him had come with more pain than I ever wanted to experience again. Maybe he had changed. Maybe we had both changed. But some wounds didn’t disappear simply because three years had passed.

​Kaden finally looked at me again, and the anger that had been in his eyes moments ago was gone.

​"Is that what you think?" Kaden asked quietly.

​I swallowed. "What?"

​"That loving me would destroy you again," Kaden replied.

​I couldn’t answer. For several seconds, neither of us said anything. The silence between us felt different now. This wasn’t about Rola or Melvin anymore. We had somehow dragged ourselves back to the part of our past neither of us could change.

​"Then maybe you’re right," Kaden said finally. "Maybe you should choose Melvin."

​Something inside me twisted painfully. "Would that make things easier for you?"

​Kaden’s jaw tightened. "Don’t do that."

​"Do what?" I challenged.

​"Keep pushing me for an answer you’re not ready to hear," Kaden replied.

​My heart skipped. "What answer?" I asked.

​Kaden stared at me without speaking.

​I stepped closer. "Does the thought of me being with Melvin bother you?" I asked.

​"Rebecca," Kaden warned.

​"Does it?" I demanded.

​"You’re free to be with whoever you want," Kaden replied.

​"That still isn’t an answer."

​Kaden’s jaw clenched. "Then choose him."

​"Maybe I will," I replied, refusing to look away. "Maybe I’ll let him court me. Maybe I’ll marry him. Maybe I’ll even fall in love with him."

​"Stop," Kaden warned.

​"Why?" I demanded. "You have Rola. Why should you care who I fall in love with?"

​"Rebecca," Kaden warned again, taking a step toward me.

​I should have stopped, but I didn’t.

​"Maybe he’ll make me happy," I continued, lifting my chin. "Maybe he’ll give me everything you couldn’t."

​Something changed in Kaden’s expression.

​"Don’t," Kaden said quietly.

​"Don’t what?" I challenged, taking the final step between us. "Tell you that another man might actually make me happy?"

​Kaden stared down at me. His breathing was no longer as controlled as it had been earlier.

​"You have no idea what you’re doing right now," Kaden said quietly.

​"Neither do you," I shot back.

​His eyes dropped to my lips, and mine dropped to his. Neither of us moved. One second passed, then another, and the anger between us suddenly felt like something else entirely.

​This was wrong. Rola was somewhere in this palace, and Kaden was with her. We had rejected each other three years ago, and there was no mate bond left to blame for the tension filling the small space between us. Nothing supernatural was forcing either of us to stand here. This was just us, making choices we both knew we shouldn’t be making.

​Kaden slowly raised his hand toward my face, but he stopped before touching me. His fingers hovered beside my cheek while his eyes remained locked on mine. He waited, giving me every chance to step away.

​I should have. God, I should have.

​Instead, I reached up, grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled him toward me, and pressed my lips against his.