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Shock rippled through Elle as she stared at Hunter in disbelief, but she didn’t have to ask hi so evil Without a doubt, Helena’s motives were soe on, the business, and just plain greed

“How did you find out she was poisoning ed the information herself

“Your stepsister Claire told ht you to the hospital She saw your ar” Hunter scrubbed a hand along the dark stubble on his jaw and sighed “Claire caitimately worried about youand because Helena had sent her to find out if you and I knew about the arsenic poisoning I asked her not to tell your step until you and I talked and you decided how you wanted to handle the situation Because if it was up to oddamn jail cell”

Elle tried to wrap herher, but for as vindictive and cruel as Helena was, Elle had never been the spiteful type “Can I think about it?”

“Not for long So needs to be done, one way or another,” he told her, his fingers feathering gently over the back of her hand “The doctor said if your test results coe, you’ll be discharged and you are not going back to your house You’re co is resolved with Helena because I don’t trust her to be anywhere near you”

“Okay,” Elle agreed softly

Then a surprisingly pained look passed across Hunter’s features, and genuinely distraught e happened to you, too, I don’t know that I’d ever be able to forgive myself”

He sounded so tor “What do youhappened toto your parents’ deaths?”

“Andher with that information

Oh,he’d been engaged and had clearly lost his fiancée somehow “I don’t understand What happened?”

“Four years ago, I watchedI could do to stop it froainst the pain she saw reflected in his eyes, and she waited patiently for hi her for lunch at a restaurant about a block away froht outside of the restaurant for her to arrive I saw her reach the other side of the street, and when it was her right of way to take the crosswalka goddaht at full speed and hit her I saw the whole fucking thing happen, and by the time I reached her, she literally took her last few breaths in my arms and died”

Elle gasped as tears sprang to her eyes, her heart breaking for all this ony and loss “HunterI’ her throat

“It was the darkest, most difficult time in my life, and I swore that I’d never put ain because I was terrified of experiencing that loss again” His dark, golden gaze turned fierce and intense “And then I met you”

His feelings for her were implied and mirrored how hard and fast she’d fallen for this man, who’d literally swept her off her feet at a fairy-tale ball Her , and with so much unresolved in her life, her head and her heart warred within her

Before she could reply, he said, “I don’t expect you to say anything right now,” he told her, understanding in his voice “I just wantedno, I need you to know that youthat you could have died, and I would have been helpless to save you, just like my parents and Natalie, completely shatters me when all I want to do is protect you from any harm Always”