Chapter 12 - THE TRUTH ABOUT GABRIEL Harper finally asked the question she'd been avoiding.
"Why did you become this man?"
Gabriel stood silently beside the fireplace.
"My father."
She waited.
"He built the organization."
Gabriel's voice was quiet.
"He taught me that fear keeps people alive."
"What happened to him?"
"He died because he trusted the wrong person."
Gabriel looked at the flames.
"I spent years becoming someone nobody could betray."
Harper stepped closer.
"And did it work?"
He looked at her.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you walked in."
Harper smiled.
Gabriel touched her cheek.
"I don't know how to do this."
"Do what?"
"Love someone."
She whispered:
"Then learn."
He kissed her.
May you like
Not like a powerful man claiming something.
Like a broken man discovering something he had never believed he deserved.
Related Stories
Chapter 13 - THE LAST MOVE Viktor Vance made his move.
Chapter 14 - THE ABDUCTION Harper never heard the door open.
Chapter 15 - THE WAREHOUSE Rain hammered the roof.
Chapter 16 - THE END OF VIKTOR VANCE The confrontation ended before sunrise.
Chapter 17 - THE HOUSE OF LIGHT Months passed.
Chapter 18 - THE WEDDING They married in the spring.
